TV and aerial question.

[Finless]

My Mum is thinking of buying LG 17LS5R 17" LCD TV - Tesco.Direct this 17inch flat screen TV. It is described as a 4:3 LCD TV and I assume the 4:3 is something to do with screen settings so that any "letter box" shaped program will be squished onto the screen with black lines above and below? She is only going to but it because it has £30 knocked off. Parents have some weird reasons for doing things. OK, getting £30 knocked off is OK but it is not worth if you are getting a naff item or something that isn't right?

She lives in a area that has always suffered poor TV aerial reception. Are the modern TV aerials any better? Is it worth buying a new one. I suppose I could buy a signal booster but have never really thought they made much diff in the past?

The current aerial cable is knackered and obviously has a whole in the casing because water is inside the cable which, presumably, will further degrade the signal strength? Anyway, I bought a reel of aerial cable suitable for using with my satellite dish but I went for Sky and the cable came as part of the price. Will this cable be OK for use with a normal analogue signal? I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be except that it is dear stuff to use on something that doesn't really need it but ................?

[Adrian Kelland]

Finless,

I'd not buy it myself. When does your mum's area switch to digital only? That TV won't then work without an additional external digital receiver.

It pisses me off how many TVs are still sold that can't get digital.

Adrian

[outlaw13]

You can get a 80Gb digital hard disk recorder thingybob for £80 from Asda. That gives you a digibox plus the ability to record up to 80Gb of TV like Sky+. So the money you save on buying a non digital TV goes towards the recording box. Just like what I did.

[colinpjenkins2]

It's now out of stock so it may not cause you problems. To check digital coverage go to this web address.
Freeview - Check Coverage

As far as your other questions coax does degrade slowly and if as you say its wet inside (i did read that corretly didn't I?) then the sigal strength will be down, also every juction drops the signal as well. Sky sat cable is fine to run from a normal aerial (I have a 20mt run to my set). I did remember reading somewhere that Sussex was about to be hit by the French turning up the power on their digital signal so if your parents go for a new set then it may be better to get the professionals in to set it all up. A digial freeview type box only costs about £30 but you can get them from £15 upto £100

[Finless]

Their idea is to get a digital ready TV but still use it through the existing analogue aerial.

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by outlaw13

You can get a 80Gb digital hard disk recorder thingybob for £80 from Asda. That gives you a digibox plus the ability to record up to 80Gb of TV like Sky+. So the money you save on buying a non digital TV goes towards the recording box. Just like what I did.

But if Finless's Mum is anything like mine that isn't a working option.

It probably wants to be just like the one before but that went out of production 20 years ago.

[colinicky]

Bryan
Which aerial transmitter does your mum pick up her tv from ? ie which way does it point ? I can understand her not getting the Hastings transmitter but is there not a transmitter for Eastbourne that she could pick up from ?
Does she use a freeview box ?
Colin

[Finless]

Originally Posted by colinicky

Bryan
Which aerial transmitter does your mum pick up her tv from ? ie which way does it point ? I can understand her not getting the Hastings transmitter but is there not a transmitter for Eastbourne that she could pick up from ?
Does she use a freeview box ?
Colin

I don't know which tranmitter they are pointing at.

No, I get her Sky in the sitting room but the little TV in the kitchen is knackered + the signal is crap. I just told her the digital switch isn't until at least 2010 or something like and she said she'd be dead by then and wasn't going to bother any more. I will put up a new aerial cable for her and see if/how much that improves the signal.

[DVR]

If you know anyone who's upgraded to sky plus and isnt going to use the old sky box and lmb, you could buy a dish £20.00 ish and you've got sky free view, I did this in the caravan and its a lot better than the old aerial.

John

[colinicky]

Bryan most if not all sky boxs have 2 outputs ,can you not run a 2nd cable to the one in the kitchen ? use a magic eye & hey presto she can change channel in the kitchen .
but both tvs will watch the same thing