ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
How to Troubleshoot Video Problems
Few things can be as frustrating as picture problems. You get your system all ready to go, flip the switch, and WHAM! One or more channels look terrible. The good news is that the majority of video problems can be traced to just a few causes. Most problems are comprised of the following: Snow Horizontal bars rolling though the picture Vertical bars rolling through the picture Ghosting Herringbone pattern (diagonal lines through picture) Lower channels look fine, upper channels are not These six are the main symptoms you'll find when seeing video problems. Thankfully, most are fairly easy to fix. Snow - Snow is caused by inadequate signal strength at the tuner. It's usually caused by: 1 Splitting the signal too many times. 2 A weak signal from the antenna or cable company 3 A very long cable run If the signal is snowy at all your TVs, especially if you have more than 4 TVs, you probably need an RF amplifier. Check the strength at the demark (service entrance). If it is fine there, add an amplifier before the splitter. Make sure to use a quality unit with good bandwidth (out to at least 1000MHz). If you have digital cable or a cable modem, get an amplifier with a bidirectional return path to allow for communication back to the cable company. If the picture looks bad at the demark, contact the cable company. If it is bad at only one TV, you may have a bad cable between the splitter and the TV or a very long run of cable. You can amplify just that run. Horizontal Rolling Bars ? Horizontal rolling bars are caused by DC power getting into the cable system. To fix it, disconnect the TV from all other components in the system. If the bars disappear, add the other components back in until the bars return. When you find the offending component, use a DC blocker to eliminate the DC power path to the system. Vertical Rolling Bars ? Vertical rolling bars are caused by AC power getting on the cable line. The best fix for this is to use a ground breaker. A ground breaker eliminates the electrical connection between the TV and the cable system. A ground breaker is also the main fix for a hum on your audio system's speakers. Ghosting ? Ghosting is caused by the tuner receiving identical signals at slightly different times. It can be caused by your TV receiving a local station broadcasting over the air and via the cable system at the same time. Make sure you are using good quality RG-6 coax cable and good compression fittings. Replace any low quality cable splitters or combiners with high quality units. Make sure they are tight also. This will also cure another cause of ghosting, signal reflection inside a poor cable. Ghosting can also be caused by multi-path interference on an antenna system. This is especially true in an urban environment with lots of hills and tall buildings. To combat this, use a very directional antenna aimed directly at the desired station. Herringbone Pattern ? A herringbone pattern is caused by radio frequency interference from other stations transmitting on the same channel or adjacent channels, powerful radio signals, computers, etc. Another common cause is being equidistant from two transmitters operating on the same channel. In short, this can be caused by just about any sort of RF radiation at the correct frequency. Really great shielding found on high quality cables helps to combat this. If you are getting this interference while modulating an A/V source on a certain channel, try switching to a different channel. Poor Upper Channel Reception ? Poor Upper Channel Reception is caused by poor signal strength on the upper channels. Use an amplifier with a tilt compensator that allows adjustment of the upper channels relative to the lower channels. This will prevent overdriving the lower channels while providing the upper channels with enough gain. Also, check to see if all components in the RF system are rated to at least 1GHz and RG-6 or RG-6Quad shield cable is being used throughout. Bio: Steve Faber has almost 15 years in the custom installation industry. He is a CEDIA certified designer and Installer 2 with certifications from both the ISF and THX. His experience spans many facets of the industry, from the trenches as an installer and control systems programmer, and system designer, to a business unit director for a specialty importer of high end audio video equipment, a sales rep for a large, regional consumer electronics distributor, and principal of a $1.5M+ custom installation firm. He currently is senior sales engineer for Digital Cinema Design in Redmond, WA. He is on the web at http://www.1touchmovie.com.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Interior Design For Bargain Hunters Interior design for bargain hunters is the new fashionable item in the arena of interior design. Everyone is interested these days in making their money stretch as far as it possibly can. There are many, many possible ways to achieve this. The most important determining factor in your success is the amount of patience and time you are willing to invest in order to find and purchase true items of value and not frivolous purchases which are of significantly less value that you will regret later. Buying The Right Comforter For Your Bed Putting the right comforter on your bed can make the whole bedroom look fabulous. Comforters are the most visible of all the bedding pieces, so when you change the comforter you make a large change in the decor of the bedroom itself. But comforters are also very functional as they make for a very warm, and soft bed to sleep in too. But getting the right comforter for your bed takes some thought and preparation, and this article will help you make the right decision when you buy. How to Keep Your Tools Useful for Every Season You don't want to keep your useless tools in your storage right? You will only fill up the room with broken tools, so you feel you want to throw everything out. Wow, that's really a good way to throw out money. New Tax Breaks for Energy Efficient Home Improvements If you would like to make your existing home more energy efficient and get some help paying for the improvements, you need to know about the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005. The new law provides a $500 lifetime credit against your federal income tax for the cost of certain energy-saving home improvements that you make to your home after December 31, 2005 and before January 1, 2008. Up to $200 of the tax credit may be applied to windows. Guides To Interior Design These days, finding advice or guides to interior design is a quick and easy task. Are you looking to design that 'dream room', the one that you have kept vision of for up teen years and never acted upon? Maybe you're a professional who is interested in livening up their career situation by delving into the world of creative design. Or perhaps, a certain recent event in your life such as a marriage or even the arrival of a new baby has led you to undertake this mission. Whatever the reason, if you are new to the interior design scene, it is advisable that you dip your toe into the water before you lunge in. By this, I mean that the very idea that you are reading this article and in search of guides to interior design is a terrific sign! New-age Paint Thickening & Rheological Additives : Solvitex & Solvizen For Paint Manufacturers worldwide, there has come a radical new development in the legion of Thickening Agents & Colloidal stabilizer for Aqueous Latex Paints. So far most of the companies producing aqueous Paint emulsions, the most preferred thickening agent was Hydroxy ethyl cellulose (HEC). The HEC based thixotropic additives is produced by some of the renowned multi-national companies such as Hercules, Akzo Nobel & Dow. Planning Permission Tips UK - Understanding Your Local Planning Officer - They are Only Human This time of year often sees an explosion in new enquiries for development schemes but the irony of this fact is that most people think that they are in time for a Spring/early summer build if they start the Planning & design process now through the Local Authority?? Sorry but this thinking should have been at the end of last summer - September at the latest. In most cases people do not seem to realise the time scales involved ....... 1 month for survey & design build up, another 2 weeks for clients alterations & Planning upgrade, 2 to 3 months for Planning Approval, 4 weeks for the Building Regulations upgrade, 5 weeks for the Building Regulations & tender & then 4 months to fit in with your chosen Builders programme & work schedule. Add that all up & 6 months would seem a challenging task. The moral? - If you have a development project start the design & formal applications process as soon as possible & at least 6 months (in most cases) should be allowed before you can start on site from inception. HOW MANY MORE TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS? Planning Permission Tips UK - Loft Conversions in UK Properties - Do They Add Value? We get a great many requests to view the potential of Loft conversions. This type of extension has remained fairly popular since I first started designing property & is perhaps even more in demand now than ever before - especially in dense urban areas where the alternative choices for that fourth bedroom are somewhat limited. Help With Buying A New Ceiling Fan When you are choosing a new ceiling fan there are a couple of things that you really need to think about before you go out and make a purchase. If you do not think and plan before purchasing your new ceilnig fan, there is a chance that it will not perform the way you want it to or it might not even fit in the space allocated. Even worse, you may inadvertently be using a ceiling fan that is not suited to the environment you place it in. Replacing Your Sliding Glass Door Rollers If the sliding glass doors in your home are more than 10 years old, you might notice that they are becoming harder to slide open. This problem is even more common on aluminum frame dual pane doors. The reason is because the doors are heavier due to the dual pane glass, but many of the aluminum units did not use stainless steel rollers. So, in many cases, the rollers get rusty from moisture and they start to bind. Kitchen Magic It's amazing -- some people manage to get a complete aerobic workout just while preparing dinner! Back and forth, back and forth -- I get tired just watching! Today, pay attention to the way you move while you cook. How many times do you cross the length of your kitchen in one evening? Do you find yourself doing squats to get at your pans? Stretches to reach your dishes? Are you becoming a world-class hurdler, jumping over the dog's dish every time you go from refrigerator to stove? All it takes is a few minutes to re-arrange your kitchen storage, saving you a lot of time and energy in the long run. Duvet Covers Are Easy to Make Yourself Duvet covers are rather versatile when you think about it. If you want something that is really different for your bedroom, you may find expense is an issue in fancy, unique, well made fabric. Designer labels are pricey, especially if you aren't shopping during a white sale. The versatility of the duvet makes them worth it, and a necessity for a comforter, but you don't want to spend the money. Even an inexpensive comforter can be transformed into a stylish work of art with a unique duvet cover. They are great for your kid's rooms because they can easily be changed when the child grows. Repairing a Hole in a Sheetrocked Wall It is quite simple to repair a hole in a Sheetrocked wall, however there are minor differences in methods of repair depending on how large the hole is. Whats Underfoot? A Quick Guide to Patio Surfaces Patios and terraces have always been popular outdoor spaces. Whether a Parisian courtyard or a rooftop alcove, only porches and sunrooms beat out these paved (or semi-paved) retreats in a recent survey of my readers as the most ideal outside living space. Let's examine some of the wide variety of patio surfaces. Bamboo Flooring for the 21st Century Bamboo flooring has emerged as a new material for the commercial design market. It's unique look and earth friendly properties have made it popular for flooring and panels. Although bamboo has been used as a construction material for centuries, it has only recently emerged as an engineered flooring product. If You Have Any Antique Clocks...Keep Them. They May Be Valuable Keepsakes Been shopping for antique clocks lately? Baking Soda for Cleaning Baking soda is a common, inexpensive household item that can be used for many kinds of cleaning projects. In an era when we are all exposed to many toxic chemicals, it's nice to know that something so mild can be effective. We actually make a form of baking soda in our own saliva, where it helps keep plaque from forming! Log Wall Characteristics Looking at all the beautiful full-color glossy photos of log home in magazines gives us an idealized vision of the perfect wooden house. Like a supermodel, we can't imagine wrinkles and imperfections, but like any natural product, log walls are full of traits that are an integral part of their character. Building a Home Addition Besides providing your home with more living space, a home addition can be a terrific investment. However, before embarking on such a project the homeowner should first consider several important items. These items include: home market values in the neighborhood, financing, size and scale of project, architecture, timetable for completion, personal disruption/inconvenience threshold and the sweat equity commitment level. Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter Imagine leaving a window open all winter long -- the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, fireplace or clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.
|
|
|
|
|
