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I have installed a Philips Mant940 Indoor/Outdoor UHF/VHF Television Antenna to my Toshiba 19HLV87 LCD TV. It's an outdoor installation. Channels came in good, but one a (5.l) channel, NBC, was awesome, but after watching it awhile, a large black square was in the middle of the picture and after I would
push the exit or any other key, it would disappear and then reappear after a few minutes. I have check'd all the settings on my TV and can't find anything to clear this setting. This did not appear when we were hooked up to our old analog antenna.
Thank you,
Your captioning or "text" is on. usually inside the tv menu. if not its your cable or dish box has captioning on. black box usually means its in text mode instead of CC thus the black box rather than text
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Purchase your UHF/VHF antenna. The antenna can also be purchased at most electronic and retail stores. Consult your list from Step 1 and see how powerful the over-the-air signals are for your specific address. Purchase your antenna based on the broadcasting power you need to receive a clear picture on your TV. You might be able to get away with an indoor antenna if your signal strength is strong enough. If not, you'll need to purchase an outdoor antenna.
4 Install your antenna (or have it done professionally) according to the building codes of your area. If you must use an outdoor antenna, it is a good idea to have the antenna professionally installed. This ensures that it is properly grounded on your roof, not too close to electrical wiring and stable during inclement weather.
5 Hook the converter box up to your television using the cable that came with it (F Cable). Hook your antenna up to the converter Box. Turn on your TV and converter box. Tune your TV to channel 3 and press "Scan" on the digital convert box. Allow the box to scan for your available channels.
6 View your picture and adjust your antenna accordingly for the clearest over-the-air feed. You should only need to make adjustments once. If you are having a difficult time getting a clear picture, use a signal strength indicator to see where you receive the most powerful signal.
Is the antenna the correct one for your environment? Do you have the antenna pointed at the stations you want to receive? Use antennaweb.org or tvfool.com to get an idea of the location and likely channels you can receive at your location. Antennaweb assumes an outdoor antenna but is very conservative in the list of channels you can receive. (These may match the limits of the indoor antenna.) TVfool lists the stations and the appropriate antenna that will likely receive each station.
Tall trees and buildings will block the signal. Get the antenna as high as possible. Move the rabbit ears and UHF loop to maximize your signal strength. Then make sure the TV is set to use the OTA tuner (ATSC for digtal stations). (That may mean changing the source in the setup menu.)
Then scan for channels. Move your antenna or parts of it and rescan or edit the channel list. (For some TVs there is a weak signal setup option that will let you manually enter the station number (including sub-channel). Then it will provide the signal strength information as you move your antenna.)
I hope this helps. An amplifier may help you bring in weak stations with enough signal strength for the tv to see them.
You need a suitable VHF/UHF antenna. Then you simply "Tune" VHF/UHF frequencies on the TV and it should find channels and automatically "Lock" onto and store them.
Look in your manual for a channel scan entry. It should be an item in your setup menu. What this does is re-scan for all the signals it can receive. Once the scan is done, it should display all the channels that are viewable in your area
Use an Antenna that Provides Good Reception of All Channels
Most existing antennas used by consumers will provide good reception of DTV signals. (Before making any changes, try your existing antenna first to see of it allows you to receive all the stations you normally watch.)
For watching DTV signals, you will need an antenna that provides good reception of both VHF signals (channels 2-13) and UHF signals (channels 14-51) to reliably receive all of the digital signals broadcast in your area.
Many antennas are designed only for reception of either VHF or UHF signals (but not both). For example, the commonly used “rabbit ears” indoor antenna is only suitable for receiving VHF signals. To receive UHF signals, an indoor antenna should also include a wire loop or other feature for reception in that band.
The reception capabilities of TV antennas also vary considerably, so be sure to talk to retail consultants and look at information on the packaging and/or the Internet to make sure that any new antenna you may choose provides good reception of both VHF and UHF channels. In addition, if you use an indoor antenna and receive signals on VHF channels, you may need to use an antenna with amplification.
Many antennas currently being sold as “HDTV Antennas,” perform best at receiving UHF signals; some of these models state that they provide reception of signals on channels 7-13 but actually perform less well receiving those channels. If you obtain one of these antennas, be sure it provides good reception of all the VHF channels as well as the UHF channels.
To check for the DTV signals that are available at your location, use the DTV Reception Maps available at www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps.
Check Your Connections
Check that your digital-to-analog converter box or digital television is connected properly. Make sure your antenna is connected to the antenna input of your digital-to-analog converter box or digital television. If using a digital-to-analog converter box, also ensure that the antenna output of your converter box is connected to the antenna input of your analog TV. Refer to the owner’s manuals of your components if you are unsure of the proper connections.
Ensure that your components are plugged in and have their power turned on.
If you have a digital-to-analog converter box, tune your analog TV to channel 3. You should see a set-up menu or picture displayed on your TV screen. If you do not see a set-up menu or picture, tune your TV to channel 4. If you still do not see a set-up menu or picture, recheck your connections.
Perform a Channel Scan
Digital-to-analog converter boxes and digital televisions have a button, usually on the remote control, that is labeled “set-up” or “menu” or some similar term. Press that button to access the set-up menu. Using the directional arrow buttons on your remote, scroll to the option that allows you to perform a “channel scan.” The channel scan will automatically search for digital broadcast channels that are available in your area. Consult the owner’s manual of your digital-to-analog converter box or digital television for detailed instructions on how to perform a channel scan for your device.
Once the channel scan is complete, you will be able to tune to the digital channels received by your antenna. You should perform a channel scan periodically to check whether additional digital channels have become available.
Adjust Your Antenna
Small adjustments to your antenna can make a big difference in the number of digital channels you can receive. If you have an indoor antenna, try elevating it and moving it closer to an exterior wall of your home. After adjusting your antenna, perform another channel scan to see if your reception is improved.
While adjusting your antenna, it may be helpful to access the “signal strength meter” on your digital-to-analog converter box or digital television to determine whether your adjustments are improving the signals’ strength. The signal strength meter is usually accessed through the menu feature on your remote control. Refer to the owner’s manual of your device for detailed instructions on how to access its signal strength meter. Remember to do another channel scan after you have adjusted your antenna.
Television stations broadcasting in digital use both the VHF band (channels 2-13) and UHF band (channels 14-51). Many indoor antennas use “rabbit ears” for the VHF band and a “loop” or “bow-tie” antenna for the UHF band. Make sure you are using an antenna that covers both the VHF and UHF bands and have connected it properly.
If You are Still Having Difficulty:
Until June 12, 2009, some stations will be operating at reduced power levels. If you are not receiving certain digital TV stations, this does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your antenna or digital-to-analog converter box or digital television. Check with the TV station to find out whether they are planning changes that will improve reception.
When an analog TV signal is weak or receives interference, static, snow, and distortion will often appear on the screen. Digital broadcasting will provide a clear picture; however, if the signal falls below a certain minimum strength, the picture can disappear. This “cliff effect” means that if you watch analog TV stations that have static and distortion, you may have to adjust or upgrade your antenna system.
Simple indoor antennas provide minimal performance that may not be suitable for your location. If you are unable to obtain satisfactory DTV reception with your current indoor antenna, you may wish to obtain an indoor antenna that includes features for better reception of UHF signals, as well as VHF, and/or an amplifier to boost the received signal (often referred to as an active indoor antenna).
Generally, an outdoor antenna will get better reception than an indoor antenna. However, the performance of outdoor antennas can degrade over time due to exposure to the weather. If you are having problems, check for loose or corroded wiring, broken antenna elements and that the antenna is pointed in the right direction.
Try to keep the length of wire between your antenna and digital-to-analog converter box or digital television as short as possible for best reception.
“Splitters” that are used to connect a single antenna to multiple digital-to-analog converter boxes or digital televisions reduce the amount of signal available to each device. If you are having problems, check whether reception is improved without the splitter. In some cases an “active” splitter that includes an amplifier can solve the problem.
If you are near a station’s broadcast tower, reception of that station, as well as other stations, can be impeded by strong signal “overload.” Consider using an “attenuator” or removing amplifiers to improve your reception.
If you decide to replace or upgrade your indoor or outdoor antenna, many types are available from electronics retail stores at a variety of prices. Websites such as www.antennaweb.org provide information on the locations of broadcast towers and the types of outdoor antennas appropriate for the stations you wish to receive. If you need assistance with upgrading your antenna system, check with a local antenna retailer or antenna installer.
To check for the DTV signals that are available at your location, use the DTV Reception Maps available at www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps.
You may have several problems.
If you are using a indoor antenna, upgrade to a outdoor antenna. The indoor antenna has to be adjusted every time you change a channel. If you plan to sit in a chair and never move when watching tv, you may be able to pick up a channel or two. Get a UHF/VHF antenna from a home improvement store. The big box electronic stores are selling a digital antenna. There is no such thing. The antenna doesn't know if the signal is digital or analog, it just picks up uhf and vhf signals.
The other problem could be that the box is bad if it is not saving the scan. I would check the antenna first from what you said though.
if your channel was fuzzy in analog then you will not get it in digital because digital is pretty much all or nothing. I would try a an antenna with longer signal range.
You may need a stronger antenna or your neighbor may have only a VHF antenna and most of the digital channels are being broadcast over UHf. . First, though, check the antenna connection as if they are dirty, they may be lowering the signal strength (these are the connections at the antenna). Check antennaweb.com for the angel to put the tv antenna at to pick up the most channels. Internal antenna work very poorly. I have been having no problem with my outdoor UHF/VHF antenna, it picks up the same amount of channels in analog and digital.
the over-the-air signals are for your specific address. Purchase your antenna based on the broadcasting power you need to receive a clear picture on your TV. You might be able to get away with an indoor antenna if your signal strength is strong enough. If not, you'll need to purchase an outdoor antenna.
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