3 TV Aerial Myths Well and Truly Busted

The chances are that you’ve heard at least one of the most popular TV aerial myths.

Some of these myths have become common knowledge, so we want to reveal the truth so you don’t spend your money on things you don’t need.

Here are 3 of the most believed TV aerial myths busted.

1. You need a digital TV aerial to get Freeview

FALSE. Believe it or not, there’s no such thing as a digital TV aerial. All aerials can receive analogue and digital signal, so you shouldn’t need to upgrade your aerial now that we’re switched over to digital.

You won’t get a better signal by changing to a ‘digital’ aerial. Any product that says it is one is misleading. But there are some aerials that might have features that make them better suited to receiving digital signal.

2. The picture will be better if the gain of the aerial is higher

tv aerial myths busted signal
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FALSE. You’re either in a good signal area or you aren’t. You need to have a good signal strength, but if you have a bad signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) you could still end up with a pixelated picture.

Your aerial engineer should make sure that you have as high an SNR as possible and that your signal strength can cope with normal fluctuations.

3. You can put your aerial in the loft

FALSE. Back in the days of analogue signal, you could get away with putting your aerial in the loft if you were in a good signal area.

With digital signal, the roof or gable end will cause too much interference. You’ll lose signal and the picture will be of poor quality. And don’t think you can get away with it by amplifying the signal – you’ll just amplify the noise too, making it even worse.

So next time you hear a friend or family member talking about one of these myths, make sure you correct them before they splash out on equipment that they don’t need.

Emily Rivers

Emily Rivers is the Customer Experience Manager at Quotatis. She informs customers of the latest developments in a range of products so they can make the best choice for their homes and ensures they get the best out of our service.