Pixelation

[-Richie-]

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@Terriorwrote:

In my opinion, BT are in breach of contract. I am paying for a service that only provides half of what it is contracted to do. I have not been offered a discount or any method of solving this problem and it seems from the comments in this column not many others have either. The BT service we all pay for is not cheap. There are numerous alternatives, (used by many friends, neighbours, et al) who do not have these issues. Their contracts are cheaper than BT anyway.

If BT refuse to cancel my contract and do not rectify these issues then I will take this matter to the Media (newspapers, broadcasters and BT competitors).

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The channels you mentioned are Freeview channels, you also mention the +1 channels which means you're using an aerial, BT have no control over this and Freeview channels are not guaranteed as your own aerial is the source.

You do have options, BT can arrange a new aerial install using a company called TSG, a one-off £30 charge is applied for this, alternatively a Pro box has Freeview over aerial but does result in fewer channels.

Freeview terms you agreed to as part of your subscription can be read at Freeview Explained 

Is BT responsible for my Freeview service via an aerial?

No, BT TV and Freeview are independent of each other.

Freeview is the brand name of the free Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) channels that are broadcast throughout the UK. How many Freeview channels you'll get also depends on the quality of your aerial.

In the terms of your BT TV service it says:

"The quality of digital terrestrial TV content, the Freeview picture and the number of channels, if any, that you can receive is dependent on the quality of the broadcast and your television aerial and the availability of Freeview in your area. We (BT) are not responsible for this."

See the full BT TV Terms and Conditions (opens in new window).

[Keith_Beddoe]

This variable attenuator is readily available online.

Philex Variable TV Signal Attenuator

[SoupDragon57]

@Keith_Beddoe Yes, variable attenuators are also available. Good call!

[Midnight_Voice]

@Terrior 

Get a variable attenuator; you turn the little red control (thank you, obscenity filter) for anything from 0-20 dBs of attenuation. A few quid on Amazon, and no doubt many other places. There’s no wrong answer with a variable one; you just tweak it until it’s right.

This one looks gold here, but it’s actually silver; looks like the white balance in the photo is off, but you get the idea, hopefully.

Pull the aerial off the back of the Pro box, plug it into the attenuator, then plug the other connector on the attenuator into the box.

Go to Settings/TV Signal Quality and twiddle the red control until the Signal Strength is about 80%. (Actually you can keep going until the Signal Quality drops below 100%, and then just dial it back a fraction to be 100% again, but only go that far if you are getting pixelation still at 80% Strength).

Check on the TV that the signal is still strong enough there also.

Hopefully the pixelation will cease; though I have to say I’m getting it at the moment with this severe weather we are having, so you might have to tweak the red (unsayable) again when it’s over.

[Terrior]

Many thanks for taking the time to respond to my problem. Thank you also for the detailed description of the unit and fitting. Much appreciated.
Kind Regards

[Terrior]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions.
My aerial works fine when not using the BT box, I receive BBC programmes without any problems. My contract states that BT will provide Freeview channels and the facility to record them. My issue is with BT and the box not performing as it should. BT Engineers have not suggested any of the solutions described on this page.
Kind Regards

[jeanjeanie2]

I am getting so frustrated with this too! Constant error message and signal message constantly. I do not understand the attenuator? Is it simple to buy and install? 

[SoupDragon57]

@jeanjeanie2 You can get them on websites like Amazon or eBay, they're cheap, and you plug it into the aerial in slot on the back of the BT box and plug the aerial cable into that.
If you've bought a variable one, you might want to check the signal strength in settings as you adjust it. You want 100% signal quality and 80-90% signal strength. All your problems will then go away.

[jeanjeanie2]

Thank you so much

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