# what causes pixelation?



## bnewt

hope that is the correct term
I just installed the Motorola HD101 ota stb in order to receive my local digital channels. On the FOX station, it takes longer for the signal to lock in & before it finally locks in, the picture is scrambled & blotchy. I have also noticed that the same type of thing happens when watching the channel. Just wondering what causes this problem. I live south of Louisville, Ky - 40165 zip code.


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## boylehome

The main thing that causes pixelation on digital channels it poor/week signal. The signal form OTA or for that matter, from satellite is purely digital, and when the signal strength falls below whatever is normal, you get pixelation or nothing. Sometimes if it is an abrupt loss of signal, you will get a frozen frame with a good picture. Multipath is also a problem when it comes to a digital signal and pixelation.


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## bnewt

I don't think that it is signal strength. All of the local channels are broadcasting from the same location in digital. I don't know about multipath issues. When I tune to the local FOX network the picture shows up but there it doesn't stabilize as quickly or cleanly as the other local signals. I don't know if pixelation is the correct term or not, kind of reminds me of scan disk on a computer, just little blocks in areas of the screen. Last night I was tinkering with the setup. I have the ota antenna fed into a distribution amp which then feeds other tv sets. Last night I by passed the amp and fed the signal directly into the stb. I switched channels several times and did not have this problem. I then switched out the amp to a radio shack one that had a fm trap switch. Initially, I had the same results, then I changed the fm trap switch & did not have the problem. Could the signal be "over amplified"? I thought about going to Radio Shack & getting a fm trap today & check it again tonight.


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## boylehome

Yes, your signal in fact, could be overamplified and that can be just as bad as a very poor signal. It may be worth while to check your signal strength meter for the channels, with and without the amplifier, to see it your assumptions are correct.


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## bnewt

My stb does not give a numeric value for the signal strength, it shows colored blocks. The signal strength looks to be the same with & without the amp.


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