Philips DVB-T Indoor Digital TV Antenna Not Working

On 2 December 2017, my new 49-inch 4K LED TV arrived.

It’s the first smart TV in the house… the Philips 49PUT6801/98 (limited time offer S$1599 S$899).

 

It’s also a digital TV… with surround sound ready.

An indoor antenna came with it for free.

I don’t have to use it, right? I just have to plug the TV into the cable tv wall outlet, right?

Wrong!

My Philips Digital TV Antenna is Not Working

I am not subscribed to any Pay TV network (Singtel TV or Starhub TV), therefore I cannot use the cable TV wall outlet to receive digital TV.

The old TV is plugged into that same outlet to receive the old analogue free TV signal, which will shut down on 31 December 2018 (Singapore).

Of course, I can use the old method, but that would defeat the purpose of getting a 4K TV.

So I have to use the antenna… the given Philips Active DVB-T Antenna.

MediaCorp recommends using an active indoor antenna.

BUT, the signal is weak inside my house!

The picture keeps going on and off intermittently. When I say off, it means I see a blank and silent screen.

Worse than analogue TV, which at least, outputs some fuzzy images and sound while the signal goes weak.

The technician advised to buy another antenna with a longer wire, so I can extend it outside my house for a better signal.

This is like going back to the stone age of TV when we had to keep adjusting our antenna direction to get the best reception.

Problem with my Philips Active DVB-T Antenna

Digitaltv.sg recommends an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna to receive the DVB-T2 signals which are broadcast on the UHF channels. An active antenna is recommended over a passive antenna because the former has a built-in amplifier, which requires a power source, for improved TV reception.

The one given to me is DVB-T (not DVB-T2), labelled as active, but does not require a power source.

What’s going on?

DVB-T vs DVB-T2

T2 is the new and improved second generation of the DVB-T standard. DVB-T2 is supposed to be able to provide more data faster. More data means more channels and services.

So it shouldn’t be the problem because we have only so few (six) channels in Singapore.

Active or Passive

The fact that it does not need a power source means it’s a passive antenna.

So is it a printing error on the Philips box?

Any other way?

Must I be forced to buy another antenna?

Why did Philips give this complimentary antenna in the first place?

Before spending money, I will next attempt to extend the antenna wire on my own.

I will report the result here… http://ift.tt/2APszL4

~ from the Journal of Adrian Lee | Singapore