|
|
|
|
Current Expert Advice:
Showing 1-10 of 344 answersQuestion:
Anonymous
7/23/2009
Hello, I'd like to receive XM radio at home. Wh...
Hello,
I'd like to receive XM radio at home.
What do you recommend? I already have an antenna for digital tv (installed by you a couple of years ago) which works very well.
Is there something...
Expert Answer:
Arden
7/23/2009
You should be able to receive XM radio with an ...
You should be able to receive XM radio with an indoor antenna that came with your equipment. If you have tried and can't, then I would recommend an outdoor antenna. The one that i recommend is the Pro 600 made by Pixel Technologies. The advantage of it is that it works for both XM and Sirius radios. It will provide you with good reception. It can be purchased online from Solid
Signal.com. Let me know if you need to have it installed. Thanks for your question and good luck with your reception.
1 repliesQuestion:
Anonymous
1/23/2009
Dear Arden: I'd like some advice on selecting ...
Dear Arden:
I'd like some advice on selecting an antenna. My particular issue is reliable UHF reception of San Francisco stations through a grove of redwood trees. I am at an elevation of...
Expert Answer:
Arden
1/23/2009
Hi Don, If you have a high density of trees in ...
Hi Don, If you have a high density of trees in your line of site to the transmitting towers,, you are going to have problems getting good reception of digital signal no matter what antenna you use. Trees, especially tall redwoods, are a big attenuator of digital signals. I don't think that you are going to have much luck based on my experience. Digital signals are more difficult to receive than the analog signals are.
Question:
Anonymous
1/4/2009
I'm considering purchasing a Samsung LCD HDTV, ...
I'm considering purchasing a Samsung LCD HDTV, but it does not have an RF input. Does this mean that I cannot receive signals from an antenna if my cable service should go out?
Expert Answer:
Arden
1/4/2009
Well, not exactly. If it does not have an RF in...
Well, not exactly. If it does not have an RF input then it probably does not have a digital tuner built in. So if you want to receive over the air digital signals you will have to use an external digital converter box and connect it into the composite input. That's all there is to it!
Question:
Anonymous
1/4/2009
Hello, Arden!! Would you give me a recommendati...
Hello, Arden!! Would you give me a
recommendation on the best "TV converter box" that I should buy???
Thanks & regards,
L. W.
Expert Answer:
Arden
1/4/2009
That's a great question. There are many convert...
That's a great question. There are many converter boxes on the market and I haven't tested them all, but I have installed a lot of different brands for customers that they have bought themselves. My personal preference is the RCA Model. What I like about it is that it has a simple remote with large buttons that is easy to use. The remote is also capable of being programmed to control most brands of television so that you can use just one remote to control the TV and converter box. It also has a simple signal level meter to monitor how strong your signal is for the channel that you are receiving. I have seen this sold at Walmart stores.
Question:
Anonymous
11/30/2008
Hi Arden, I need a new roof top TV antenna, my ...
Hi Arden,
I need a new roof top TV antenna, my old one is broken down and does not work very well.
I live in San Jose and would like to receive the full range of VHF/UHF and FM stations, and one...
Expert Answer:
Arden
11/30/2008
Hi Earl, Rooftop antennas have become very hard...
Hi Earl, Rooftop antennas have become very hard to find in stock now with the digital conversion happening on February 17th. I recommend the Winegard HD8800 for your Digital TV reception and the Wiinegard HD6010 antenna for your FM reception. I have the HD 8800 in stock now while supplies last. They are going fast. You will need a signal combiner to combine the signals from each antenna to run them down one coaxial line to your TV and FM receivers after you split them out again in the house. Or you could run separate lines from each antenna down into the house. I use both of these antennas for my installations and they both work very well. The only other place that may have them are Fry's Electronics but they are usually sold out. Call me if you have any further questions about these antennas or any other antenna questions.
Question:
Arden
Mountain View, CA
10/23/2008
How do I get the $40 discount coupons for the D...
How do I get the $40 discount coupons for the Digital set top converter boxes? How difficult is to install myself?
Expert Answer:
Arden
10/23/2008
You can get the Digital Converter Box discount ...
You can get the Digital Converter Box discount coupons from the DTV2009.gov website or by calling 1-888 DTV-2009. You are allowed two per household. They take about 3 to 6 weeks to arrive. They are not that difficult to install if you have a little bit of know how. Basically you connect the antenna to the RF input of the converter box and connect either the RF coaxial output into the TV antenna input or the composite output into the AV input of the TV. When using the RF input the TV must be on channel 3 all of the time to see a picture. If you use the AV input on the TV you must change the TV input to that input to see a picture. Try to get a converter box with a remote that can control your TV (volume/on/off) as well as the converter box to change the channels. I hope this helps.
Question:
Anonymous
7/30/2008
I have a Playstation 3 which is hooked up to my...
I have a Playstation 3 which is hooked up to my TV via the HDMI cable. I'm not really happy with the sound coming out of my TV and would like to hook my PS3 up to an audio source (preferably a...
Expert Answer:
Arden
7/30/2008
You can do this very easily by purchasing an Au...
You can do this very easily by purchasing an Audio Video Receiver (AVR) that has one or more HDMI inputs. You can pass your HDMI signal through this receiver to your TV's HDMI input. Then you will see the video image and hear the sound through your audio system. You will also be able to pass other HDMI sources through it as well by making the HDMI source switching with the AVR. Now you don't have to make the video switching through your TV inputs any more if you are only using HDMI sources.
Question:
Anonymous
5/22/2008
Sound cuts out intermittently for 1 to 2 second...
Sound cuts out intermittently for 1 to 2 seconds after normal operation for several minutes when I use fiber optic connection through my stereo receiver (for surround sound). If I connect to TV...
Expert Answer:
Arden
5/22/2008
Without actually looking at the setup of your r...
Without actually looking at the setup of your receiver and TV setup. My first guess is that there is something amiss with your Onkyo receiver. Have you tried connecting the satellite receiver to the Onkyo receiver with the analog cables to see if it cuts out that way also? From what you have told me there is no problem with the TV or the Satellite receiver because you don't get the cut out problem with them. The optical audio is digital and needs to be decoded to hear. I don't think that it is a setting problem because you are getting sound that cuts out. Setting problems do not cause that kind of problem.
Question:
Anonymous
5/20/2008
Where is there a electronics store similar to S...
Where is there a electronics store similar to Schad Electronics in the bay area?
Expert Answer:
Arden
5/20/2008
Well, that's a very good question. The closest ...
Well, that's a very good question. The closest one to me that I know of iis n San Mateo . That would be San Mateo Electronic Supply. They have been in business since 1961. Their phone number is 650 341-8731, and their website is www.smelectronics.com.
Check them out and tell them I sent you.
Question:
Anonymous
5/9/2008
I would like to "hide" all my A/V equipment in ...
I would like to "hide" all my A/V equipment in a closet. (Satellite receivers for multiple rooms, AV Reciever, DVD, CD Changer.) What is the best method for controlling all these devices from their...
Expert Answer:
Arden
5/9/2008
The easiest way to control all of your hidden e...
The easiest way to control all of your hidden equipment from remote rooms is to use a universal RF remote control. RF does not require line of site to control the equipment as IR remotes do. There are many brands that do this Harmony, Universal, RTI, and Home Theater Master. Just to name a few. These remotes require programming which can take a few hours depending on how much equipment you have and how sophisticated your equipment is. There is another option which is to run a cat5 wire to each room from the equipment closet and put an IR sensor in the remote room with an IR sender in the equipment closet. The down side to this is that you have to run wire to each room which may not be easy to do. Those are the two ways that I do it for customers. I hope this covers your question. Good luck with that.
Copyright San Jose Mercury News
MediaNews Group - Northern California Network
Help/Contact | Site Map | Advertise | Home Delivery | Copyright | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
About MediaNews Group | Ethics Policy | About Bay Area News Group
|
