Digital terrestrial has revolutionized the way we view TV channels, with a much better signal quality than the analog signal, a truly infinite number of channels and less interference (at least if the signal is strong!). Years have passed from the definitive transition to digital terrestrial, but many users still cannot understand how channels work properly, where to find the channels that are best viewed (those with the signal in high definition) and how to retune in case some channels disappear or new ones appear.
In this guide we will show you all the secrets of digital terrestrial that no one has yet revealed to you, so that you can fully exploit the potential of antenna TV pending the arrival of the new digital terrestrial (passage scheduled for 2022).
READ ALSO: Check if the TV is DVB-T2, what it is and how to update
How to find HD channels
HD channels are available on all TVs with high definition support (on paper all LCD, LED or plasma TVs sold from 2006 onwards).
Before continuing then we check the manual of the TV or the box, until we find one of the following symbols.
Or alternatively the HDTV symbol, similar to the one shown below.
In all cases we will have the certainty of being able to receive high definition digital terrestrial channels without any problem!
Once you have controlled the TV, take the remote control and tune in to channel 501: this is the starting channel for all frequencies intended for high definition on digital terrestrial.
In fact, tuning this channel we will have to see Rai 1 HD appear, followed by all the other channels.
By changing the channel forward we will find the correspondent in HD of the channel transmitted in normal quality: if we tune 505 for example we will find channel 5 in HD, as well as 506 we will find Italy 1 in HD.
The logic of this division follows closely that seen also on Sky (even if the channels are different): from channel 500 onwards we will find all the HD channels coinciding with their channel number, just add the 5 as the number of the hundreds. For example 36 becomes 536, 44 becomes 544 etc.
Not all channels that broadcast in standard quality offer the correspondent in HD, at least for the moment.
If we want to personally check the presence of the channel just add the 5 as hundreds of the channel we are interested in; if it does not transmit in high definition we will only see a "clone" of the standard channel or a black screen. This high-numbered system has been adopted to facilitate the transition to digital terrestrial HD, but without renouncing the channels transmitted at standard quality (kept alive for compatibility with old decoders or non-HD TVs).
What happens if we visit these channels in high definition with an old decoder or an old TV not compatible with HD "> change your TV with a more modern one (the prices are now very low, we can take a compatible one even for less than 300 €) or switch to viewing HD channels on your PC monitor.
READ ALSO: Watch TV on PC: all online channels
How to add channels
Can't find the new channel everyone is talking about or are the HD channels not visible in any way?
Perhaps the TV is not equipped with an automatic retuner (able to add new channels immediately) or is not able to replace an old channel that has disappeared with the new one. In these cases we will have to proceed with the manual re-tuning of the channels, with a procedure that varies from device to device. As a general indication we can show you the Tuning, Channel, Antenna or Reception menus as the most frequent ones where you can find the item Tuning channels, Auto memory or Find channels .
Alternatively, you can use the Reinstall channels option to clear the entire channel list and restart the search as if the TV was installed for the first time. Also in this case it is worth the advice to read the user manual of the TV to find out how to add new channels.
If we want to see a video on how to add channels, we advise you to watch the tutorials on the Re-tuning channel, offered by Viacom.
The site is available here -> Viacom retuning
Improve reception
We finally found the channels in high definition but we notice some disturbances while viewing them "> Antenna cable (from € 5 upwards, based on the length).
We recommend choosing one suitable for the distance between the wall socket and the TV, since the selected model starts from 1 meter up to 20 meters; therefore, avoid taking cables that are too long and then maybe fixing them (curling them or fixing them), because in this way we will increase interference. If, on the other hand, the problem is the wall socket of the antenna or the antenna itself, we recommend that you contact a specialized antenna operator, in order to have the best possible service without having to improvise difficult or dangerous operations on the roof of the house.
Instead of using the antenna, we have a satellite dish and the channels on the satellite platform are bad "> Orient the Sky satellite dish and find satellites with the Sat Finder
READ ALSO: Control the TV with your Android phone with the remote control apps
