Picture quality problems are among the most common issues experienced by home TV viewers. Pixelization, static or snow on the screen, intermittently flashing channels, or audio distortion are all different types of degradation that can be frustrating to deal with it. Making matters worse is that these problems can have many causes, and it can sometimes seem easier to call your cable provider's tech support department than to deal with them on your own. But it is actually worth your while to try and troubleshoot them on your own. If there is a simple cause such as a loose connection or a channel outage, you can get to the bottom of the issue much more quickly than by getting professional assistance.
Instructions
1. Secure the coaxial cable coming out of your wall coaxial outlet into the coaxial input on either the TV itself or any digital cable boxes you may use with the TV. The hexagonal coaxial connector on the end of the cable should just be hand-tight. If you do not have access to the coaxial cable, tap on it and see if the picture quality improves or degrades further. If so, you will certainly need to tighten the coaxial cable either on the TV or on the wall plate of the cable jack. If the picture stays the same, some more troubleshooting is required.
2. Unscrew the coaxial cable from either the cable box or the TV and remove it completely. The copper needle running through the middle of the cable should be straight, not bent or damaged. There should also be no dust, dirt, or moisture buildup anywhere on the coaxial connection. Any cables that are damaged or dirty beyond repair should be replaced. Either way, check the coaxial connection once it is attached to the TV again and examine the picture for any improvement.
3. Scan through your entire channel lineup and check the other TVs in your home to help determine the scope of the problem. If you only see static on one or a handful of channels on the RCA TV, check those channels on the other TVs in your home. If the same channels show static on all the TVs in the house, you are likely part of a broadcast outage or degradation and you will need to notify your cable provider of the problem. If only the RCA TV shows static on the screen, and if the majority of channels on the RCA TV show static, you may have a technical issue at your home that a repair technician from your cable provider would need to examine, or the RCA TV itself may need to be service or replaced.
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