USB digital TV adaptor, i can only pick up 4 channels why?

Question

I have purchased one of those dongal things that you plug into your laptop so you can watch the freeview channels. I had it off bid tv. Firstly i can only pick BBC ONE, BBC TWO, BBC THREE & BBC NEWS and nothing else. It comes with a silly little aerial which don't work so i plugged it into the main aerial which plays ok with that.

I have gone through all the things it told me to do to set it up, apart from coming accross a question like "is your internet started by PROXY SETTINGS" haven't got a clue what that means, then it said something like the HOST.

Anyway my main question is are they as good as they say they are, it says you can take them anyway but with a silly little aerial they send with it, how can i because i can only get it to work on the big outside aerial, but istill struggle with signal dropping.

Can someone tell me what's wrong and why i can not get any channels other than the ones i have mentioned...

Answer 1

You live in the UK where the standard employed for digital television uses different frequencies to transmit digital versus analog.  You either need a new aerial to comply with the new frequencies, you need a better one, or you need to have it aimed correctly.  My opinion of the USB tuners sold in America is that they are terrible forms of tuning devices.  But they do solve the problem of not taking up too much space and keep the TV in the computer.  Just remember that the computer itself is a source of TV interference which in digital means no signal.  This is why the antenna should be outside.