Dealing with digital TV... around my area (ID) 📺

Are you still watching TV nowadays? If so, it's because I'm not only the one who constantly watch any kinds of TV programs after all these years since my childhood, even if you definitely have a better option to watch anything deeper than just TV like I do these days... However, I'm not talking about any kinds of TV programs from various TV stations that I usually watch since my childhood though. Instead, I'm gonna tell you about how come if our country's whole government finally decided to shut down the analog TV stations, then they decided to switch over into digital TV terrestrials, including around my area where I live. Without further ado, it's time to share my own story about my final days with analog TVs, until all the way to how our country's government finally decided to shut them down forever. 📺

A. Final times with analog TV...📺

Back in those good old days since my childhood, I obviously watched all kinds of TV programs from those TV channels casually using the analog TV from any of my old CRT TVs that I ever owned, even if I ever watched them briefly using those of cheapo Chinese modular feature phones with built-in antenna, which those weren't mine anyway. This was the only way to watch them, because that was the only reliable source to do so for roughly 2 decades since then. Even though it obviously didn't have a good picture, sound, and signal qualities, otherwise it would sometimes ended up in just "snowy" pictures (or even a plain blue screen), it didn't matter for me though to watch them without any kinds of problems, and this particular trait also applied to the analog FM radio with their respective radio stations around my hometown too.📺

Source : Pixabay

Those were the good old times of me watching all kinds of TV programs from various TV stations in general. Until somewhere in 2022, all TV stations around our country literally warned us in order to switch over from that old analog TV to digital TV terrestrials, including me. Even though the analog TV still existed back then, I just decided to buy one of those run-of-the-mill set top boxes from an electronic store, then I hooked it to my old small CRT TV by connecting the AV cable into it.📺

B. Dealing with it using my set top box and my old CRT TV...📺

Even if I already own that set top box, I actually used to have another set top box that used to exist roughly in 2017-2018, except it was provided by one of those famous internet service providers that also existed in my hometown. I ever experienced with it, and the result of it was mildly okay, depending on which TV stations that I watched. Yes, that set top box did have an option to connect it into my old house's Wi-Fi access point yet it had plenty of video streaming apps too, including YouTube. Sure, I would love to login both of my Google accounts on it, due to the fact it was connected to my old CRT TV, it was painfully difficult to read all of those texts, thus I just didn't bother to do it anyway... As for the main feature itself (which was the digital TV that came with it), it did work just okay, and it had it's own common problems where most of the TV stations just stuttered every certain amount of seconds or minutes, or on the worst cases, it led into "no signal" screen, despite it was clearly connected to one of my Wi-Fi access point's Ethernet ports (not coaxial cable). After I had some enjoyment with it, unfortunately I had to stop using it by returning it back to the provider themselves due to severe financial issues that occurred back in the day (along with the Wi-Fi access point that came with it), which means I had to watch all kinds of TV shows back using the old analog TV for next 4 years, and so for how I replaced that good access point with more s***** one later on.📺

Now, back to my run-of-the-mill set top box that I owned there, connected to my old small CRT TV. Yes, it worked just okay, but it also had the same problem where most of the TV stations just stuttered every certain amount of seconds or minutes, or on the worst cases, it led into "no signal" screen too. No matter if I ever tried to fix it by re-scanning the available TV stations that are broadcasting 24/7 around my area, or fixing the coaxial cable connection and the connector that connects into the unit itself, or even tweaking certain options in order to make it less occurring, those common problems are sometimes come back, which caused me to switch between digital TV terrestrials using it or just the classic analog TV. Unfortunately though, even if I also owned the loop-over connector that connects between my set top box and my old CRT TV, the analog TV was finally got shut down in the last year around my area exactly in the meantime I tested it, so that means no more of me watching them using analog TV forever indeed.📺

C. Dealing with it using my smart TV...📺

Box of my current flat screen smart TV that I own...

FYI, I recently purchased my own flat screen smart TV in order to install it in my current compact house, it's because that old small CRT TV would occupy some space and it would also draw more power that might trip my whole house's MCB. Instead of using both of it's own "legs" that came with it, I decided to install it on the wall using the bracket, in order to avoid all kinds of accidents of me using it in general. Yes, it does have roughly similar features just like that set top box, with an exception about how it has much more content compared to that. For example, it obviously have a built-in Wi-Fi adapter, yet it also has bunch of apps that comes with it, including certain online video streaming apps (YouTube, Prime Video, Vidio, WeTV, etc.). Watching all kinds of videos on YouTube on this is pretty much exactly as what I expected for, and I even logged in both of my own Google accounts on it just alright, as long as it still connects to my house's Wi-Fi access point 24/7.📺

Now, how about the main feature itself though? Well, the results when it comes to me watching digital TV from various TV stations are exactly in similar fashion to how I watched them before using my old CRT TV, equipped with that set top box. Yes, it still has it's own common problems where where most of the TV stations just stuttered every certain amount of seconds or minutes, or on the worst cases, it led into "no signal" or "invalid service" messages, even if I tried to fix it by re-scanning the available TV stations that are broadcasting 24/7 around my area. Unfortunately though, there is no specific option in order to make it way less occurring, apart from all of those basic options of the whole smart TV's settings itself. FYI, it also has 5 different sources to watch anything on it though, such as 2 different versions of digital TVs (both DVB-T2 and DVB-C [which the latter one still didn't have any at the moment]), analog TV (which obviously no longer existed anymore), AV, and 2 HDMI ports.📺

D. The common problems...📺

As what I clearly stated there, you probably think if watching any digital TVs will work flawlessly as you expect? Well (specifically around my area), no. It's because I have to deal with those of the common problems that usually occur every single time I watch them. When this particular problems gets worse, I have to fix it's own coaxial cable that connects between the TV and the outdoor antenna itself by fixing it's own connector in order to make it less occurring, which still doesn't even fix it most of the time (unless I will get the indoor antenna booster to rectify it though). As for the common problems on the digital TVs that I was talking about, here are the signs about them:

1. It occasionally producing bit of squeaking or popping sounds, followed by how the picture also occasionally stutters, pauses, or glitches by itself for a rapid moment. This is easily by far the most common problem that always present to encounter it every single time I watch them through all of the TV stations that are available on it (results may vary per each of the TV stations).
2. It also suddenly stops the TV broadcasts by itself from certain TV stations that I watch, then it immediately leads into "no signal" or "invalid service" screen.

Those common problems do occur probably due to these reasons below:

1. The connection between both my TV and the outdoor antenna are might be loose (most commonly occurs on it's own connector that connects directly to the TV, especially when it heats up after certain amount of time),
2. My old outdoor antenna probably doesn't receive any signals from nearest TV station transmitters very well, even if I already mounted it using that long a** pole for really that up high (unless if I already have my better one or improve it using an indoor antenna booster to rectify it for a bit, but I still didn't upgrade it nor acquiring the booster itself yet),
3. Any forms of technical difficulties that might occur on each of the nearest TV station's transmitters (specifically about how they sometimes change their TV channel index numbers and their respective frequencies), but that might not be the case for the nearest TV stations in my hometown (which I guarantee if they will work fairly flawlessly).
4. Any condition of the weather around my area that definitely cause all of those common problems usually occur (for instance: my outdoor antenna wobbles due to the strong wind, there are some lightning outside, etc.).

Well, there you have it for my experience about how I deal with digital TV terrestrials, particularly from anything around my area. If you have your experience from your own specifically about it and the common problems that usually occurs on it, feel free to ask anything particularly about them in the comments section if you're able to. That's it for what I could particularly say about this article, and pay attention when it comes to dealing those problems that usually occurs on them............ otherwise you would end up raging.

New year's eve in your hometown❓ 🎆🎇🎉🎊🎺

This time, I'll tell you about something different, which is sharing about my own story about how I watched any kinds of new year's eve in my own hometown, ranging from basic firework show that were usually held near certain buildings or places by certain small communities, until the way to how my own hometown's whole government celebrated it back in the day per each of the year in those locations that they chose for. I know if there's not much else that I could particularly say about it since the last one that I watched from the very beginning of the dreadful 2020 (oh yeah, f*** that year of pain). Without further ado, it's time for me to share my own short stories about how I watched it back in the day per each of the year, right away. 🎉🎆

Since I was born until few years later, I simply didn't watch it due to the fact I obviously didn't have a clue specifically about what was the actual purpose of how everybody set their own fireworks together (most commonly were the roman candle sticks) in their own places every single of the aforementioned eve itself every beginning of the year. Until somewhere in the very beginning of 2009 (I guess), I was able to watch the said eve itself due to I suddenly heard all of that firework explosions on the sky which caused me to wake up from my sleep, and then I decided to go out from my childhood house and visited one of the nearest places that had one of those simple firework shows (no matter if I was yawning severely or not), for this case it was the bank nearest from my childhood house. Everything particularly about it was really basic when it comes to how some people set those roman candle sticks casually like so in there in particular, and this was occurred repeatedly 4 times per each of the year (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012).🎉🎆🎺

Example of the new year's eve in my hometown, held directly by my whole hometown's government (judging by that concert stage at the back)... This was taken in very late of 2017 (or new year's eve 2018), right before they set all of those fireworks on the top of that sports hall there...

In 2013 and all the way to 2020 (except 2015*), I decided to watch the said eve itself in completely different locations, yet it was held directly by my whole hometown's local government, instead of just watching certain small communities with their own basic eve parties like I used to. Sure, I decided to do so because the firework show that they usually provided with them were way much superior compared to what I watched it per each of the year in prior, thanks to how they usually rented certain "pyro" enthusiasts and experts in order to set many of those roman candle boxes in one (yes, those boxes, not the usual stick ones), resulting in much greater show of themselves instead of the casual ones like everybody would usually do every new year's eve... There were 3 locations specifically about how they celebrated them, which those places were:

1. Town center of my own hometown,
2. In front of my whole hometown's main government office, and
3. In front of the sports hall of my hometown (which they built the place itself back in 2016)

The first two following years, I watched the event itself specifically in the town center of my own hometown (2013 and 2014). The next two following years, I watched the event itself specifically in front of my whole hometown's main government office (2015 and 2016). Meanwhile for the last 4 following years, I watched the event itself specifically in front of the sports hall of my hometown (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020)... These were definitely my best moments when it comes to how I celebrated the new year's eve by watching the said eve itself per each of the year, even I was able to record all of that amazing fireworks show with my old generic digital camera and my own phones, although I only uploaded few of them somewhere in part of my own social medias that I own. Of course, unlike how I celebrated it back in 2012 or prior in that particular location, I must dealt with the situation of the place around themselves, especially about how I literally dealt with massive amount of crowd who watched both music concert and firework shows respectively, otherwise I would pass out if I wouldn't strong and careful enough against this exact situation (especially when the firework show itself was over, and so for leaving the location itself). That particular crowd problems aside, it was really fun experience of me watching it in general per each of the year........... until the dreadful pandemic began after the last one that they celebrated.

* means I had a total health problem, but I couldn't tell you about the aforementioned health problem itself...

After the last one that I watched, there were no official announcement directly from themselves due to the pandemic that was occurred for roughly 2 years (including the car free night near them), even if the pandemic itself was over. For now, there is no aforementioned event from themselves anymore, which means I simply don't bother to watch it in person, no matter if I do bother to check it or not (even if I also check it on the certain social media account admins of my whole hometown as well)... Even I ever checked the place where they used to celebrate it before, and it turned out if there were no actual event itself from themselves. So, that was basically it, no more for those of the said events directly from themselves in general (AFAIK), apart from many of those basic eve parties that certain small communities with their own amount of budget usually do in certain locations outside those ones that our whole hometown's local government used to celebrate it specifically like so back in those days per each of the year. Even if both of my parents literally warned me in order not to watch it because it's so pointless to check it anyway (considering if I recently live in much further location between both my current house and those locations where they used to do so), they both also told me if I'd recklessly doing so no matter what, I would ended up in any of those unexpected technical difficulties specifically on the streets every single night.

Well, there you have it for my own short story particularly about the new year's eve in my own hometown in general, ranging from the basic ones that were usually held by certain small communities in their own locations, until all the way to how my whole hometown's government used to celebrate it specifically like so in those locations that they chose. If you have your own story particularly about this from your own hometown (or even your place where you currently settling in), feel free to share your own short story in your comments section if you're able to. That's it for what I could particularly say about this, and as always, thanks for reading this special article...🎉🎆🎇🎊🎺

Location of my hometown (in case you've wondering): Tulungagung, East Java, Indonesia