Are you experiencing digital TV reception problems? Don't panic, Simplifydigital's friendly experts have pulled together this FAQ on fixing TV signal issues. Check our guide on all the types of digital TV so that you know which section applies to you, and hopefully you'll be back up and running before Eastenders comes on!

How to fix digital TV reception problems

Important: Always remember to switch off the set top box, TV or any other device at the mains before you unplug any cables or plug any cables back in.

Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT)reception problems

Problem:The digital TV picture on my TV keeps breaking up and the sound is poor.

Why is this happening? When it comes to DTT, this issue is the main fiend and is most often caused by a poor signal due to bad weather.

What should I do?

- Switch off the digital box / TV at the mains first and check the aerial and scart leads are securely plugged into the back of your digital TV or set top box.

- Do the picture/sound problems happen when a light switch or other electrical equipment is turned on? If so, electrical interference might be the cause. Try to switch the equipment you are not using at that moment off and see if that makes a difference.

- Your TV aerial may not be pointing directly at the TV transmitter and might need re-aligning. Consult a CAI (Confederation of Aerial Industries) approved aerial installer.

- Does your neighbour with a different TV aerial have the same problem? If so, then the only thing you can do is wait until the signal gets restored. If your neighbour is munching on popcorn while enjoying crystal clean DTT - it might be time for you to invest in a new aerial. But to confirm whether or not this is the case, it might be worth consulting with a CAI approved installer.

Problem: I am getting the green screen of death - the picture on my TV is going a green colour and the picture/sound is dropping out.

Why is this happening? This problem is normally caused by scart leads not being connected properly. If the scart lead is only hanging out of the socket, your digital TV picture may go green or indeed adapt all of the colours of the rainbow in all the wrong places. 

What should I do?

- Switch off the digital box/TV at the mains first and check the scart lead is plugged in properly and is secure. This often solves most issues.

- If you are using an older Cathode Ray Tube TV with a Freeview digital TV set top box and the TV screen displays lots of different colours or the picture is going on and off, then your CRT TV tube could possibly be failing. But before chucking it in the bin, consult an approved television engineer to double check whether or not that is the case.

Problem: Where have some of my digital TV channels gone? I am going to miss my show now!

Why is this happening? There may be maintenance work your local TV transmitter tower that you get your digital TV from, this could mean some digital TV channels are temporarily unavailable.

What should I do?

- Try to retune your digital TV box or digital TV.

- Perform a complete reset of your digital TV box or digital TV. There might be a glitch with the box or TV which can be fixed with a simple reboot.

- If you get your digital TV from a relay transmitter and not the main transmitter you may not be able to get the full amount of digital TV channels. Unfortunately relay transmitters don't transmit as many digital TV channels in some areas.

Digital Satellite TV reception problems

Problem:  I can't watch TV at all - the picture is breaking up.

Why is this happening? Is it raining with thunder and lightning? This might be the reason why there is a poor digital satellite TV signal.

What should I do?

- Reset your digital satellite receiver box. This solves most problems.

- Failing that, give your digital satellite TV provider a buzz. It might be in a middle of a maintenance procedure, so it will inform you as soon as the services get back to normal. If it tells you that all should be working fine - you'll just have to wait until the rain goes away...

Problem: There is no signal on my satellite TV whenever there is heavy rain.

Why is this happening? Satellite TV does not come hand in hand with British weather. The signal from the satellite in space may be blocked by heavy rain causing the signal to decrease and the picture to break up, or go off completely.

What should I do?

- Get a blanket and a good book. There is not much you can do except for that unfortunately. The problem will go away and the services will start functioning as soon as the rain stops.

- If the sun is shining and there still is no signal, try rebooting your equipment. If that also fails, make sure you contact your satellite digital TV provider for help.

Digital Cable TV reception problems

Problem: There is an error with my cable TV set top box and my picture is "fizzy".

Why is this happening? There might be a problem with the cables, wires or splitters (devices which divide telecoms signals such as telephone services and broadband).

What should I do?

- Try resetting the set top box and checking if all the cables are well-connected. This should clear up any glitches that may have occurred.

- If that fails, simply contact your cable TV provider. Virgin Media normally comes round to your house and fixes the problem for free; sometimes this includes replacing splitters, other times it could include changing the set top box. In a nutshell whatever the problem is, the engineer will fix it.

IPTV reception problems

Problem: The most common issues, for instance a frozen or broken picture, would be to do with latency and broadband speed. See our guide on how to speed it up.

Why is this happening?Your broadband package is not fast enough to support IPTV services, or you are connecting via a wireless connection.

What should I do?

- Restart your set top box and if possible switch to a wired connection.

- Contact your ISP to see if there is any trouble shooting or maintenance work going on the company's servers after which your service should go back to normal.

- It might be the case that you'll just need to upgrade your broadband package to the one that provides faster broadband speeds to enjoy a better IPTV service.