Longtime readers of this blog will remember that I used to tell you every three months that you needed to check your connections, look for corrosion, and make sure everything is grounded properly. I gave all of you a break for several quarters. With the coming of spring it’s time for you to remember about all the little things that make your home theater system work better.
Does everything still look clean?
Once every three months, you should take a look at any outdoor equipment you have. I mean your antenna, satellite dish, or any sort of outdoor connection. Ask yourself the following questions:
Do you see signs of corrosion?
Has anything moved unexpectedly?
Is there any cracking or pitting of the rubber sheaths of the outside cables?
Is the ground wire still properly connected?
It’s not enough just to assume that since it was ok before the snow began to fall that it’s still ok.
Do you need to consider an upgrade?
If you got a fancy 4K TV for the holidays, have you upgraded to DIRECTV 4K or DISH 4K? In many cases you will need a new dish or new wiring for this, and it’s time to look at what you have.
DIRECTV customers will need an HR54 Genie or HS17 Genie 2, and a C61K client. They’ll also need a new dish.
DISH customers will need a Hopper 3 and 4K Joey, which may mean a lot of new wiring.
Now is the time to get that upgrading done, now that football is over and baseball hasn’t quite cranked into gear. (Look, basketball is pretty much year round now. There’s no point in trying to schedule around that.)
Remember that a 4K TV is only as good as the content that’s on it. Only satellite TV can deliver top quality 4K that’s always going to better than streaming.
Is it time to simplify?
Personally I just went into my home theater and removed about a decade’s worth of old component and composite cables, extra network cables, and even a landline phone cable (eek!) If you haven’t taken a look at that entertainment center in a while you’re going to be pretty scared at what you see there. Time to do some spring cleaning, now that it’s spring.
Above all, be safe.
For much of the country, the weather is pretty good. For a lot of northerners including all of us at the home office in Novi, Michigan, March 21 isn’t really the first day of spring, it feels more like the midpoint of winter. If there is still ice and snow out there, stay off that ladder!
That about does it for my nag session for spring… see you on the first day of summer. In the meantime, when you’re looking for the best antennas, satellite accessories, and anything else to live your best digital life… you know where to go. Shop at Solid Signal for everything you need. You’ll feel confident knowing that you’re using the same equipment the professionals use. Have questions? Call us during East Coast business hours at 888-233-7563.
