Hello,

I wanted to connect DSTV satellite dish directly to my LG UHD smart TV inbuilt decoder but the installer advised against it. He said it is better I use the an external free-to-air (FTA) decoder, that I shouldn't use the television inbuilt decoder.

He said if I connect the DSTV cable to the inbuilt decoder on the TV directly, the the television might be affected if thunder-strike affects the dish (the DSTV pan). So he advises I use the cable to the external FTA decoder and connect the FTA decoder to my television.


He's making a very important point and I commend him for that. But I was thinking we could get an arrestor to resist thunder-strike from affecting the tv?

It's beta ur decoder takes d hit from d lightening than ur TV

Thunder don strike everyday, it can only happen one in a thousand times.
Thunder has blown my TV before through outside antenna, even without the tv plug to the socket & no light.
Don't be afraid, use the inbuilt decoder.
I have been using my TV inbuilt decoder & nothing has happened.

Got my Samsung qled TV done by lightning.
Have not been able to see the replacement motherboard since November last year.

I believe the TV is more expensive than the dstv decoder, so the choice is yours, which one will you afford to lose

Adewale1603:
I believe the TV is more expensive than the dstv decoder, so the choice is yours, which one will you afford to lose

I can't take the risk, I'm connecting to the free to air decoder, not the inbuilt please.

And sorry for the post, it's supposed to be free to air decoder, not DSTV decoder. Although I'll be using the DSTV dish

Ournolly:
Got my Samsung qled TV done by lightning.
Have not been able to see the replacement motherboard since November last year.

So sorry to hear

Please which of the free-to-air (FTA) decoder brands have you tried and found satisfactory?
I'm having STRONG, OxCarcia, and Digistar here

samwash:
Thunder don strike everyday, it can only happen one in a thousand times.
Thunder has blown my TV before through outside antenna, even without the tv plug to the socket & no light.
Don't be afraid, use the inbuilt decoder.
I have been using my TV inbuilt decoder & nothing has happened.

Hello Samwash, I purchased LG50UN smart tv with in built decoder late last year but I haven't started using it. I tested the in built decoder by inserting our dstv decoder into it directly, I only got 6 tv stations and two radio station. Only two tv station were working which are CGTN Documentary and DSTV Dish channel. The rest scrabled. So I made used Star time antenna, the small one that used to be indoor, i put it in the antenna spot and got 60 channels but all were scrambled.

Pls how can I access the channels? Do I need a bigger dish to get it not to scrabled.
Thanks

Ejire27:

Hello Samwash, I purchased LG50UN smart tv with in built decoder late last year but I haven't started using it. I tested the in built decoder by inserting our dstv decoder into it directly, I only got 6 tv stations and two radio station. Only two tv station were working which are CGTN Documentary and DSTV Dish channel. The rest scrabled. So I made used Star time antenna, the small one that used to be indoor, i put it in the antenna spot and got 60 channels but all were scrambled.

Pls how can I access the channels? Do I need a bigger dish to get it not to scrabled.
Thanks

You need a dish for it, also if you can get in touch with an experience dish installer to put you through.
An installer did mine for me.

samwash:



You need a dish for it, also if you can get in touch with an experience dish installer to put you through.
An installer did mine for me.

Thank you so much. How many free to air Channels did you get? Secondly, pls what are the things i need to get down before I call the installer? And finally are the channels working perfectly?

I don't understand these channels in the Strong SAT 4975A free-to-air using DSTV dish. The channels are made up of church programmes, apart from MBC 2, TVC news and NTA, the other channels are rubbish. They even get scrambled occasionally.

Please I need Channels TV, AIT, Silverbird, Africa Magic, MBI, and other interesting channels showing movies. I don't want any religious channels at all. The Bollywood channel doesn't show interesting Indian films and the Korean TV doesn't show Korean dramas.

How do I go about it please?

I tried blind scan, it multiplied already existing channels thus making them repeated.

why don't u use the normal dstv decoder directly instead, and save all these stress.

Adewale1603:
why don't u use the normal dstv decoder directly instead, and save all these stress.

Don't you know the meaning of free-to-air?

Cleo18:


Don't you know the meaning of free-to-air?

i don't have an idea. like its free

It's not even about the tunder strike if you would use your inbuilt decoder, you are liable to only watch one Reception on FTA as an electrician and installer

Cleo18:
Hello,

I wanted to connect DSTV satellite dish directly to my LG UHD smart TV inbuilt decoder but the installer advised against it. He said it is better I use the an external free-to-air (FTA) decoder, that I shouldn't use the television inbuilt decoder.

He said if I connect the DSTV cable to the inbuilt decoder on the TV directly, the the television might be affected if thunder-strike affects the dish (the DSTV pan). So he advises I use the cable to the external FTA decoder and connect the FTA decoder to my television.


He's making a very important point and I commend him for that. But I was thinking we could get an arrestor to resist thunder-strike from affecting the tv?

Free-to-air can also be referred to a platform where channels and broadcasters provide content for which no subscription is expected.

Adewale1603:
i don't have an idea. like its free

One thing you have to understand is this, whether you use external decoder or direct to TV is inconsequential, once there's a connection between LNB and TV or decoder, in the event of serious thunder storm in that vicinity, it will be affected.
Personal experience: I used HDMI cable to link my LG 42 inch TV to the decoder, when there was thunder storm during rain one evening, both the TV and decoder board got damaged even without being connected to the wall socket.
My advice: if you must use any cable TV, always disconnect the incoming from the LNB to the decoder or tv in the event of thunder storm especially if you don't trust your house earthing.