Cheap TV with built in aerial

[Alane]

This is probably a "how long is a piece of string" question but I'll try anyway. I tried a search but couldn't come up with anything on the topic.

We're over in France during the World Cup period and don't currently have a TV at our house. I was thinking of dropping into the local Leclerc and buying a cheap portable TV.

How likely am I to get watchable reception in rural Normandy using the built in aerial? Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap TV which I'll only use in France? I don't really want to get into installing satellite dishes etc as I'm not that football mad but would quite like to watch the England matches.

 

 

[Dick Smith]

Are you in a valley or near mountains? Our TV needs a high aerial (attached to the chimney) and even then we can't get all channels.

A satellite dish might be easier/cheaper.

[Alane]

Dick

Neither really, we are on the top of a hill on the Eure/Calvados border.

If a satellite dish is required then I won't bother as we usually don't watch TV in France.

I had some rather fanciful idea of walking into Leclerc, coming out with a 100 Euro TV, and after 5 minutes of setting up, sitting in the garden with a beer watching England squash the oposition. Probably optimistic,  to say the least, on all counts.

[Dick Smith]

Could be done, but we are in a valley near Mortain, and it didn't work for us.

Obvious point I should have made before - what do your neighbours do?

In our bit all the supermarkets sell power-assisted aerials (set-top type) which might work better.

[Will]

From our own experience if you are on a hill you should get some sort of TV signal. At our first French house, which was in an elevated spot, reception was fine. At our current one (only about 15km away and very close to Dick's) we are a bit more sheltered and a signal booster (or one of those powered aerials, as Dick says) is needed. You either have to ask somebody very nearby or just suck it and see.

Mind you, do be careful who you ask. We got discussing this with an Englishman who had bought a wreck in a field just down from our original place, and ended up getting chapter and verse on the subject at very great length indeed (in fact I don't think he's finished yet, five years on). It turns out the man is a TV anorak par excellence, and even has his own private TV aerial museum back home.

[Alane]

Thanks for the replies - sounds like it's worth a try at least. An aerial museum - verrry interesting[+o(].

My neighbour is a bit of a TV freak as well and has a satellite dish and what appears to be different flavours of digital TV in every room, complete with large flat screen TVs. It's a bit like a TV showroom.. I shouldn't be too critical though as we watched the England-Paraguay match from a German channel he found was showing it. I don't really like to impose too much on him so would rather have an alternative and he's bound to be out or have other visitors when there is a game I want to see. He moved in at the same time as us and never even tried terrestrial TV so I don't think he'd be much help with info on signal. I don't recall seeing dishes on many other houses locally so guess there must either be a signal or nobody watches TV. But then what would they do on all those dark winter evenings?

Maybe I'll just go for the cheapest set I can find or take a look in Curry's for a Phillips set that I could use here, as I gather that most Phillips sets will work in France.

If anyone knows of any good cheap sets in the supermarkets in France I would be interested.

[Anton Redman]

Have a look at the houses near you or ask your neighbours.  If everybody has either an outside aerial or a dish you can be pretty sure you will not get a picture. Also if house is made if old stone with think walls then that also reduces the chances.

[George]

If you do go ahead and it desn't work there may also be the option to try a loft mounted aerial?