Static (according to a digital television tuner)

This is what static looks like in the digital age. Sort of (caveat emptor: codec error).

One of the problems with digital tuners is that virtually all of them will display a blank screen reading "no signal" rather than show you a screenful of static. The manufacturers do this thinking that they're doing a favor to the consumer. But, as usual, I think otherwise.

After failed attempts to cajole and coax my digital tuner into giving the "no signal" screen the boot, I finally managed to subvert the tuner into doing my bidding and record ten minutes worth of static (albeit without audio).

(Unless you're interested in the complicated process behind this "video", you can stop reading now.)

First of all, I set the tuner to analog channel 37. As far as I'm aware, no one is allowed to transmit on that [analog] channel, so any signal that the [digital] tuner interpreted as being a valid data packet was pure chance.

Second, I had to record this "video". Unfortunately, the recording tended to have a few frames changing in rapid succession, followed by lengthy pauses of inactivity. From the trial runs, I determined that I would need to record for (roughly) three hours in order to get ten minutes of activity.

Third, distilling the video. I could easily export a sequence of images since the recording was in MPEG, but it would take some time, a lot disk space, a bit of shell scripting, and heavy use of ImageMagick's "identify" to delete the repeated frames. For the record, it took about a week for the shell script to run.

Finally, all the remaining frames were stitched back together in Final Cut Pro. Yes, it takes ages for 17,982 images to be imported, laid out on the timeline, and rendered. But in the end, it's worth it: it's more authentic-looking than Final Cut's "Noise" generator, it's interesting from a technical perspective, and it satiates my curiosity.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Digital
• Television
• DTV
• Static
• Channel
• 37
• Codec
• Error

[JanieMayhem]

could I use this in one of my videos?

[NeoAmsterdam]

Go right ahead.  Attribution would be nice, but it's not required.

[themediashow]

This is *incredibly* wonky, Neo, and brilliant. You just have to be an insatiable cuss to want to do something like this.

Is it really "digital" though if it's an analog channel? Enlighten mah ignorant self.

[NeoAmsterdam]

[EDITED]

First off, ignorant you are not for the ignorant do not question !-)

As to your question, I would say that the answer is "yes". Here is why I think so: All of the radio spectrum (including the channels set aside for television) suffer from interference, be it from natural sources (background radiation) or artificial (jamming). Since old channel 37 is a no-man's land, the interference is guaranteed to be natural in origin.

[CONTINUES...]

[NeoAmsterdam]

Now, if it should happen that this naturally-random (oxymoron?) signal is intelligible enough for a digital tuner to understand, then it is indeed a digital signal by virtue of the tuner's own stringent (elecromechanical? algorithmic?) definition of what a valid digital signal is.

That's how I cam to the conclusion that it's a bona fide digital signal transmitted over an analog channel.

[MindCaged]

Uhm interesting I guess. I wonder if you might be able to help me. I have trouble with the "no signal" screen on a LCD tv, my dad has a large collection of old video tapes, but when playing the tape if there is /any/ significant amount of static or jumpyness to the picture, it cuts to a black "no signal" screen. Which also makes it impossible to adjust the tracking or anything except blindly. I was thinking maybe dub them to DVD, but it might just record the static and have the same problem.

[lucasxp321]

INCRÍVEL.

[NeoAmsterdam]

That is correct: there is no sound.

Audio noise generated in any audio editor will pass for the real thing, but video noise does not. That is why I uploaded this video without audio.

[KakaffStudios]

Reason with the black screen saying "no signal" is probably to not wear out the pixels as much.

[MOXWELLDIAMOND]

Can't convert this to MP4, only comes out as .FLV.....dammit.

[genocidepv]

this is too heavy almost 360 MB O__o

but thanks :)

[RobloxiaVideos]

Perfect i can use these for my bloopers! Thanks!

[JanieMayhem]

thanks