poor picture

Hi,
I have cable TV. Why is it that some channels are snowy and some are not. But the same channel that is snowy on one TV in the house is clear on another TV in another room. Any ideas?

 

It would be beneficial to know the numbers of the channels in order to give you a good answer. Also, if the same TV played well in one place and didn't present a decent picture on some channels in another. All this would lead back to cable-tv coupling.
What I have always found in these situations is that folks have a tendency to overuse cable splitter devices in their system without understanding what service the device performs. A cable splitter is used to divide the signal so that the resonant impedance of the cable (e.g.: 75 ohms) is maintained at all points on the cable line. If it isn't, you generate standing waves which will manifest themselves as "ghosts".
What folks do not realize is that the same splitter also will cut their TV signal strength in half. Putting a splitter in the line of a cable system that is marginal on some channels will reduce the signal strength to the point where snow is induced.
Instead of a splitter, stop by Radio Shack and get one of their little "1 in-2 out" signal amplifiers. For about $15, you can still split the TV signal but you get a little gain in the process. Also, for cable, make sure the device you purchase will operate in the cable bandwidth. Anything up to 900 MHz will do the trick.

Smokey