Check The Cable

• The cable that connects your television or, in some cases, your cable box plays a key role in your television's reception. If the cable is crimped, frayed or otherwised damage, it may be unable to successfully transmit the picture and sound from the source at the cable company to your television. In some cases, straightening out the cable may improve reception; in other cases, where the cable has been irreparably damaged, it will need to be replaced in order to get a clear picture.
  
  Additionally, the longer the physical cable connecting your television to the source -- typically a box on the outside of your home or a larger box in your neighborhood or apartment complex -- the more likely that your signal will suffer some degree of degradation. Signal degradation can occur when the distance between these two points -- i.e., the length of the cable -- is more than 100 feet.