Dozens of millions of TV sets in the US receive local
channels via off-air broadcasts. And this number is growing as more and
more networks offer free of charge HDTV broadcasts over the air. Over
the air HDTV is totally free and can be received with a simple off-air
TV antenna.
The
proper antenna choice is dictated by numerous factors, most of them are
derived from your location. The most important step in HDTV antenna
selection process is to find out what broadcasts are available in your
area, which frequencies (channels) they are transmitted on, and which
CEA color area you are located in with respect to the transmitting
towers. Consult HDTV Antenna Labs guide and follow the selection
process.
In
most cases an outdoor antenna is the way to go. Indoor antenna
reception quality is always inferior to the quality obtained with an
outdoor antenna, especially in remote areas. However, of you live in a
HD signal saturated area in the immediate proximity to the towers, then
an indoor HDTV antenna may work great for you.
There
are many reasons for using indoors antennas, most of which have to do
with the inability of installing an outdoor television antenna. Indoor
HDTV antennas are especially popular with individuals living in
apartments. Your home may simply not have the space to mount an outdoor
antenna, and there are several indoor models that serve as space savers
while providing you with reception.
Many
individuals choose to purchase an indoor TV antenna instead of its
outdoor counterpart for aesthetic reasons. Some housing developments
and neighborhoods have gone so far as to ban outdoor TV antennas,
especially neighborhoods of historical homes. For this reason, and
indoor HDTV antenna still allows you all the fantastic qualities of
HDTV while not marring the physical look of your home with an unsightly
antenna.
Normally,
indoor antennas do not require any maintenance and the troubleshooting
is trivial. This is not always the case with outdoor antennas. Strong
winds, and stormy weather in general, may cause damages to rooftop
antennas. Professional assistance in the roof antenna installation is
recommended.
The
major issue with indoor TV antennas is a poor reception of weak HD
signals. Performance of any particular indoor antenna type or model is
hardly predictable because it depends on so many factors - construction
materials of the building, the exact placement in the house, other
objects located near the antenna. For these reasons, Consumer
Electronics Associations (CEA) does not rate indoor antennas by CEA
color areas as they do for outdoor antennas. With indoor antennas
nothing is guaranteed.
Although
an outdoor antenna can potentially pull in more TV channels, its higher
cost, bigger size and installation hassle can turn your decision in
favor of an indoor antenna. Audiovox, RCA, Samsung these are just a few
of many indoor HDTV antenna manufacturers. All of them offer similar
products. For VHF TV channels 2 to 13 all you have is the well known
rabbit ears antenna. Anything more sophisticated than that in VHF band
would be simply too large to place indoors. UHF antennas are smaller
and a consumer has many antenna types to choose from. The most basic
(and poorly performing) is the UHF loop antenna. More sophisticated UHF
antenna types are directional log-periodic and scatter plane antennas.
When
considering the particular antenna types and brands, be sure to
research a specific model before you buy. Look at customer reviews and
compare antenna specifications carefully.
About The Author
Eric Gov is with HDTV Antenna Labs. HDTV Antenna Labs features HDTV antenna reviews and step-by-step HD antenna selection guide.
