Digital TV Antenna
While it may be hard to believe, these are still people who require a TV antennae for their HDTV, and it's estimated that between 16 million and 20 million households in the United States still use antennas to tune into local stations. Right now, cable TV is the primary mode of choice when it comes to television programming. As cable and satellite subscribers find alternative ways to receive HDTV stations, television antennas are growing in popularity. For one, the picture quality is better. Secondly, TV networks offer HDTV channels for free.
It is important when choosing a TV antenna to know that it doesn't matter if it's a digital TC antenna, a HDTV antenna or a TV antenna. It is all the same, and manufacturers are just taking advantage of the digital and HDTV boom when they are naming their devices something special. Don't buy the cheapest antenna out there, and study your surrounding terrain, possible objects of obstruction and your distance from desired channels when making your decision.
By going to the Comsumer Electronics Association website, one can see exactly what kind of local TV broadcasts are available and this will help them dictate what kind of range they will need in their antenna. You can also find your local station's call letters, channel numbers, assigned frequency to transmit, user's distance from transmitter, and exactly what degrees to point your antenna to get optimum reception. There is also a color-coded guide to help you choose the best antennae for your location. The closer you are to a station, the better reception you are going to receive. However, there are all kinds of variable that will change this general rule of thumb.
Here are some types of antennas:
- A small multidirectional device is the smallest of the TV antennas and can receive a signal from all directions. It's got an attractive design when it comes to shape, and there are antennas that attach to satellites. You will want to use these in yellow coded areas where the signal strength is highest, and away from reflecting strictures and low-lying areas.
- The medium sized multidirectional antenna is somewhat larger and more powerful than it's small multidirectional cousin. There are many shapes including stick, wing-shaped and disks with long elements. Use these with green-coded areas, when a 20-foot cable or longer is needed to run from the antenna or when more than one device (TV or VCR) is used with the antenna. Best used away from reflecting structures and low areas.
- A large directional device is larger and more powerful. These are best used when you are very far away from the signal source, for light green coded areas. You can mount them on the roof 30 feet tall or higher for the best reception.
You also may want to consider the small directionals, which act like large miltudirectionals except that they can operate on higher channels to reduce ghosting and even enhance the picture quality. There are also medium directionals and large directionals, which you should also choose in accordance with the specific factors of your home. Once again, let the color coding of the Consumer Electronics Association be your guide.
Here are some other things to consider:
- Do not try to install during lightening. Antennas are electrical conductors.
- The strength of a signal depends on your distance from a transmitter, objects of obstruction and type and size of antenna.
- Certain antennas are better for ghosting, the effect of superimposing two channels on top of each other on the TV screen.
- If you know what you are doing, sometimes you can stack televisions antennas to receive an optimum solution.
