10 Facts About HDTV Antennas

Post on Jul 4th 2008

High Definition Television is the newest way to watch TV. HDTV customers love it because of its movie-theater picture quality. If you are ready to make the switch you must choose the HDTV television set and service that are right for you. The least expensive type of HDTV service is called over-the-air. This type of service involves the use of an antenna to receive broadcasted HDTV signals. Here are ten HDTV antenna facts that will help you decide if over-the-air service is right for you.

  1. An HDTV antenna is similar to or the same as a basic television antenna, like the ones that were popular before cable and satellite TV, but it is used to pick up high definition broadcast signals instead of the old-fashioned television signals.

  • You must have the antenna hooked up to an HDTV television set with a built-in tuner in order for your TV to receive the broadcast signals that are picked up by the HDTV antenna. If your HDTV set does not have a built-in tuner then you will have to get a tuner-box that interprets the high definition signals from the antenna. This will enable your HDTV set to accept the HDTV broadcast signals.

  • A lot of the time, the picture quality offered by the HDTV antenna is better than that of HDTV satellite or cable services. This is amazing since the cost of over-the-air service is much lower than that of the other types of service.

  • The HDTV antennas are very low-cost. They can range in price from $25-$150 and this makes it easier for consumers to purchase one of the better antennas in order to get the best picture quality possible. Also, there is no cost for over-the-air HDTV services. Once you have the antenna installed you will automatically receive the broadcast signals in your area, if there are any. It is somewhat similar to Wi-Fi internet reception. With Wi-Fi, all you need is the antenna hooked up to your computer and you will pick up the wireless internet signals, if any, that are in the area.

  • Some rural areas do not have high definition broadcast signals, so be sure to check on whether or not over-the-air services are available in your area before purchasing an antenna.

  • HDTV antennas are available in Directional and Omni-directional. If you live in a rural area where there are some signals it is best to go with Directional so that you are able to change the direction of your antenna and have a better chance of picking up high definition signals. If you live in an area where the HDTV signals are strong and plentiful then the Omni-directional antenna will work just fine.

  • Besides a lack of HDTV signals in rural areas, one of the only major drawbacks of using over-the-air service is that HDTV antennas will often times only pick up high definition broadcasts for basic cable and television channels which means that you would not have access to most or any of the movie and exclusive channels.

  • HDTV antennas come in both indoor and outdoor varieties. Outdoor antennas pick up broadcast signals better but indoor antennas are easier to take care of and keep safe during bad weather.

  • Outdoor HDTV antennas must be installed. You may be able to have this done by a professional for a charge. If you choose to install it yourself you will need to make sure that you are mounting it and hooking up the wires correctly. Also, you will need to look for the place that you receive the best reception and mount the antenna in that area.

  • The outdoor HDTV antennas also come in two different band-types: UHF and VHF. UHF is the most common and unless you are certain that VHF HDTV signals are available in your area you should not buy the VHF antenna.

    • Over-the-air service has its pros and cons but in many ways an HDTV antenna is the best way to enjoy high quality television service.

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