HDTV antenna

[jpr62902]

Just bought an HDTV for my newly remodelled basement (did it myself, thank you very much -- okay, I had help). I want to hook up an antenna to get local HD broadcasts -- any suggestions? Do the the amplified ones work better? Any help y'all could offer would be just peachy.

 

[Jimbrown]

There is no difference between a hdtv and normal tv antenna. As with all antennas bigger and higher is better. It also depends on what channles you are talking about. The elements for channel 2 are about 6 ft long the ones for 83 would be about 6 inches. And what is local? Local to me is over 150 miles. Probably not to you. The amplified ones give a better signal if you do not want a large ant up on the roof.
So depends big no amp small amp.

 

[Hollywood]

There are a few things to consider when setting up for off-air antenna installation. First thing for HD reception is that all are in the UHF spectrum. Therefore, any antenna you look for should be designed for UHF reception. If you go to antennaweb.org, you can put in your address and it will help you pick an antenna according to your address.
The amplified antenna or separate amps do work, but they do amplify everything, including interference, so if your reception isn't at least "pretty good" without the amp, then it won't be to great with one either. If you decide to go with DirecTV for even more channels, pm me and I'll recommend so good equipment for that as well.
Hope this helps.

 

[Docsknotinn]

I am having good luck with the amplified indoor antennas. I get great reception and I get several channels in HDTV. Not all shows broadcast HD but those that do are incredible. Dave

 

[andregg]

HDTV reception varies wildly based on location. Distance and direction to transmission towers, trees and adjacent buildings, antenna selection and installation etc. Just like analog, too much signal can be a problem, in fact in the digital domain to much can be worse than not enough. Anyway, suggest you find what others, who are into HDTV in your local area, are using as a starting point. Another good reference site is http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/ you might find that under the local viewing section your local stations discussion thread.

Good luck,
HDTV is the worth the effort.
Enjoy

 

[disk_drive_eng]

I just got an HDTV and went through this same process. Here are a few things I learned:

It is true that currently HDTV over the air broadcasts are on UHF because the VHF spectrum is still being used for regular TV. But, once the old TV is turned off, the broadcasters can opt to use their VHF frequencies for their HDTV. Or, they might use or lease them for other uses and keep the HDTV on UHF, depending on the particular market siituation.

So, to be safe, I got a TV antenna for both VHF and UHF (most of them are like this anyway). If you currently have satellite, you may be able to use it to pick up your local VHF channels and avoid the extra monthly charge for them via satellite.

As for range, there is a "cutoff" effect for HDTV that is not present for regular TV. Similar to FM radio, if you are out of range you get NO picture, unlike regular TV that just gets more and more noise ("snowy"). Generally, if the antenna works well for regular TV reception, it will work well for HDTV. However, right now many HDTV broadcasts are not yet full power or using the best antenna, so you could have a reception problem. It depends on your particular market and distance.