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Is an HD Digital TV Antenna Necessary?

January 30th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

HD Digital TV Antennae Are Popular Options When Purchasing an HDTV System, But Do You Need One?

Many people are in the market for a new TV, but don’t know whether or not they need an HD digital TV antenna. The simple fact is that, unless you have a satellite dish or a set top cable box, you will almost certainly need to purchase an HD ditigal TV antenna before you will be able to enjoy high quality HDTV programming.

So What’s the Big Deal About HDTV?

Ask any HDTV owner, and they will tell you that they will never go back to a traditional low definition television. I got my first HDTV set a couple of years ago, and when I got the HDTV, no antenna was needed because I upgraded my set top cable box to include a digital video recorder, or DVR, so I could record my favorite programs without having to hook up a videocassette recorder.

I bought this HDTV during the baseball season, and I’ll never forget my first few minutes of watching. One of the players hit a home run into the stands. I don’t remember who it was or even what teams were playing or what stadium they were playing in.

What I remember about that first HDTV baseball game is that, when the camera closed in on the fan who caught the home run ball, I could not only see the fan, showing off the ball to his friends in the seats around him, I could read the time of day on the guy’s wristwatch. It read 3:40 p.m. You can never get that kind of clarity on a traditional low definition TV.

You Can Get Local Programming Without Cable or Satellite

Almost all regular broadcast channels send out high definition signals over the airwaves, at the same time as they send analog signals. If you have an HD digital TV antenna, you can receive these high definition signals and watch HDTV without incurring the trouble and expense of cable TV or satellite TV.

These are the three ways to receive an HDTV signal:

cable set-top box
satellite
antenna

What You Should Know About an HD Digital TV Antenna

Calling it an “HD digital TV antenna” is actually somewhat of a misnomer. What you are actually looking for is an HDTV tuner. An antenna is a resonating piece of metal with certain electrical properties. Now, it is true that some antennae are optimized for HD signals, so if picking up HD channels is important to you – and it should be – then watch for antennae that have those optimal features.

The Consumer Electronics Association has divided the United States into antenna zones based on the way signals travel over the airwaves. So, an HDTV tuner, or antenna, that works in one part of your city may not be the best antenna for you.

The best way to determine the HD digital TV antenna, or tuner, that you need is to contact the Consumer Electronics Association to find out which antenna is recommended for viewers in your neighborhood.

You can browse and purchase HD digital TV antennae and thousands of other HDTV products at eBay and Amazon.com.