Best HDTV Antenna : How to Choose

As its name, HDTV antenna is a type of antenna to be used for watching free high definition channels broadcast from local television. Some type of HDTVs have built-in antenna so you should check it out first before purchasing a new HDTV antenna and likewise if you have television antenna analog you should try it first to receive high definition channels.

When you decide to buy the new one, you should choose the best HDVT antenna. Unfortunately you will not find one magic antenna or kind of antenna that will receive perfectly TV broadcasting in every location because it depends on some factors. Distance as well as transmitters direction of TV station to your house are the main factors that determine quality of TV signal reception. Some other factors can be the terrain between your HD TV antenna and transmitter tower, location and also size any large building in the transmission path, tower height and transmitter’s power.

There some type of HDTV antenna :

• Indoor hdtv antenna or Outdoor hd tv antenna
• Amplified or non-amplified antennas
• UHF TV antenna or VHF TV antenna
• Directional or Omni Directional

Now I am going to give some guidance to help you choose the best HDTV antenna:

Indoor HDTV antenna or Outdoor HD TV antenna

Almost all outdoor HD TV antennas perform better than indoor HDTV antennas but they usually more expensive and have larger size. Distance between TV antenna and TV station is the main factor to choose Indoor antenna or Outdoor antenna. I will show you how to know the distance between TV transmitter and your HDTV antenna in the section “UHF TV antenna or VHF TV antenna” below. Click here to know more differences between outdoor and indoor HDTV antenna.

Amplified or non-amplified antennas

Amplifier is a device to enhance signal reception. You can find built-in amplifier in many indoor antennas and as separate device that can be installed in-line between TV and antenna. The device is also often called preamplifier or preamp when it’s installed on a mast or outdoor tv antenna. But some expert said that amplifiers have potential drawbacks where the signal reception can be worse if it is overdriven by strong signal and also amplify noise along with the signal. Therefore you should only install amplifier you need to.

UHF TV antenna or VHF TV antenna

The easy way to determine this is go to antenna selector website. Once you enter your address and other relevant information you will see a list consist of local stations.  Select “Show Digital Stations Only” to bring up a list below:

In the column “Antenna Type” you are able to know what type required for receiving signal from certain TV stations (Networks).
Another information you should to know when determining indoor HDTV or outdoor HD TV antenna as well as determining amplified or nor amplified antenna is “Miles From” because you will know the distance between your address and TV station.
“Compass Heading” information will guide you when determining direction of your HD TV antenna.

Directional or Omni (Multi)-Directional

You can use the list above to help you determine which type is the best for you. Look at information in Compass Heading. If all Networks you desired are transmitting from an area within 20°, a uni-directional antenna can be used but if position of the transmitters is more than 20° apart, try an omni-directional antenna. There is alternative to a multi-directional antenna by using combination between a uni-directional antenna and a “rotor,” which allows you remotely turn around the HD TV antenna to get TV stations in multiple directions

That’s all. Happy hunting the best hdtv antenna.