Discover the HDTV Antenna
At present popularity of HDTV is growing at a brisk pace. You are allowed to watch amazing 1080 resolution broadcasts over the air for free. All you require is a HDTV set with a built-in HDTV tuner and an HDTV antenna. Antenna is a metallic structure designed to resonate at a specific frequency and to be reactive over a particular range of frequencies. Antennas are designed to function either in the range of UHF, VHF or both frequencies. Television broadcasts take place in the VHF and the UHF bands. HD signal is made up and recognized through its contents, by its modulation and not the carrier frequency it is transmitted on. Antenna doesn’t really care whether the signal is high definition or not. It has absolutely no idea what the signal resolution is, or whether the signal is analog, digital or HD.
Antenna type you require actually depends on the distance from the broadcasting tower and on the environment the antenna is installed in. If you live close to the tower you can manage with an indoor antenna. If you intend to pick the signals from more distant TV stations, then an outdoor TV antenna is necessary. The larger the distance is, the more powerful antenna is required. Omni- or multi-directional antennas can be used at small to medium distances from the towers. In remote areas directional TV antennas should be used, if you are located very far from the broadcasting towers and the signal is really weak, you may have no option left but to complement your outdoor TV antenna with a pre-amplifier.
Now the point of consideration is what broadcasts are available in your area and what are reception conditions with respect to each one of the broadcasts you are interested. Reception conditions are specified by a color code. The Consumer Electronics Association has defined seven color zones like Yellow, Green, Light Green, Red, Blue, Violet and Pink. Yellow zone is the one where reception quality is the best, pink zone is the toughest. CEA classification applies to outdoor TV antennas only.
The selection of the antenna is also dependant on some more factors like whether the transmission is really HD, color zone type, frequency of the signal, distance, channel, band and orientation of the antenna. These factors play a vital role in the selection and performance of your HDTV. Here are few more tips for you to keep in mind it is a good idea to upgrade recommended antenna by one level up. Antenna performance is hard to predict, there may be specific reception difficulties with your location. Price differences are usually very small and it is better to be on a safe side. Color area coding applies to outdoor TV antennas only. However, if you are located in a yellow or green area, there is a good chance an indoor TV antenna, or better, an amplified indoor TV antenna will work well for you.
Outdoor TV antennas performance is location dependant and hard to predict, indoor TV antenna performance prediction is outright impossible. RF radiation is absorbed differently by different construction materials, which makes an indoor TV antenna performance to be dependant on the materials your house is built of or the direction your windows are opening at. Indoor antennas are always inferior to their outdoor counterparts. Indoor TV antennas are used for many reasons, ease of installation being the most common one. Indoor TV antennas are especially popular with individuals living in apartments or rented homes. Antenna that works in the red, blue, violet or pink reception areas are the appropriate outdoor antenna, the indoor TV antenna is not just right. However, if all the broadcasts you want are in a light green or better areas, you have a chance. An indoor TV antenna is likely to work well in a yellow zone, and an amplified indoor TV antenna may work well in a green or light green zones. Nothing can be guaranteed, and the only way to know is to experiment. Fancy indoor TV antennas offer only marginal improvement over traditional rabbit ears. If you use rabbit ears and see nothing but snow, don’t waste your money on an expensive indoor antenna. It is unlikely you’ll get good quality signal. If you do that check the return policy of the store you are buying in. Or still better get yourself an outdoor antenna. If an indoor TV antenna pulls in the yellow area broadcasts with reasonable quality, but not the green area broadcasts, upgrading to an amplified indoor TV antenna may solve the problem. But there is no guarantee.
Whether you are after an outdoor or indoor TV antenna, select an antenna model, read reviews on it and compare prices in the store and you are ready for the purchase of your own HDTV antenna.