"Buyer Beware" We all have heard this a thousand times, yet many consumers continue to purchase products with false or misleading information without further investigating the facts.. One case in point is the HDTV antenna. Lets separate the facts from the fiction.
FICTION Special TV antennas are necessary to receive the new HDTV/Digital signal.
FACT HDTV/Digital signal is and will broadcast on many of the same channel frequencies that traditional analog television has been broadcasting on for years.
FICTION all HDTV signals will be broadcast on the UHF(Ch.14-69) frequency band.
FACT Nearly every television broadcasting market in the U.S. will have at least one or more VHF(Ch.2-13) and UHF(Ch.14-69) HDTV channels.
FICTION I will need to replace my current TV antenna to receive HDTV.
FACT
If your current TV antenna can receive both VHF(Ch.2-13) and
UHF(Ch.14-69) TV signals, and is in proper working order, it is
unlikely a change will be necessary.
Because of widespread
misunderstanding many people will purchase two TV antennas. The first
TV antenna will be purchased as an HDTV antenna. This TV antenna will
be a UHF TV antenna. The well meaning dealer who sold the antenna
thought all HDTV signals would be broadcast on the UHF band. After the
digital transition date of February 17, 2009 many channels currently
broadcasting on the UHF band will move to the VHF band channels.
I
believe for the most part this is an honest mistake. All broadcasters
are required to broadcast their traditional analog signal until
February 2009. At the same time broadcasters are currently broadcasting
their new digital signal. Because of the limited channel space allotted
for television broadcasting, most HDTV/Digital channels are temporarily
assigned to UHF channels, and will permanently be assigned in February
2009. At this time many of the digital channels currently broadcasting
on the UHF(Ch.14-69) will return to the VHF(Ch.2-13) frequency.
The
fact of the matter is, there is no difference between a traditional TV
antenna and a HDTV antenna. Although some people would like you to
think there is, this simply is not true.
When choosing your
antenna for HDTV use the same guide lines used for selecting a
traditional antenna. Consider the antennas quality, size, range, and
how much money you are willing to spend and in most cases be sure the
TV antenna is VHF/UHF capable. Remember if it sounds to good to be
true, it probably is.
Denny is considered to be an expert in his field. He has been installing TV antennas for nearly twenty years. His website TV Antenna Source at http://www.dennysantennaservice.com is full of helpful tips and useful
information for the do-it-yourself TV antenna installer.
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