TV Antennas: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentThough a little intimidating for non-techies, if you dig through the site you can find some easy-to-follow advice regarding loads of commercially available indoor and outdoor antennas, including UHF and UHF/VHF options. The author pulls no punches and has no problems saying which TV antennas are winners and which are not. One negative is that discussion isn't being actively updated to reflect newer information, though most of the antennas discussed remain current.

Our AssessmentBased on a report presented at an NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference held in April 2009, this article recommends the Philips MANT940 (discontinued but still widely available) and RCA ANT585. It notes they are relatively inexpensive, look reasonably good and have lots of gain to help pull in distant signals. The bulk of the article is a recap of the NAB report.

Our AssessmentThose considering an outdoor antenna will find a trip to this site helpful. Outdoor antennas are compared head-to-head and in multi-antenna shootouts. UHF, VHF and UHF/VHF combo antennas are tested. Some of the information may be too technical for novices, but conclusions are clearly stated. For UHF reception, the Channel Master CM-4228HD gets the edge. The Winegard HD7698P is not perfect, but is called the best choice for UHF and VHF reception in one antenna.

Our AssessmentThis is a site where users can report on and rate digital TV antennas that they own. Most antennas draw just a handful of reports, but others draw hundreds and some even more than a thousand. For indoor use, the Antennas Direct DB2, which is reviewed as both an indoor and outdoor antenna, gets the good feedback after hundreds of reviews. The Terk HDTVa has even more feedback, and its share of admirers, but doesn't score quite as highly. Outdoor antennas get less feedback, but the Antennas Direct DB4, Antennas Direct ClearStream4 and Terk HDTVo all get good scores following at least 100 reports each. The site also features helpful articles and a user forum where antenna questions can be asked and answered.

Our AssessmentThough there's less feedback here, Newegg.com tends to attract user reviews from a technically sophisticated crowd. Among those TV antennas with the most feedback, the Winegard SS-2000 scores the highest, with a 5-"egg" score after more than 60 reviews. The Terk HDTVa and Antennas Direct DB2 don't score quite as highly, but still leave considerably more owners happy than not.

Our AssessmentThe Antennas Direct ClearStream2 is tested in this detailed review. Testing is done at a location well removed from digital TV transmitters (the closest are 40 miles away), and the ClearStream2 is benchmarked against a very large Winegard HD 9095P antenna that's rated for deep-fringe reception. The ClearStream2 can pull in as many stations, but performance is considered to be very good when its size and the test location are taken into account.

Our AssessmentThis article lists the author's choices as the best antennas for receiving digital TV signals. Indoor and outdoor antennas are listed, as are some specialty antennas, such as the Antennas Direct PF7, which disguises itself as a picture frame. One negative is that it is not clear whether or not the author has actually tested any of these antennas. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)