Philips PHDTV1 HDTV Digital Indoor TV Antenna Review
I tried posting this on Amazon, but it doesn’t tell you until AFTER you write a review that they won’t accept reviews written for products shipped by other companies. Waste not, want not:
I have a a 32″ HDTV, and I didn’t feel like paying monthly to watch TV. I saw this and figured $20 bucks wasn’t a bad deal to catch a few channels for free.
What this thing does is it uses a coaxial cable (included) to connect to your TV, and it can receive Standard Definition (regular TV) and High Definition (720p/1080i) signals in the air. The channels it should catch are things like NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS. That means you can watch shows like Jay Leno, LOST, House, your local news, etc. for free in Hi-Def.
Depending on how far away you live from the busy parts of your city affect how many channels you get and the clarity of said channels. You want to point it at a window, preferably toward the center of your city. Just mess with its positioning, and you’ll eventually get it. I’m happy to report that I get all the major networks in Hi-Def.
One thing that surprised me when I first opened the box was how BIG it was. I didn’t pay too much attention to the dimensions on the product, so I wasn’t expecting such a large box. The longest piece is 13″ long, so make sure you have room for it.
Overall, I’m really happy with it, and I recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want a million channels and has an HDTV.
UPDATE: Jeff pointed a couple things out. 1) This picks up digital signals only, which means you NEED an HDTV to display the hi-def signals, but the standard-def signals will still work. 2) I said point your antenna towards to center of your city, because that’s likely where all the signal hubbub is coming from, but you should use AntennaWeb.org to find out precisely where you should point it.
Thanks, Jeff.
Matt, couple minor points.
1. The Feb 2009 date doesn’t have anything to do with hi-def, IIRC. That is when TV stations will be required to give up their analog broadcasts. Not all digital broadcasts are hi-def.
2. Don’t point your antenna at the center of the city unless the transmitters are in the center of the city. Our local transmitters are on top of Monte Sano (at least one set, there could be others). Use antennaweb.org to determine what type of antenna you need and in what direction you should point it.
Matt, I didn’t say that your antenna will only pick up hi-def signals. It will likely pick up many UHF signals, including several analog, digital, and digital hi-def stations. Whether your TV is equipped to handle the digital stations and the digital hi-def stations is a separate matter. Understandably, this is all a bit confusing. I hope that helps.
HDTV (High Definition Television) is an innovative form of DTV for broadcasting TV programs. A HDTV receiver is a specially designed device to decode digital signals and enhance the quality of pictures and sounds of your home theater. The HDTV receivers are also known as HDTV set-top box or HDTV tuners.