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Information on Digital TV Antennas
by Jennifer Claerr
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Overview
Information on Digital TV Antennas
If you'd like to watch free-to-air digital television, you'll need an antenna that's suitable for digital television. Many different kinds of digital television antennas are available on the market, but deciding which one to buy can be very confusing. Knowing a few basic facts about digital television antennas can help you buy the antenna that's best for where you live.
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The Facts
Many people believe that digital TV antennas are special antennas that required to receive digital signals. The truth is that any TV antenna will pick up a digital signal. This is because digital signals, like analog, are sent on either a VHF or UHF radio frequency (RF) signal.
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Types
The types of antennas for digital television include indoor and outdoor antennas. Indoor antennas are more convenient to set up, but outdoor antennas typically get better signal reception. Both indoor and outdoor antennas can be either directional or omni-directional. Directional antennas point directly at the source of the digital television transmission, and are useful for picking up signals that are weak or far away. Omni-directional antennas can pick up digital TV signals from every direction. Some antennas for digital TV receive only UHF or VHF signals. However, to receive the maximum number of digital stations, its best to get an antenna the picks up both UHF and VHF broadcasts.
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Function
An antenna for digital television picks up a radio frequency signal and trasmits it through a coaxial cable to a receiver in your TV, VCR or other equipment. An antenna designed for digital television does not contain a digital receiver. If you wish to use analog equipment to pick up digital signals, you must use a digital TV converter box. Unlike with analog television, digital television picture and sound will be perfect as long as the signal strength is sufficient. When a digital TV signal weakens, the picture and sound may break up or be lost entirely. In many cases, the antenna will need some amplification to pick up a digital signal.
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Benefits
Certain antennas which have been designed for digital television reception may help you to receive better quality signals. They may also help you to get free-to-air high definition television (HDTV) signals if you have an HDTV. Even if you have a standard definition television (SDTV), you will still get better picture and sound quality with free-to-air digital television than with analog television such as cable or satellite.
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Considerations
There are many factors which may affect your reception of digital television. If there are obstacles in your home or the area where you live, these may block the antenna from receiving a digital signal properly. There may also be sources of interference, such as radio towers, nearby. To get the best digital television reception, place the antenna as high up in the air as possible. To get information about outdoor antennas for digital television, the television stations in your area and suggestions on what type of antenna you should purchase, visit AntennaWeb.org.
