Home
| Leisure
| Electronics
| Digital TV
| Information About Digital TV Conversion Antennas
Information About Digital TV Conversion Antennas
by Jennifer Claerr
-
Overview
Information About Digital TV Conversion Antennas
Many people have found the transition to digital television very confusing. This has led to a lot of misconceptions about the way that antennas receive digital television signals. While buying a new antenna may be beneficial in certain circumstances, if you already have an antenna that receives analog television signals effectively, you may not need to replace it.
-
The Facts
There are many antennas that will work with digital television. Some antennas are designed to pick up digital signals more efficiently. However, an antenna which was designed for use with an analog television will work perfectly well to receive digital signals, including high definition signals. However, if you have an analog television, you must connect a digital converter box to the TV to receive these digital signals.
-
Types
Both indoor and outdoor antennas can pick up digital signals. An indoor antenna may be fine in big cities where the television stations aren't too far away. Outdoor antennas are best for rural areas or places that are far from the source of programming. A directional antenna points directly at the source of programming, allowing it to pick up weaker signals from far-away stations. There are antennas that pick up only VHF or UHF signals, and antennas that receive both types of signals. Multidirectional antennas can pick up signals from different directions, but are only good for picking up nearby signals that are fairly strong. Both indoor and outdoor antennas can be either directional or multidirectional. Flat panel and "rabbit ear" antennas with telescoping metal arms are examples of indoor, multidirectional antennas.
-
Function
Antennas only pick up signals. You need a receiver to translate these signals into visible images on a television screen. The reason older televisions can't receive digital television is because they contain an analog receiver and have no digital receiver. A digital converter box does contain a digital receiver. It can translate a digital signal into an analog signal that the analog television can receive.
-
Choosing an Antenna
If you do decide to purchase a new antenna, it's important to make an informed decision. Factors such as how far the television station is from where you live, whether your local stations broadcast in VHF or UHF, the terrain and buildings around your home and how many stories your home has will affect which antenna is best for you. There are resources on the web that can help you to make your decision as to which antenna to buy for digital television. For example, AntennaWeb.org can provide information about the television stations in your area and provide suggestions on which outdoor antenna to buy. While they don't make suggestions about indoor antennas, the information on their website can help you to choose whether to get a unidirectonal or multidirectional, UHF or VHF indoor antenna.
-
Considerations
When you use a converter box with an analog TV, you must connect the antenna to the converter box rather than to the television. Then, connect the converter box to the television. Digital signals are typically just as strong as analog signals, but when they become weaker they won't create noise as analog signals do. Instead, the image will degrade into large pixels or disappear entirely. To boost the digital signal, use an amplified antenna and place it as high in the air as possible. If you have an old amplified antenna, try it with your digital converter box. If it doesn't work despite all your efforts to increase the signal strength, it may be time to replace the antenna.
