Digital TV signal conversion in emminant. So, why is there not a market for really good indoor TV anntenas?

Question

I got rid of cable. I want regular tv with an antenna. I fail to find any company that markets a really good signal producing indoor or outdoor antenna. If all we need is the converter digital signal unit, why then, does it seem noone is making a good TV anntenna for indoor or for the roof? I see nothing advertized. I know many people who never went to cable tv, and many of them do not want to go to cable, sattelite dish, dvr, etc. Does anyone out there know if any company is making plans or actually making a good quality tv antenna. I've had several brands, and they all are lousy wastes of my money. Certainly, there will BE a need to market tv antennas once the analog to digital is LAW. My question is why are there few or no good anntennas to buy?

Answer 1

First, there is no difference between TV antennas from years and years ago, and today's so-called "HD antennas".  An antenna is an antenna - it just picks up the signals.  Your tuner is what's important, and the only bit of gear you'll need to change when the switchover happens next year.  So you don't necessarily need a new antenna for digital (or even HD) Over The Air (OTA) broadcasts.

You can still get indoor and outdoor antennas, but seriously, the vast majority of the market has gone with cable or satellite, which is why most places don't carry them anymore.

If you're still interested in OTA, be sure that you know where your TV signals are coming from.  Most antennas sold for indoor use are omni-directional, very weak, and being inside a house doesn't help any either.  Depending on your particular situation, you may need a strong directional antenna - like the ones you used to see on every roof - that you can point in different directions to pick up a particular station.

Try this website:  http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/index.php

It has information on helping you choose a good antenna based on your location and what channels you wish to receive.