Do I need to buy digital antennas for my digital-to-analog converter box?

Question

I bought a new digital-to-analog converter box using the government coupon. Do I need new antennas to replace my old ones? I do not have cable or satellite TV.

Answer 1

No, the same antenna will work just fine.  Those antennas that say DTV or HDTV ready are just marketing ploys.  The problems inherent with DTV signals are not addressed by most of those antennas.  Digital TV signals are more susceptible to the ghosting effect (You don't see the ghosting like on analog TV,  you just don't get a signal).  Signals bouncing off of tall buildings or hills may cause this if you live near them.  In this case, a directional antenna may help.  Some converter  boxes have what is called a "Smart Antenna" feature.  The box has an interface which communicates with the smart antenna.  The box tells the antenna when it changes the channel.  The antenna automatically scans in different directions until the box tells the antenna that it has the best reception for that channel, and then the antenna locks into that direction.  If you think that this may be an issue for you, you might consider buying a box with smart antenna.  They sell coupon-eligible boxes with this feature.  GE is coming out with one in April.  The GE box must be used with a GE smart antenna.

Answer 2

There is no such thing as a digital antenna. If you already have antenna(s) capable of receiving both VHF and UHF, you don't need anything new. (Most digital OTA channels will be UHF, but there will be a few left in the VHF band.)