'Rabbit Ears' Find New Life in HDTV Age

[Hum]

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Buying an antenna for a high-definition television seems as out of place as using a rotary phone to make a call. But some consumers are spending thousands of dollars on LCD or plasma TVs and hooking them up to $50 antennas that don't look much different from what grandpa had on top of his black-and-white picture tube.

They're not doing it for the nostalgia.

Local TV channels, broadcast in HD over-the-air, offer superior picture quality over the often-compressed signals sent by cable and satellite TV companies.

And the best part? Over-the-air HD is free.

''Eighty-year-old technology is being redesigned and rejiggered to deliver the best picture quality,'' said Richard Schneider, president of Antennas Direct. ''It's an interesting irony.''

A few years ago, Schneider started an assembly line in his garage and sold antennas out of the trunk of his car. Now his Eureka, Mo.-based company has seven employees and did $1.4 million in sales last year. He expects revenue to double in 2007.

''People thought I was nuts. They were laughing at me when I told them I was starting an antenna company,'' Schneider said.

Before cable and satellite existed, people relied on antennas to receive analog signals from local TV stations' broadcasting towers. Stations still send out analog signals, but most now transmit HD digital signals as well. (Congress has ordered broadcasters to shut off old-style analog TV broadcasts by Feb. 17, 2009.)

Consumers who can get a digital signal from an antenna will get an excellent picture, said Steve Wilson, principal analyst for consumer electronics at ABI Research.

One major difference with a digital over-the-air signal is it doesn't get snowy and fuzzy like the old analog signal. Instead, the picture will turn into tiny blocks and go black.

''You either get it or you don't,'' said Dale Cripps, founder and co-publisher of HDTV Magazine. ''Some people can receive it with rabbit ears, it depends where you are.''

Schneider recommends indoor antennas only for customers within 25 miles of a station's broadcast tower. An outdoor antenna will grab a signal from up to 70 miles away as long as no mountains are in the way, he said.

The Consumer Electronics Association has a Web site http://www.antennaweb.org/ that tells how far an address is from towers and recommends what type of antenna to use.

''When you're using an antenna to get an HD signal you will be able to receive true broadcast-quality HD,'' said Megan Pollock, spokeswoman for the group. ''Some of the cable and satellite companies may choose to compress the HD signal.''

Compression involves removing some data from the digital signal. This is done so that the providers will have enough room to send hundreds of other channels through the same cable line or satellite transmission.

The difference in picture quality is a matter of opinion, said Robert Mercer, spokesman for satellite provider DirecTV Inc.

''We believe the DirecTV HD signal is superior to any source, whether it's over-the-air or from your friendly neighborhood cable company,'' Mercer said.

Others disagree.

Self-described TV fanatic Kevin Holtz, of suburban Cleveland, chose an antenna because he didn't want to pay his satellite provider extra for local broadcast channels.

Holtz, 30, can't get the signal from one local network affiliate or a public broadcasting station but said the rest of the stations come in clearer than they would through satellite. He uses a $60 antenna for a 40-inch Sony LCD, which retails for about $3,000.

''Over-the-air everything is perfect,'' Holtz said.

Another downside to using just an antenna is that only local channels are available, meaning no ESPN, TNT, CNN or Discovery Channel. Some consumers partner an antenna with cable or satellite service.

Many people aren't aware that they can get HD over the airwaves, Wilson said. He estimates there are 10 million households with HDTVs and that fewer than 2 million of them use antennas. Including homes with analog sets, 15 million of the 110 million households in the United States use antennas.

HD antenna prices range from $20 to $150 for indoor and outdoor versions. The many models of available indoor antennas look more like a fleet of spaceships than the rabbit ears of old. Brand names include Terk, Philips, Audiovox, Jensen and Magnavox.

Those really interested in saving a buck and who have a little MacGyver in them could make their own antenna. Steve Mezick of Portland, Ore., created one out of cardboard and tinfoil.

''I decided to build it because the design looked exceedingly simple. I scrounged up stuff around the house and put one together,'' said Mezick, a bowling alley mechanic who repairs pin spotters.

The 30-year-old has since upgraded his original design using a wire baking sheet, clothes hanger and wood. He mounted it to the side of his house and gets all of his local stations.

''It works brilliantly,'' he said. :unsure:

source

[MLIFE]

those rabbit ears, lol, was thinking of some other rabbit ears, :blush:

[Express]

Got to try one of these. Any recommendations?

[mad_onion]

i hear american people talking about rabbit ears often but in the UK houses have aerial on the roof that receive terrestrial tv. but here digital terrestrial tv is compressed just like satellite and cable so the picture you get isnt any better. plus, we cant even get HD over terrestrial yet if ever.

[null_]

Over-the-air-HD? Cool!

[DrCheese]

yeah it bugs me that we can't do the same here in the UK. Pretty much everyone recieves TV over the air here but we're miles behind in technology. Our digital switch off isn't until 2012 and the system we're using doesn't support HDTV broadcasts yet (and the signal we do get is compressed to hell and back) and if the UK government gets its way they will sell the bandwidth required to mobile phone companies.

Its really bad how the country that invented the TV is now so bad far behind.

Although TV companies are now starting to wise up, some CEO's of the big companies have been saying what a farce it would be if everywhere else would be watching the Olympics in HD in 2012 except the country that its hosted in, heh

[Japlabot]

Australia has had Free to air HDTV for a few years now, although it isn't mainstream yet. Cable/subscription TV isn't mainstream either. The major free-to-air stations available are SBS(Government funded), ABC(Government funded), Network Seven (Commercial), Nine Network (Commercial) and Network Ten (Commercial). They provide enough content for everyone for the most part. There are also some community TV stations depending on the region (ie: Channel 31 Melbourne). Nobody really sees the value in Subscription TV channels if we are already satisfied with our Free-to-air.

Who would pay to watch desperate housewives re-runs everyday when it is freely available on torrent :D

[Angel Blue01]

Rabbit ears are old? :blink: That's all I ever knew from when I was born until we moved to the suburbs at 15 in 2000.

Even now we get a signal through an antenna on the roof.

Cable? Sattelite? Can't afford it. Even if we could, we don't watch enough TV for it to be worth it.

[Tiger.Girl]

Rabbit ears = VHF, I thought most HD channels are UHF.

[Ravensworth]

The nearest TV station to me is about 100 miles away. Everyone here used to have antennas on top of the ridges to get our "local" stations. They were usually really snowy but they worked most of the time. Every few weeks you had to go out and follow the antenna wire up to the top of the hill (very tall, steep hills) to patch the wire or adjust the antenna. I was just a kid at the time but I actually enjoyed getting to tag along into the forest; the adults not so much. Especially in the winter. As long as we got to watch The Cosby Show and Saturday morning cartoons I didn't care about the picture quality. Then came the big dishes with all their free and pristine quality analog signals...every channel in the world including something called MTV. The antennas slowly disappeared after that. You can still find their remains along the ridge tops sometimes. Aluminum ribs, boosters and other fossils.

Anyway it doesn't sound like they'll be coming back, the stations are too far away for digital reception. We've had fiber optic digital cable for a while now though, and almost everyone has it, Dish Network or DirecTV so I don't think it matters.

[v0ltage789]

This has been available for years... I have been using it for years

[linsook]

ya it's been availble for a while now, but they don't advertise it much.

i hear american people talking about rabbit ears often but in the UK houses have aerial on the roof that receive terrestrial tv. but here digital terrestrial tv is compressed just like satellite and cable so the picture you get isnt any better. plus, we cant even get HD over terrestrial yet if ever.

well the rabbit ears started it all, which of course lead to antennas on the roof.

[Diffused Mind]

I have HD service over cable, but I still prefer the picture of OTA HD. Cable & satellite companies re-encode the video to save bandwidth, which results in one ****ty picture.

[+Elі Subscriber²]

In Miami my area we get like every local channel with an alternate broadcast in Digital plus we get at least 10 unique (not simulcast) extra channels that you cannot get unless you have an HDTV with an OTA antenna; I love DirecTV for this cause with the DirecTV receivers you can install your own OTA antenna and then all those extra channels are part of the Guide when you browse through channels; I can't wait for the next few months when DirecTV will be sending a lot more channels on HD.

PS: Anyone have been watching Discovery channel's "Planet Earth" on HD? its simply amazing!

[+Warwagon MVC]

This is nothing new, I get NBC HD, CBS HD, and PBS HD, the rest of the channels I get from the digital tuner and regular resolution. But they are right, when i'm at someones house and I see they have an HDTV I asked them if they ever hooked an antenna up to it to get some HD stations, and they say "You can do that?"

Edited April 29, 2007 by warwagon

[+Elі Subscriber²]

This is nothing new, I get NBC HD, CBS HD, and PBS HD, the rest of the channels I get from the digital tuner and regular resolution. But they are right, when i'm at someones house and I see they have an HDTV I asked them if they ever hooked an antenna up to it to get some HD stations, and they say "You can do that?"

That's what's sad about this whole deal the industry pushes customers to buy HD TVs and stores like Best Buy and Circuit City display all their nice HDTV sets all nicely tuned but the industry is doing no effort at all in educating costumers on how to take advantage of their new sets to the fullest; I know people who have returned their HD sets because of how horrible standard TV channels look on their new TV; They don't even have a clue that most of those channels have an alternate channel in Digital or HD.

[astrokat]

Can anyone recommend or have a positive experience with a good Outside and Inside Antenna?

[Rob2687]

OTA HD isn't worth it around here imo because I would have to mount a giant powered antenna on my roof to get anything decent. It's a lot easier for US residents because most people are close to the major cities.

[Hum]

The HD TV ant. I've seen are not the old V-shaped poles of years ago, but circular.

Cheapies are $10.

They can pick up HDTV, VHF, and UHF signals. ;)

Some better quality HDTV ant. here:

http://www.antennasdirect.com/hdtv_antenna_selector.html

Edited April 30, 2007 by Hum

[bangbang023 Veteran]

The HD TV ant. I've seen are not the old V-shaped poles of years ago, but circular.

Cheapies are $10.

They can pick up HDTV, VHF, and UHF signals. ;)

Some better quality HDTV ant. here:

http://www.antennasdirect.com/hdtv_antenna_selector.html

? They are still "v shaped". The circular part picks up UHF while the extendable poles pick up VHF.

[Tantawi]

those rabbit ears, lol, was thinking of some other rabbit ears, :blush:

:whistle:

[I am Reid]

Can anyone recommend or have a positive experience with a good Outside and Inside Antenna?

It dosnt matter what kind you get you either get the signal or you dont, nothing in the middle. You can use the ones from the 50's, or you can be like me and just use a regular coaxial cable and stick it pointing up above my tv or touch it to something metal.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

We got a new set yesterday with a built in amplifier, due to our old ones sucking (the new ones are getting a better signal, even though they are in a worse location)

And all our stations are HD, but a few channels don't take it seriously (neither ABC or 7 show normal programming during the day, and 7 and SBS only broadcast in 576p50), hopefully they will change though.

Edited April 30, 2007 by The_Decryptor

[Animelee]

Here in the Toronto area, I get NBC, CBS, CBC, ABC, CTV, PBS, The CW, CBC Radio Canada, FOX, MyTV Buffalo, CityTV, and Sun TV. Soon we'll have OMNI 1 and OMNI 2 in digital, too. All the channels come from Toronto and Buffalo with at around 55% strength. As long as the strength is steady, at at least 30%, you're good to go. No matter the strength, the quality will always be the same.

All I use is an indoor Zenith Silver Sensor on my LG 37" LCD (37lc2d).

If you can't get a strong enough signal, just move the antenna around until you find the best spots. It's amazing to watch Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: CI, Heroes, LOST, Jericho, etc. in real, uncompressed HD... for free!

Never use rabbit ears anymore, though -- they suck. The best things for outside are the old school V-shaped antennas on the towers or rooftops.

For indoors, it's a 12-inch miniature version of that called the Zenith Silver Sensor. And it always helps to have your antenna hooked up to a $20 amplifier.

[Japlabot]

The HD TV ant. I've seen are not the old V-shaped poles of years ago, but circular.

Cheapies are $10.

They can pick up HDTV, VHF, and UHF signals. ;)

Some better quality HDTV ant. here:

http://www.antennasdirect.com/hdtv_antenna_selector.html

I'm not sure if you phrased it like that to keep it simple, but I just want to point out that HDTV is in the UHF band, and HDTV doesn't require a special "HDTV" antenna... any UHF antenna would do.