This means things like the amount of trees outside your home or nearby buildings could impact your viewing. The location of broadcast towers in your area, weather, and your room's shape and design can also impact your reception. In other words, the performance you get from an antenna can be rather finicky compared to cable and streaming.
Unlike most cable boxes, an antenna on its own won't let you record and store shows, though some external DVRs can be bought separately to record TV broadcasts from an antenna. Depending on your TV, you also might not get any kind of on-screen guide for navigation.
This means, you have to manually go through each channel. With that said, some smart TVs now include guide integration for antenna playback.
Most over-the-air broadcasts currently offer high definition HD picture quality with either p or i resolution.
This matches the resolution that most cable and live TV streaming services provide. With that said, antenna-based broadcasts can actually look better than cable.
Cable tends to compress video and audio quality more than antennas, so over-the-air TV will typically provide the clearest quality you can find in a broadcast.
That is, as long as your reception is strong. Over the next few years, some over-the-air stations will begin to broadcast in 4K through the new ATSC 3. NextGenTV's 4K broadcasts are already available in markets like Pittsburgh and Phoenix, and will make their way to cities like Buffalo and Orlando throughout If you want to keep your current antenna, you can, but you'll have to buy an ATSC 3.
You can find more information on when 4K broadcasts will become available here. If you don't want to purchase an antenna or you don't already get local stations through cable, there are several streaming options that provide local channels over an internet connection.
Each service offers a different assortment of channels, including many cable networks you can't get with an antenna, so you'll want to ensure that the stations you want are available. Sign up for Insider Reviews' weekly newsletter for more buying advice and great deals. You can purchase syndication rights to this story here. Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting.
If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended.
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Gifts for Baby. Gifts for Kids. Gifts for Teens. Gifts for Everyone. Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Ben Blanchet. Table of Contents. Loading Something is loading. Email address. Popular Reviews. In addition to a TV antenna, all you need to watch your local stations is a TV equipped with a digital TV tuner, something included in almost all TVs since We included some amplified TV antennas in our review.
These models can boost signal strength to help pull in stations that might otherwise be on the fringe. The number of channels you receive will depend on your location and environment, as well as the placement of the antenna in your home.
You may need to try several models before finding the best antenna for your needs. And use our tips on where to place your antenna to get the best reception. Before you buy a new TV, check our buying guide and ratings of models from all the major brands.
Every set we evaluate goes through a battery of tests, backed by expert viewing panels, to determine high-definition picture quality and UHD performance with 4K material. Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings. We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. And with an adjustable amplifier, included mounting hardware and optional FM connection for radio, it's a versatile best HD antenna option for anyone who's serious about cord cutting.
The Antop ATSBS also has a table-top stand for indoor use, but this mile antenna was at its best out in the elements, where it pulled in 68 watchable stations. A foot cable is included for easy installation, and the adjustable amplifier lets you dial in the right amount of power boost to help you grab the stations you want. While its aesthetics may leave something to be desired, the ClearStream MAX-V is a very capable antenna that delivers more stations than even competing amplified antennas, even models costing much more.
If you want to improve over-the-air TV reception, it's one of the best TV antennas we've reviewed. Not only did it do better than many of our favorite indoor antennas, it also matched some of the best outdoor antennas, making it a great choice for mounting on a roof, hanging in an attic or just tucking it out of sight — which may be difficult given the bulky figure-8 design.
But it also does more than most TV antennas, doubling as an FM radio antenna, complete with a second output to connect to your sound system. With a simple two-sided design that's white on one side and black on the other, you should be able to set it up easily without disrupting your home decor much. The indoor antenna includes a snap-on stand for tabletop, as well as pins and Velcro patches for hanging it on a wall, sticking it behind your TV, or even more permanent mounting with included drywall anchor screws.
Antop beefs up the SBS with the Smart Boost adjustable amplifier, which lets you dial in the right power boost to pull in the channels you want to watch — depending upon the amplifier setting, we pulled in between 23 and 33 channels during testing. If you're shopping for a TV antenna, you're in luck, because there's no better option for getting live TV for the lowest price possible: Free!
But before you pick up the first TV antenna you see at the store, you want to make sure that you're getting one that will work for you. Location and range: If you're in or near a city, there's a good chance you can make do with a small indoor antenna, since you'll have several stations within a 10 or 20 mile radius that can be pulled in without a big aerial or powered amplifier.
If you're more than 30 miles from your local broadcast tower, you'll want to step up to an amplified model. Any antenna that's rated for 50 miles or more will either be a large outdoor unit, or come with an amplifier to boost the signal it gets, if not both. Indoor or outdoor: Whether or not to get an outdoor antenna will largely depend upon the building you're in and the surrounding environment, since obstacles like house walls and even trees can prevent signal from getting through to an indoor antenna.
Outdoor antennas are larger, and work better when positioned as high up as you can get it — a rooftop mast being the ideal installation.
Non-amplified or amplified: An amplified antenna uses an additional signal strength booster that can help weak signals come in clearly with a little extra juice. But that also means having another device to plug in, and another power outlet to give up.
It also means a slightly higher price. Getting an antenna is the first step toward cutting the cord or pulling in free local channels. But simply having an antenna won't automatically solve all of your over-the-air TV woes. Better antennas and optional amplifiers will go a long way toward bringing in more channels, but that's only part of the equation.
We recommend researching beforehand to determine what range of antenna you need, and whether you want an indoor model or an antenna made for outdoor installation. The best place to start is AntennaWeb. Worried about future proofing for ATSC 3.
The good news is that your existing antenna will work, and may even pull in more channels under the new standard. The bad news is that you'll need to buy a new tuner or an ATSC 3. And check out our other advice for TV antennas to help you get yourself properly equipped and set up for the best reception:. Whether you want free access to local news or just want to get more sports without shelling out for another subscription service, an HDTV antenna can still provide plenty of great stuff to watch, and having a smart TV or one of the best streaming devices doesn't prevent using an antenna.
All of the best smart TVs for streaming also have built-in tuners for pulling in broadcast channels, and getting your TV channels programmed is an automatic process, with the TV scanning for stations and putting together a browsable channel guide in just a few minutes. And several streaming devices are built with OTA content in mind. All of the TV antennas we review are tested in the same location in New York City, an apartment that receives dozens of channels from a variety of broadcasters.
Each antenna is connected to a Samsung 4K TV, so the TV tuner remains consistent, and each one is placed in the same position to generate comparable results. With more than over-the-air channels available in Manhattan, it provides an excellent testing location for antenna reception of any range, with more sensitive, long-range antennas pulling in a higher number of channels. It also gives us a chance to determine the quality of that reception, by seeing whether or not those channels are clear and watchable.
The best antennas will pull in more channels, with a higher number of watchable results. Your experience may differ from our test results.
Depending upon how many stations broadcast in you area, and unique geographical impediments to over the air signal — such as buildings, trees and mountains — your own channel selection will vary considerably. Included in this guide: 1.
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