Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception
by Terk
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception
Customer Review: Fantastic Indoor Antenna
Summary: 5 Stars
We wanted to get rid of cable; we had over 250 channels and maybe watched just 10 of them. It got to the point where we couldn't justify the cost anymore. So I started doing some research. Since most of our favorite shows were on network TV, it made sense to pick-up a TV antenna to receive free over-the-air HD broadcasts.
Since we currently rent, it limited our options to an indoor antenna. After reading reviews on indoor antennas, no matter the brand, signal quality was hit or miss and based on location more than anything else. I decided to take a chance with the Terk and I'm happy I did; it was an excellent purchase. We are really pleased with the Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception, the signal quality is excellent. We receive about 12 out of the 15 local broadcast channels, but that will vary by location (we are live in Downtown San Diego). Since it is an directed antenna, it has to point in the general direction of the signal, expect to reposition it a few times in order to find the the best signal/picture quality. Once it's setup, it's good to go.
My one negative is the shape, it's kind of odd. However it's far from a deal breaker, in fact, I was able to easily blend it into the living room decor. Friends that come over never see it and are surprised to learn we even have an antenna.
Do yourself a favor... before you purchase any antenna, do the research. Find out where your local signals come from ([...] is your best friend for this) and which type of antenna is best for you (indoor/outdoor, directional/omni-directional). If you ask me, a good antenna coupled with a nice media center is a much better alternative to cable.
Customer Review: Great, reasonable amplified antenna
Summary: 5 Stars
I have tried a few different antennas for getting over the air HDTV for my HTPC that I built for the living room. I was getting horrible reception from indoors from the older RCA and thought I would search for newer powered antennas because I really wanted to get rid of Comcast cable and watch the standard HDTV channels for Houston with DVR capabilities and the DVD library on the PC. After trying the ones listed below and some others I don't remember, I finally got the Terk after seeing the amount of reviews here on Amazon (originally bought from Best Buy, but ordered from Amazon and will return BB's).
This thing works great. I barely had to move it around to start getting channels (many more than any of the others were providing). It would work even better outside, but it isn't made for that. I might wrap it or protect it for outside use, that way I won't have to mess with positioning as much. I am pairing it with the SiliconDust HDHomeRun so that I can watch or record two channels at once (using a splitter). This way, I don't have to put TV tuner cards in individual machines.
The only thing I would like changed would be a base that was a bit larger or more sturdy. The unit will tip if the bunny antenna portion are not balanced. This is certainly not a deal breaker, but an annoyance, especially because the antennas extend from the base quite a bit.
Antennas used (remembered):
- Older RCA FM-VHF-UHF powered bunny eared (with loop, rating 2)
- Philips MANT940 Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna (powered, Rating 4)
- RCA DIGITAL FLAT ANTENNA (flat white one, smaller sized, powered, not very good, Rating 2)
- eVGA inDtube USB tuner card with antenna (worked for a little bit, would not recommend, antenna way too small, Rating 2)
Customer Review: Not Perfect, But Close
Summary: 5 Stars
My friend purchased a Terk HDTV (the non-amplified version). I asked him if he could bring it over to my house, so I could test it against my current antenna system, which was just a pair of rabbit-ears with a satellite dish looking center-piece. Since my HDTV has a digital signal strength indicator, going from 0 to 100%, I could easily tell the advantage I was getting with the Terk. I received anywhere from a 15% to 20% signal boost increase across all local channels. Even better, I was unable to pick up the digital version of one channel because the signal was too weak with the original rabbit-ears (below 40%). After hooking up the Terk, I was able to pick up this channel at about 60%. Furthermore, I found out that different channels come in better depending on whether the main antenna is position vertically or horizontally. This boosted that same channel from 60%, when positioned horizontally, to 70%, vertically. Yes, it can be a slight annoyance to have to do this when you want to watch this channel. When I purchased and installed the Terk HDTVa, I turned on the amplification system and noticed another 5% to 10% gain across most channels. From time to time, the sound will cut out for less than one second. In rare instances, the video might drop out as well for about a second. Adjusting the rabbit-ears that come with the Terk HDTVa seem to help with the lower-end channels. This appears to be an excellent solution if you live within a decent range of the broadcasting signals. You should search only for guides on whether you will need an indoor antenna or an outdoor one, depending on your distance to the broadcasting signals. Overall, the Terk HDTVa antenna is a solid device that proves its worth by bringing amazing HDTV signals to my HDTV.Customer Review: WOW! I NOW GET HDTV for FREE! ADIOS CABLE!
Summary: 5 Stars
I just received this Terk HDTV amplified antenna. I couldn't wait to hook it up to my new 24" Samsung SyncMaster T240HD computer monitor/with HDTV television tuner. I'm blown away! I live about 10 miles north of Boston, inside a brick building and surounded by many homes and trees -- and I am getting (about 10 channels) simply dazzling high definition TV channels. With this Terk antenna it says you need to always have it plugged in, even if you switch the power to it off. Even with this Terk antenna switched off I get dazzling HDTV.
I dropped cable TV months ago because of all the commercials. That saved me $70 per month ($840 yr). Who needed cable TV? I'm a "movie freak", not a commercial freak. The commercials simply steal your time. It's criminal to have to pay (cable) and be forced fed commercials also. Sitting 3 feet away from a good 1080p full HTDV monitor is like being in the 3rd row of a movie theatre. For $14 a month, NETFLIX lets me watch commercial free movies downloaded to my computer to watch nearly instantly. And they just upped their selection by teaming with STARZ. Now with this new 24 inch HDTV/computer monitor - I've made my computer my entire home entertainment system. Hello free HDTV. Good bye cable... This works great for a single computer geek like me. Tired of computing? No problem, download a movie, watch your own DVD movie, or switch the remote to the computer monitor to TV, and watch free HDTV coming over the air. Thanks TERK! You made this free HDTV possible.Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception
Customer Review: Rock solid
Summary: 5 Stars
We got this to replace a broken HD antenna. And WOW, what a difference! We hadn't even realized that HD reception could be this good. Our previous antenna was ALWAYS losing the picture and sound, no matter how many fine adjustments we made to it. This one, however, we just plugged in and stuck behind the TV, and that was the end of it. I always try out new antennas behind the TV, out of sight, first -- because that is where I want them to be -- out of sight and doing their job silently. This one, does just that. It picks up ALL of the major network stations in perfect HD picture and sound. It doesn't drop the picture or sound if you get near it. It doesn't drop the picture or sound if it is cloudy/raining outside. It just stays on, and doesn't require any fiddling on my part. Which is exactly what I wanted. Maybe we are very close to broadcast towers, I don't know, but I do know that our previous antenna didn't work 1/3 as well as this one does. It is rock solid.
On a side (and rather irrelevant) note, the thing IS large. It stands about 2.5 feet tall, and the antenna wire/blade piece is HUGE. It is easily double the size of our last antenna -- and that obviously makes a difference in the reception quality. So, that is an easy compromise for me to make. But, if size and appearance matter to you, you may want to keep that in mind. Look at the images of the antenna and the customer pictures that have already been posted. They are accurate.
Overall, the size and appearance of the antenna don't matter to me nearly as much as the quality of the picture and sound quality and I repeat, they are rock solid. I wholeheartedly recommend this antenna.