Philips PHDTV1 Silver Sensor UHF/HDTV Digital Indoor TV Antenna Reviews

• Antennas Compared

  
  By A108XABRHAA9E7 on 2007-06-01
  I'm a first timer at getting OTA HDTV. This has been an experiment in progress for the past 5 weeks. I have gone through four antennas (they are all here as I write this) before finding something that's satisfactory (rather than tolerable).
  
  I live around 25 miles from Manhattan, where the towers of most TV stations are located. I am also aware of the directional information from [...], and have experimented accordingly with its effects on reception. My apartment's windows all face north, while the signals all comes from southwest. I cannot get signals from where it comes from, and thus needed to get signals from deflections perhaps off nearby buildings and trees. It's a very poor circumstance for over-the-air reception, maybe just slightly better than being underground. Signals are weak, and are affected by weather. Stormy and windy days have shown effects at disrupting signal reception.
  
  With this said, and without going into much detail, let's talk about the antennas. Now all these antenna have been tested with the same equipment, setup, directional adjustments, location, etc. etc. and have been tested through good an foul weather, day and night, to observe differences.
  
  1.Terk HDTVa Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception- After reading some rave reviews and high ratings at [...], log periodic types (looks like a fishbone) seems to be the way to go. I got the Terk HDTVa first, thinking that the amplification and VHF antenna should nail my reception problems at the start. However, after more than two weeks of fidgeting around ad nauseam (directions, locations, amplifications, different devices, etc.), I only managed to pick up two ATSC channels' signals, and even those don't have strong enough signals to display anything. I thought maybe it's just my poor location, and that I should probably give up on the attempt. The included in-line amplifier dongle doesn't work at all. Powering it on makes no difference in signal strength readings, which hovered around 5-10%.
  
  It is well built, looks nice, good concepts, but it just didn't work.
  
  2.Phlips PHDTV1 Philips PHDTV1 Digital HDTV-UHF Indoor Antenna- The venerated "silver sensor" which was previously sold under the Zenith brand also had great ratings and reviews. It's in fact nearly legendary. I decided, in desperation, to try it out, even if it doesn't have amplification. It seems all my local HD channels are in UHF anyway, so I won't miss the VHF dipoles.
  
  The unit has startlingly poorer build quality compared to the Terk. It has paint bubbles, hairs and dusts trappings in the paint, sharp edged cheap plastics and much thinner metal blades that's covered in oil and has some dings and bendings. I wasn't impressed with the quality, and didn't expect much from it as I set it up.
  
  To my surprise, it picked up 9 working channels (note: the terk got two channels' signals, but they didn't work) from the start, even if it's randomly placed. It's thrilling as it was the first time I saw OTA HDTV. After some adjustment and location experiments, I was able to receive 19 channels. However, not all of these channels work well given the same direction.
  
  The directionally sensitive antenna needs to be adjusted as I switch channels. e.g. NBC and CBS seems to work well in one direction, while ABC has its own favorite direction, which works also with FOX. I tried as best as possible to find a compromise point where everything works. I couldn't. It just needs to be adjusted constantly.
  
  The transmission is often dogged by reception fluctuations. Signal quality tend to fluctuate quite a bit, especially affected by weather. That means the TV playback would get choppy at times, with its severity dependent on the direction I point the antenna at. I didn't think fluctuating signals was a characteristic until I tried the latter two antennas later. I also found that I had to constantly play with the directional positioning to get a stable signal from each of the stations.
  
  It works, and I was impressed, but then in retrospect it could only be best described as a "tolerable" HDTV experience as I struggled for a smooth signal delivery.
  
  3.RCA ANT111 Basic Indoor Antenna- While shopping in stores, I saw this basic and classic RCA loop/dipole antenna for less than $[...]. I couldn't resist the temptation to try it out, just for the heck of it. It is also a different type of antenna than the previous two.
  
  Again, I was surprised. This cheap antenna worked well, especially considering how it's only a fraction of the price of the two I'd tried. I ended up getting 17 channels, a few less than the PHDTV1, with the same location and setup. Some channels also don't work, even if signals were detected. The quality of the signals seems to be the key.
  
  So what's so special about it? It strangely had better signal delivery for the channels that worked. It's not as choppy, and quality level is very steady. It is also not as affected by directional positioning. I was for the first time able to view FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC without adjusting the antenna. However, the lack of directionality also makes it ambiguous when I lost the signal. It seems that there's no "favorite direction" for the channels, which also means I can't pull in stronger signals at my choosing. It is also quite susceptible to weather changes, particularly wind (which probably affected signals reflected by trees?)
  
  The signal strength also seems to be a little weaker, though the signal quality tend to be higher in general. That probably contributed to the smoother video delivery. It also tempted me to get a similar design that has amplification.
  
  4.Philips MANT510 Philips High Performance Amplified Indoor Uhf/ Vhf/ Fm Antenna- This unit has a "digital TV optimized, patent pending UHF panel array". I thought I'd try it out just for the slightly different antenna design, if not just for the adjustable amplification.
  
  Well, it works, and works quite well. The antenna doesn't work without power, and with amplification turned off it works a little less than unpowered PHDTV1 and ANT111. Yet with the amplification turned on, I get 24 channels, with strength up to 81% (compared to 3-10% unamplified, and quality consistently above 60 and usually in the 70-90%+. That generates the most reliable video delivery of all the ones tried.
  
  While thunderstorms still managed to distrupt signals, it's much less often and only momentarily. I also don't have to worry about hunting for signals as I just point it in one general direction and I get everything but three NJN channels (they are even further from here.. maybe a good 50 miles).
  
  I finally can just set the antenna and forget it. It lets me focus on the programming rather than antenna adjustment. While it needs to be powered, it gives me the confidence to finally enjoy HDTV, rather than tweaking and tolerating it. It's good enough that I can probably stop searching. I hope it'll be helpful to you who may be going through the same purchasing decision nausea as I have.
  
  

• Awesome Antenna

  
  By A2RQ494UJ6AMHI on 2006-12-11
  I bought the antenna at Circuit City, just to give it a shot.The antenna was so good that I cancelled my basic cable service and returned the HDTV descrambler or whatever they call it,the same day.I couldn't believe all this time I paid $35 a month for something that is available free.
  Antenna didn't need any pointing or directing,It picked up all the HD channels available in the area.The signal remained the same wonderful quality irrespective of the position or the angle.
  I guess my location being in close proximity(6 -10 miles) to broadcast stations also helped.
  Great antenna.
  
  

• Decent reception, shoddy workmanship, not worth it.

  
  By AL6U52M47C5YV on 2007-10-04
  I ordered two of these less than a year ago, one for me, one for my friend. My friend was unable to get much reception with it, but that's perhaps not surprising given the distance he is from antennas.
  
  I had previously been using a cheapo RCA rabbit eared antenna. It worked well enough. This one offered slightly better reception, 80/100 for most channels, occasionally 90 for one channel, and mid 70's for another.
  
  The unit is somewhat directional, but doesn't require constant adjusting for me. I'm less than 10 miles from most of the local antennas. Overall I was pleased with it, until yesterday.
  
  Yesterday, I noticed one of my recordings was somewhat pixelated. I went to adjust the antenna and couldn't get a decent signal. Some channels would register 75 or 80 but still be pixelated every 10 seconds or so, and the picture would drop for a second every few minutes. I then discovered that the antenna had become dislodged from the coaxial connector where the coaxial cable screws in. I fiddled with it on and off but was unable to get a really good reception with it anymore.
  
  I did some research online and found that this unit was among the recommended indoor models still, but a radio shack antenna (two of them, actually, but one was discontinued) was more highly recommended. I replaced this unit with the radio shack 15-1892 unit and now get 90's in all channels, much better than the zenith ever got. It also has a remote for rotating as well as sturdy rabbit ears. I'd definitely recommend that unit over this one.
  
  I spoke with the friend, who had been using the other zenith. His had broken in the exact same spot within a few months. As such, shoddy workmanship prevents me from recommending this. It did get decent reception, but having to replace two units in less than a year is pretty absurd.
  
  

• UHF only

  
  By A1IXZANBDZZ9CE on 2007-03-02
  This antenna is one of the best indoor UHF antennas, but is designed for UHF only. Many cities use both UHF & VHF for digital TV.
  
  To see if UHF & VHF are used in your area, enter your address at www.antennaweb.org
  Then, look at the digtal channel Frequency assignments column. If any channels are 2 thru 13, this antenna is not for you.
  
  Do NOT buy any knockoff antennas sold by TERK. They are mostly junk.
  
  
  

• Got 30+ digital channel crispy clear Manhattan high rise building

  
  By A3RKYQA7SUQCD8 on 2007-05-27
  I live in a high rise building in upper east side of new york city. My window faces east, the signal comes from south (empire state building). I placed this antenna close to the east facing window. It picks up over 50 channels (including 3 HD channels), out of which 30+ digital channels are crispy clear. That's the thing, digital channels are very good, analog channels are not good. I'm on a high floor, with another apartment between me and the empire state building. So close to the east facing window is the only sweet spot in my apartment.
  
  Highly recommend this to New York City high rise residents.
  
  
• PHILIPS PHDTV1 INDOOR HDTV ANTENNA
  By A2V3ONQ4VHYNJ5 on 2007-07-10
  If there are two words to describe the physical appearance of Philips PHDTV1 - its cheap and dull. It consists of a plane of wide thin blades connected on a black plastic rod with a brass coaxial connector for a nose. At the bottom is a metal base under the plastic shroud - its very light in weight. As a matter of fact, its a little too easy to tip over. However, looks can be deceiving - and this is one of those cases.
  
  The antenna is known as the "Silver Sensor" to most who have seen it - because of its plastic silver "wings" that protrude out of the rod at an angle - there are fourteen elements (seven per side) overall. Included in the box is a six-foot length of standard RG-8 coaxial cable. The directions for assembly are on the outer box, and slightly misleading if you look at the graphic diagrams - but it should not be cause for alarm, since putting it together was very intuitive as to its parts. What perhaps is a little disconcerting is like all too many things - its made in China. But that fact does not take away from its performance.
  
  Essentially what you are getting is a couple hunks of plastic and a little metal for your $25. I bought mine through Circuit City along with the sold-out Element FLX-1510 15" Widescreen HDTV receiver on back-order I'm still waiting for. One thing I should mention is inside the long black plastic rod is an ultra-thin plastic circuit board of which those wings are attached. I would be very careful handling it, since as some users have pointed-out, its pretty easy to break! Performance is the key to this antenna and there it holds its own, both for digital and analog.
  
  The first set I hooked-up the Philips PHDTV1 was my Samsung (South Korean-made) HDTV receiver connected to my NEC HD projector. Currently its connected to an Audiovox (yep, the company that owns them) Terk HDTV-S which I paid $120 for. I knew living in a brick apartment building is tough on indoor tv antennas, therefore the premium in its initial selection. On the Terk, I could pick up local ABC, FOX, MNT, Univision stations in the living room - testing the Terk HDTV-S antenna and Samsung HDTV receiver in the kitchen with a window facing the broadcast towers, I was able to pick-up the other missing stations. However, back to my living room and the Philips PHDTV1 set-top antenna.
  
  Hooking up the Philips PHDTV1 showed there was little difference between the $25 antenna, and the $120 Terk. While a little weaker, the PHDTV1 held its own! Rated for UHF stations, it did quite well on VHF stations - or at least as best can be expected for an indoor antenna encased in a brick and steel structure. But while it is designed for UHF digital over-the-air (OTA) service, it was surprising how good this antenna worked on analog signals as well.
  
  When connected to my analog Panasonic 9" tv in the kitchen - its performance blew me away when compared with the standard "rabbit-ears" dipole antenna the set came with. With two standard chrome rods, most signals were weaker with a lot of ghosting - some low-power signals were barely more than snow with little sound. Even our NBC affiliate was nearly impossible to pick up - and the station's transmitting tower was a mere eight miles away. Using the $25 Philips PHDTV1 indoor antenna was the difference between night and day.
  
  Hooking-up the Philips PHDTV1 brought in all the signals - without the multi-path distortions common with analog transmissions. There were no ghosts on the screen, none, nada, period! It didn't matter if I was watching UHF or VHF stations, the signals were as good as basic analog cable gets. Even the low-power station came in almost as perfect as opposed to the higher powered signals. While pretty snowy, I was also picking-up color signals from a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) station a couple hundred miles away - with a signal having to work its way through all the brick and steel in the opposite direction - this from a $25 wimpy and fragile set top antenna!
  
  ...so, would I recommend the Philips PHDTV1 at a $25 price tag? The answer is yes. Realize, you'll need a window in the room facing the general direction of the station towers you wish to receive for digital transmissions. However, one is still better off with an outdoor yagi for the best performance from an antenna system! But if you are an apartment dweller who prefers free over-the-air HD broadcasts to costly cable or satellite service - its a definite yes! Whether digital or analog set-top performance - this antenna is worth the price...as long as you can keep small children and pets from getting to it!
  
  -Andrew @ MALL727.net-
  Philips PHDTV1 Digital HDTV-UHF Indoor Antenna
  
  
• Extremely Fragile Design
  By A2GCNCV24P03M0 on 2007-09-09
  The antenna looks good, but unfortunately is extremely fragile. The coaxial connector essentially fell off the unit during initial assembly. Never got a chance to evaluate the reception.
  
  
• Wow. Can't say enough.
  By A1QJ8RKPWKXI7O on 2008-04-06
  First let me say that this antenna may NOT be the answer to everyone's prayers. But I will say that for a sub twenty buck antenna, it works phenomenally well. I'm lucky enough to live where the HD broadcasting towers are all in one direction, about 20 miles away. I first bought a Radio Shack antenna (DA-5200) and a Philips (MANT940) thinking more cash means more reception. I did not mount them outside as intended but made makeshift stands to test them. They are both amplified antennas and although they received signals OK, there was still plenty of digital pixelation on different channels, especially sports.
  
  My friend then gave me an RCA (ANT1251) he wasn't using and it also did OK, but not great on sports.
  
  After reading the very positive reviews for this antenna, I bought it.
  
  To put it plain and simple, it smokes all 3 of the previously mentioned antennas and only from sitting on a cabinet near my TV with no amplification. If you want a very good, basic HD OTA antenna, then this is a great start. I have no pixelation watching hockey and football in HD.
  
  I still plan on installing the other one(s) outside on a mast to see if I can get even better signal, but now I don't feel pressured to have to go through all that work right away.
  
  
• Philips PHDTV1 Indoor Antenna Review
  By A2ZMY1JPAAT680 on 2007-03-28
  Amazon price is lowest. This model antenna works well for OTA signals. Have two of these units. Position and height are Hypercritical for this or any other indoor antenna. Use in same building and same position but on two different floors. Second floor reception VG to Excellent. First floor Good to Very good with some "drops" or need for tweaking by a few inches or rotation. Position in rooms found by a trial and error process. Less suseptible to body movement signal interuption than a powered TERK unit I tried (TERK-5 ?) Also the Terk unit is inconvenient by its need for a plug in power supply and its relitively large horizontal "Bow Tie" Configuration, while offering no advantage in sensitivity over the Philips units. This report based on my need or desire to receive HDTV signals for two HDTV receivers-signals NOT YET provided for Local channels in my area by DISH TV.
  
  
• A Good Antenna If You Need It
  By A1KLPS6P7UR631 on 2008-01-04
  First of all, you don't necessarily need a special antenna just for receiving HDTV broadcasts. Try your old rabbit ears and you might be pleasantly surprised.
  
  In our case, our old antenna worked pretty well, but we had to adjust it differently for different channels, and it was just on the borderline where it would occasionally skip out, so we tried this antenna instead.
  
  The important thing about this antenna is that it is highly directional—you have to point it toward the broadcast tower. In most areas this isn't an issue, as they are usually all on the highest mountain around and you can't miss the red blinking lights at night. In the United States, you can also look up the latitude and longitude of transmitters at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html, which I would recommend doing before buying this antenna if you don't want to continually turn your antenna when you change channels, and aren't sure if all the transmitters are in the same place or not.
  
  If those conditions work for you, this antenna is a great value for the money. Once we got it pointed correctly, we just left it there and don't give it another thought while it delivers a perfect digital signal.
  
  
  
• Not powerful enough
  By A1XJ9I5X1VIP9 on 2007-03-12
  I needed an antenna that provided a power boost to amplify the signal. I bought this antenna based on the review of others. If I had realized it didn't amplify the signal, I would have looked elsewhere. Oh well, my bad! I live 20-25 miles from the signal I'm trying to capture, and this antenna didn't do it for me.
  
  
  
  
• Great antenna for a great price
  By A3AVIVA4AWQRYA on 2007-05-14
  First I tried an amplified HD antenna from the same manufacturer and I noticed that every so often my picture would freeze and get pixellated. When checking the signal strength meter I noticed that it was getting a good signal and suddenly it would drop and then come back up again. After reading good reviews of the "silver sensor" antenna, I decided to try to find one. It took a little research to determine that this was the actual "silver sensor" antenna. After hooking this thing up, I must say that is a great improvement over the other antenna I tried. Now it is a digital signal, so you can't say the picture is any better when it is working, but with this antenna the signal remained much more constant with less freezing.
  
  
• Does it differ from the Zenith antenna? Not at all!
  By A2F0IA6V0VO32G on 2007-05-22
  My parents get cable, but there's one ethnic program that they love to watch, that comes on an obscure Channel 23 in Chicago (and not on any cable channel). They even have one TV dedicated to non-cable, and I've tried so many different rabbit ears to get this station in clearly. There was always panic if someone accidentally touched the rabbit ears, as it would take awhile to get that station in clearly, again. Then I read reviews about this particular antenna, and thought - it must be better... and it is!! It's terrific and picks up the station 20 miles away from the transmitting location. Ok, so it's not like being in the studio, but it's a HUGE improvement. Love it.
  
  
  
• Great HD Reception (TV and Computer)
  By AJBYW7TBZNZJ1 on 2007-06-09
  Initially purchased the antenna to receive additional HD not included on cable on my HD TV. Have since paired this antenna with an ATI TV Wonder 650 for HD reception and recording on my computer. It works FANTASTICALLY. Highly recommended NON-POWERED antenna. I live ~25 miles from tower in San Francisco.
  
  
• WTF
  By A13W5319BG43OZ on 2007-07-12
  With this antenna, after researching antenna's online, is supposed to be the best. But I've gone from receiving 7 to 2 channels!
  
  
• Great antenna for OTA HD reception
  By A1MBZ8NHNYZUQM on 2007-10-07
  Great little antenna. Hooked it up while waiting to get my HD DirecTV receiver..and I get like 20 OTA channels (near Raleigh, NC). Awesome product.
  
  
• Best Indoor Antenna
  By A3MCJO2GWRGFRE on 2007-10-20
  My son lives in a dorm room in Boston with no access to cable. He has a small 15 inch HDTV (Element - Circuit City Brand). He had what we thought was a good antenna also purchased at Circuit City for twice the price of this antenna. He barely picked up any channels. He purchased this antenna and now picks up every HD channel available in Boston plus many other channels he could not get before. The HDTV channels are clearer than my channels through cable. Never thought an antenna would make such a big difference.
  
  
• Great antenna!!!!
  By A160ZP4K4A3HV0 on 2008-01-04
  I recently bought a 42" Vizio LCD TV and didn't want to make the huge investment to upgrade my DirecTV system just yet. So I began looking at these types of antennas as a cheaper alternative. I did alot of research and read up on a lot of the reviews on all of the indoor antennas that Amazon had to offer. A great resource was www.antennaweb.org for finding out how far you are from the broadcast antennas and what direction you need to point your antenna at, unless you get a multi-direcitonal antenna. I live in a multi-story apartment building just shy of 30 miles from the broadcast antennas, so I was worried if I was going to able to pick up any signals at all with out having to go with either a powered antenna or an outdoor antenna. Long story short I decided to go with the Philips PHDTV1 Digital HDTV-UHF Indoor Antenna and I was able to pick up 46 digital channels and every single one is coming in with perfect reception and clarity. I was really amazed at how well this little thing worked and the size is small enough to be tucked away out of sight and still pick up excellent reception. I would highly recommend this product.
  
  
• Best HDTV antenna for UHF
  By A1VLFGO0AV6JM8 on 2008-02-12
  I have never written a review on any product. This product works so good for so cheap it compelled me to do so. First off I tried 2 other antennas before ordering this cheap little antenna. I could not get a consistent single with either antenna. My signal meter on the TV would read up and down from 60-70 % until I bought this antenna and then a consistent 80-90 % just like that. It is best to make sure it is pointed in the correct position but after that you are home free. So this little antenna not amplified gave me a consistent 20 % better signal then any other antenna I've tried. Location Austin, Tx. Area
  
  
• Worth the price
  By A296XPAI418T9R on 2008-02-26
  This one is working quite well for me. And I am about 35 miles from all stations (according to antennaweb). I get all the main local channels FOX, CBS, ABC, CW, PBS, KQED and the like.NBC seems to be a bit of a problem. All this while I kept the antenna behind the TV in the corner of the room.
  
  When I placed the antenna in a position where the TV didnt 'hide' it, the signal strength of all channels went up, including that of NBC. So, follow the antennaweb's suggestion and this is a winner.
  
  
• Very good reception, but directional
  By A30NCTLKVS67GY on 2008-05-05
  ..
  Ok, with-out getting too technical:
  
  Price is not an indicator of the best indoor HDTV antenna.... This Philips PHDTV1 antenna is, arguably, one of the best, if not the best (and inexpensive) indoor antenna for the UHF/HDTV type of signal, if you are with-in 15 to 25 mile of the station's broadcasting antenna. And that's the "gotcha", you have to be reasonably close to the TV towers. Other issues like elevation and obstacles along the line of sight (broadcasting antenna to receiving antenna) can also affect this and any antenna's performance. You start getting out past 20/25/30 miles; you may want to give some consideration to a passive outdoor antenna if the signal quality is poor with this Philips PHDTV1 antenna. It's safe to say that an outdoor antenna that's up high will always outperform an indoor antenna, but the Philips HDTV1 is a great inexpensive indoor antenna choice, for most locations that are with-in the 15 to 25 mile range.
  
  This Philips HDTV1 antenna design (YAGI) pulls in a much stronger signal then the ubiquitous rabbit ears & loop antenna. However, this increase in signal strength comes at a price, the antenna is much more directional, meaning the antenna has to be properly positioned or aimed to receive the digital TV signal. If the broadcast towers in your area are not in one general direction, you may have to adjust and point this antenna in the direction of the desired broadcast tower as you change channels. Some may want to consider another type of indoor antenna that pulls in a little weaker signal but is not as directional, that would be something like the mult-stacked Bow-Tie type of antenna. One of the best small Bow-Tie antennas (great signal strength) is the DB-2, it's a small outdoor antenna that some are using as an indoor antenna. But be aware, some may find the esthetics of the DB-2 to be objectionable inside the home, as compared to some of the other less powerful Bow-Tie antenna that blend in better with the homes décor.
  
  For the most part, a direct feed from the Philips HDTV1 antenna to your TV should not require an amp, an indoor antenna with an amplifier is only useful (my opinion)
  
  1) if you have a long antenna lead-line,
  2) the antenna signal is feed through a transformer (IE: 300 to 75 ohm),
  3) the antenna signal is run through a splitter
  (looping the antenna signal through the DVD player then to the TV is
  the same as a splitter and/or transformer),
  4) And there are a few cases where the design of the TV's antenna input
  is so poor (loads the antenna signal down) the amp may help
  
  Thus amp feature sold with other antenna is (again my opinion) just a marketing ploy, and an added expense that is not necessary (exceptions listed above).
  
  Line-of-sight is also a major factor, obstacles in and along the line of sight to the broadcasting tower (buildings, light poles, trees, mountains, the wall your antenna is aimed at in your TV room, etc) can all have a negative effects on the signal you receive, even if you are only a few miles away from the broadcast antenna.
  
  The quality of construction is the down side to this Philips PHDTV1 Indoor HDTV Antenna.
  
  NOTE: there are a few TV stations (very few nation wide) that well be broadcasting their digital or HDTV signal in the VHF band, check your area. This Philips HDTV1 antenna (same for the Bow-Tie type of antenna) will have very bad too no reception if you are trying to use it for VHF broadcasts, analog or digital.
  
  
  
• Hardly worth it
  By A21CEM7VBB2LKL on 2007-02-22
  This antenna allowed me to receive 2 HD channels in my area, but it gave me no better reception than my thumb placed over the end of the coaxial cable. Basically any antenna will be as effective as this.
  
  
• Easy to use, works very well
  By AZG5HF91O6JOB on 2007-03-09
  Amazon shipped the product for free in 3 days. Using the antenna is as simple as hooking it up to you tv and letting it search for the singal. I have NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX plus a few others just like that. I live in a multistory brick apartment complex, on the bottom floor, partially underground. The towers are all about 3 miles from me, and are located at roughly the same compass point. (198 and 225 degrees) according to [...].
  
  
• Very Poor Reception
  By AS93EEI0C5EYN on 2007-03-11
  I live three walls from line of site to the TV broadcast towers and get very poor to no reception. Towers are 5 miles from me. Either this is defective or a very poor antenna.
  
  
• Piece of Junk
  By A46NSJR37W28V on 2007-04-19
  This sucker couldn't pick up a single channel; not even one less than 10 miles away. I live in a fairly open area.
  
  
• Does a great job
  By A1UA8X0CIKVF8V on 2007-05-13
  I bought this antenna based on the other reviews which said they had good reception with this antenna. I just got an HDTV and was using my old amplified antenna that had the rabbit ears and a round ring for the UHF. It did fine but when I hooked up this one, and checked on my TV under info., which shows the strength of the reception, it was much, much stronger. It took a few tries, turning it in a few different directions until I found the best spot and once there, the signal comes in very strong. I haven't had to play with the diraction since then. I live in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities in a townhome and this antenna does the job just beautifully. I am very, very happy with it.
  
  
• Indoor Antenna
  By A1D3UD4W2WH1JI on 2007-05-14
  Philips PHDTV1 Digital HDTV-UHF Indoor AntennaThis was the best price I could find. For an indoor Antenna it is one of the better products I have used. It is small and easy to put together and does bring in a great color picture for all the channels (which is un-usual as most will bring in the VHF or the UHF but not both equally well and this antenna will bring both in equally well). For less than $22.00 you get a great antenna.
  
  
• Performance depends on tuner
  By A3V33ODAELJRES on 2007-05-28
  I tried this unit out with a friend's Pinnacle USB tuner, just to see if I could receive adequate signals before buying a HDTV tuner. The antenna/tuner combination worked fine, pulling in all 13 digital channels that were in my area. I then went out and purchased a Samsung HD TV Television Tuner (DTB-H260F), and the Phillips antenna, and could only pull in 7 stations. I tried moving it up to my attic, but that only added 2 stations. I proceeded to buy an amplified antenna at Home Depot, and can again receive all 13 channels as originally with the Pinnacle tuner and this model antenna. I'm 6-7 miles from all the stations - and all are within a 5-10 degree arc, so I presume that the lack of performance is due to the Samsung tuner wanting a stronger signal, and not my inability to point the antenna in the right direction.
  
  Bottom line - it might work for you, then again, it might not.
  
  
• No improvement over old rabbit ears.
  By AXN5EQDZ3RNFQ on 2007-06-30
  Ordered this hoping for a little better HD reception than my rabbit ears.... There was NO improvement, and possibly even a little poorer reception on UHF channels.
  
  I'm returning it and keeping my rabbit ears. The only other improvement I would try at this point is an antenna on roof.
  
  
• Works great for HD
  By A1XY3A4FJHLG3Q on 2007-07-02
  I live in sight of the towers in Portland, OR. DirectTV doesn't have all the off air HD's here. I stuck this downstairs in the opposite corner of the house from where the local towers are located. It was also behind the TV stand/rack to hide it. Receptions is great on every channel. No issues at all.
  
  

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