Many people buy an HDTV and do not spend the extra money for HD programming. Both cable and satellite companies offer high definition programming, but they require additional equipment and a high monthly fee. One excellent solution is to buy an HDTV antenna and enjoy high definition television for free!

The first thing you need to do before buying a new antenna is to determine how many channels are available in your local area. AntennaWeb offers a free service to determine the number of HDTV broadcasting signals for a specific location. They also define the signal strength associated with each broadcasting channel to help you choose the right antenna and compass orientation (direction to point the antenna).

There are basically two types of antennas. The best types are still the roof top antennas. These are large and somewhat of an eye sore, but offer the best signal quality and will pick up a wide variety of signals without having to worry about directionality and orientation. The reason roof top antennas are still the best is because you will still need to pick up analog signals for non HDTV signals and the antenna type easily offer superior reception than smaller indoor antennas. The second types are smaller antennas that use amplification techniques to help deliver a good picture. This is an optimal solution if you only want to pick up high definition channels. They are not very good at picking up analog stations. The good thing about HDTV broadcasts is they are digital, which means as long as you are getting a signal (ones and zeros) you will get a quality picture. Old antennas actually picked up the analog broadcast signal and were very “noisy” which caused snow and static in picture reception.

I would also recommend a high definition digital video recorder so that you can record television shows and watch them without commercials. This is absolutely the best way to watch TV. If you have an HDTV but are longing for a better picture than standard reception, then an HDTV antenna is probably a good place to start.