[mythtv-users] [OT, again] digital TV antennae (was Re: OT: Digital signal bands - Was: Horrible Audio Problems on Video Glitch)

[Michael T. Dean]

On 12/20/2007 02:09 PM, Bill Omer wrote:
>> Good luck getting a new antenna without having to pay for the industry's
>> deception.
> Taken from the faq at antennaweb.org
>
> Q: Are all digital stations on UHF channels, and do I need a UHF-only
> antenna to receive them?  What are the VHF and UHF bands anyway, and
> what do VHF and UHF stand for?
>
> A:  The Very High Frequency (VHF) band is the segment of the
> television broadcast band covering channels 2 through 13. The Ultra
> High Frequency (UHF) band is the segment of the television broadcast
> band covering channels 14 through 83.  Currently, the vast majority of
> TV stations broadcasting in digital are using UHF (14 and up) channels
> to do so.  This is not due to any technical requirement of digital
> broadcasting, however. It is mostly because the UHF channels were more
> likely to be available in most markets.  Eventually, after the digital
> transition is complete and TV stations no longer need to broadcast in
> analog, they may switch and use their current analog VHF channels for
> digital instead.  Antennas that receive UHF stations only and ones
> that receive both VHF and UHF are available.  If you are fairly
> certain you won't want to get any lower channels in the VHF 2-13
> range, you could purchase one that is UHF only.

Uh, yeah.  Show me that paragraph on the box of a "digital TV antenna."

I'm complaining about the fact that the consumer /must/ do this type of
research to find out that a "digital TV antenna" is not a better
product.  How many people do you know--who aren't MythTV/video
junkies--who even know about antennaweb.org?  IMHO, that's the CEA's CYA
so that the manufacturers of antenna can print whatever deceptive
marketing statements they desire on their products/product packaging. 
After all, have you looked at how many antenna are labeled "digital"?
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=tv+antenna&x=0&y=0

When I was buying my antenna, I was told by no less than 3 sales people
in the local area (i.e. who should know that there is a digital channel
in the VHF spectrum in my area--funny enough, also channel 2.1, but here
an NBC affiliate, on frequency 11) that I should buy a "digital" antenna
because it's smaller and because I'm not planning to use analog
channels.  Fortunately, I knew enough to know that they were wrong (and,
of course, I didn't buy from any of the companies where they worked).

Mike