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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
pretty good antenna among non-powered HDTV ones, August 12, 2008
This review is from: Philips SCP010 Indoor Passive UHF/VHF/FM/HDTV Antenna (Electronics)
I have tried many HDTV antennas including Terk HDTV indoor, RCA ANT1251 Indoor Antenna, RCA ANT537 Indoor amplified tv antenna, and this one. Basically, Terk and RCA 1251 were useless. It didn't matter whether those were amplified or not. Those two didn't capture more than 5 HDTV channels. RCA 537 model was pretty good. Actually, it captured 5-10 HDTV channels and more regular channels if you play well enough with rabbit ear things. However, it consumes power and I decided to try this Philips one. At first, I was disappointed since it got only 3 HDTV channels, but as I move the ring antenna and rabbit ear ones, I have successfully got more than 5 HDTV channels. It is still not as good as RCA 537 model but if you don't want to use electricity, I think this one will work as good as most of other amplified antennas. As you know, the picture quality of HDTV channels are amazing once you get the signal. Usually better than cable tv HDTV channels.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well built with one exception, but might not work for you, June 8, 2009
This review is from: Philips SCP010 Indoor Passive UHF/VHF/FM/HDTV Antenna (Electronics)
This simple passive (unamplified) antenna is solidly built. The base is weighted enough that it doesn't fall over easily, and the rabbit ears are stiff enough that you can spread them apart without their flopping over.
My one complaint is that the antenna uses a screw-on plug that's difficult to attach to the TV. When connecting it I wished I had three hands: one to hold the cable, one to steady the TV, and one to twist the threaded connector onto the TV. If they'd used a slip-on plug instead of a screw-on plug then two hands would have been enough. Also, I think the pin on the plug was misaligned, since it took several tries before I could get it to start screwing on.
My wife and I bought this antenna for a new flat-screen television, which is replacing a 10-year old tube television. The rabbit ears (and butterfly) antenna on the old TV worked fine with the inexpensive digital converter box that we'd purchased. (We'd meant to keep the old television for several more years, but then decided to go for a 1080p flat-screen.)
Since the old antenna worked, I thought this new antenna would work just as well, but I was wrong. That's not influencing my review because so many things can affect signal strength. After moving the new antenna around the house, I think the old antenna worked better because it was sitting ON TOP of the old television, while the new antenna is sitting a few feet lower, next to the new television. If I pick the new antenna up and lift it a few feet I get much better reception on the few channels that are troublesome.
Here are a few suggestions if you're considering this antenna:
Use an ".org" or ".gov" website that gives guidance on antennas. For the best results, give the site your exact street address, including how high your antenna will be above street level. You're not likely to have much luck with a cheap passive antenna unless the website suggests a small multidirectional antenna type for all the channels you're interested in. If you decide you want to aim your antenna then some websites let you print a map showing you the directions that your TV stations transmit from (although you might get a stronger reflected signal from a different direction).
If you buy the antenna and it "almost" works then you can try aiming it. The rabbit ears on the antenna pick up VHF channels. When the ears point straight up they pick up signals equally well from all directions. When they are spread apart in a "V" shape then your best reception will be directly in front of and directly behind the "V". Similarly, the "O" part of the antenna picks up UHF channels. When you look straight through the "O" then your best reception will be directly in front of you and directly behind you.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
good product, November 10, 2006
This review is from: Philips SCP010 Indoor Passive UHF/VHF/FM/HDTV Antenna (Electronics)
This works better than other regular antennas I have tried and it is very well priced.
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