It Works!
Written: Oct 03 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Affordable, effective, and easy to use.
Cons: Very difficult to stand up on it's own.
The Bottom Line: The issue of standing can be easily overcome. Once addressed, the HDTVa is an effective antenna at a reasonable price.
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| woody2's Full Review: Terk HDTVi for HDTV (HDTVA) |
It's always nice to find a product that does it's basic task well enough to justify the purchase. With devices like this, there's always some anxiety that you're about to completely waste the entire purchase price of an item, or at the very least, waste time trying to make it work and returning it. The Terk HDTVa is the amplified version of their HDTVi antenna, and it works. The HDTVa is designed to work well in environments laden with interference like steel reinforced concrete walls, and areas densily populated with tall buildings that cause indirect scattered signals.
With the implementation of digital TV came the loss of free/cheap analog signals that were seemingly limited, but relatively easy to pickup with any modest television. Now, you either need to have cable, satellite/dish service, or a digital antenna (though by now there's probably some other new technology available that I have yet to hear of! ...best check with the kids!). With cable and dish, you're typically guaranteed some semblance of reasonably good reception. Digital antennas, especially inexpensive ones offer no such comfort, and the reception is often frustratingly unacceptable. Pick any of the following descriptors: "there today, gone tomorrow", "elusive", "non-existant", "what the $#@!". We picked up the Terk HDTVi as an act of desperation after being frustrated by several very cheap basic $10 type amplified and unamplified digitial antennas....fortunately most were borrowed, but whether borrowed, bought, or stolen, the result was the same...$%^$^! digital TV!!!! Thankfully, the Terk has brought some civility back to our workplace by doing an acceptable job in a tough reception environment.
The HDTVa is simple and intuitive to hook up. It hooks into the coaxial cable hookup in the back of the TV, and plugs into a standard 110v outlet. There's an on/off switch for the amplification. The HDTVa is an awkward looking device that looks like it's sporting a flat horizontal Christmas tree protruding from the side of the main plastic tower. It's reminiscent of the space age devices you might see on the Jetsons. Having a very narrow lightweight base, it's just about as awkward to get to stand firmly in place too. I'm not sure what junior engineer approved the design of the base, but I'm sure he or she signed off on it while paying no attention whatsover to what they had just done. It's like trying to stand a Weeble on it's head! It requires a firm flat area with lots of space around it...some double side tape and a heavy piece of polished stone tile helps too.
Aside from being rediculously tippy, the Terk HDTVa does work for us. We went from getting in the range of 0% to 25% reception to upwards of 88%....usually 45-50%. Not stellar mind you, but good enough to largely eliminate the new cursing issue that had evolved. It can require minor adjustments for different channels, but we can now get and usually view the limited channels available in our area.
It's hard to know how well an expensive antenna would work, but it's not feasible to find out anyway. Every circumstance is different, so it's hard for me to say how the Terk will work for your situation. For now, though cumbersome, the Terk HDTVa is doing the trick in our environment and was $40 well spent.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
woody2
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Rochester, NY
Reviews written: 96
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
Thank God for God. Think life is tough now...try without him!
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