Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 352
 Works wonders, even indoors, 16 miles from nearest antenna April 9, 2007
Rick V (IN)
251 out of 258 found this review helpful
We have a secluded lot, about 2 acres, with mature (40ft+) dense trees around us. The nearest antenna is 16 miles away and the Chicago antennas are 44 miles away. We use this with our Phillips Flatpanel 50" pixelplus 2 HDTV with its own built in HDTV antenna. With only the HDTV antenna that came with the TV we received maybe 2 channels on a sunny day.
We first plugged in this antenna in our ground floor bedroom and kept it right behind our right: obstructed view. We did a search and found 17 HDTV channels and another 20 clear regular channels.
When we then placed the antenna on the roof (used an old DirecTV cabling on the roof) we solidly got 20+ channels in HDTV and another 34 regular channels. Some aren"t prefect but most are as good as old 'regular' tv quality.
We will probably upgrade in the near future to the DB4 now that we know this works for us. This thing is no hoax but we do think you have to be within about 30 or max 40 miles to get any type of reception.
Our advice:
drop the useless expensive cable or satellite and take a 15$ per month Netflix membership to beat / defeat all the showtime or HBO stuff and add this antenna for the local news stuff. Saves us at LEAST 60$ a month.
It actually works......really well!!!! November 28, 2007
B. Yam (CA ( United States))
50 out of 53 found this review helpful
I originally used the Philips Silver Sensor antenna, but couldn't get stable reception. Added an amplifier and got more than half of the HDTV channels, but needed to move/adjust the antenna for the other channels (very annoying!).
With this DB2 antenna, i have ALL of the free "over the air" HDTV channels, with at least 90% reception, WITHOUT an amplifier!
It works for me in Orange County, CA!! GREAT HDTV ANTENNA! I will buy another!
Comparison of AntennasDirectDB2 with TerkHDTVa September 9, 2008
D Darkman (New York State)
27 out of 28 found this review helpful
Summary: the Antennas Direct model worked noticeably better than the Terk model. Plus, the fact that the Terk model needs to be plugged in to an electric outlet and you'll probably leave it on 24/7, burning up electricity, makes the Antennas Direct DB2 the better buy by far.
Living in Rockland County, N.Y., about 50 miles from New York, the signals are weak enough that a good antenna is required to get digital signals. I bought the two best-ranked on Amazon, hooked them up to a DigitalStream converter box (of the 3 boxes I have, I like DigitalStream best for its remote which will learn your TV's power on/off signal, and also has its own volume control). I carefully adjusted each antenna for maximum reception (takes time because signal strength fluctuates.)
The results of my mini-experiment: the Antennas Direct DB2 performed better than the Terk HDTVa. This, both from looking at "signal strength" readings, as well as a judgement made after living for about 2 weeks with it set up each way -- the Antennas Direct DB2 was the definite winner.
As to the negatives of the two items:
The Terk HDTVa requires you to plug it in to an electric outlet, and basically keep it plugged in. This means it is plugged in 24/7 and using electricity all the while. Who knows how much that'll cost in electric bills, wasted electricity, etc!
The Postive and Negative of the Antennas Direct DB2 model, is that it really is designed to be hung on a wall -- but if you really want to maximize reception, you must aim it carefully, through a trial-and-error process (same as the Terk, which you must aim). So, the final position that is best for you, might not end up being parallel to a wall! So in the end you'll have to stand this thing up on a flat surface anyway.
Note that the Terk and the Antennas Direct are both roughly the same size... not counting the Terk's two huge rabbit ears you can extend up to 4 feet (which I certainly extended and played with, in making the comparison.)
Also note, that the coaxial cable you use to connect to the Antennas Direct, should be the sort that has a little screw/nut at the end. The cheaper kind, that just slips on and off, might not stay well enough. So I had to go out and buy a $5 coaxial cable segment.
In summary: the Antennas Direct beat the Terk for performance, as well as the fact that it doesn't need to be plugged in and using electricity 24/7.
One of the best HDTV Antennas I have tested. August 10, 2007
nesnman (Boston)
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
I tried about 5 hdtv antennas . This one was the best one . I live in Orlando near Sea World and all of the locals come in with no problem. I get 90's signals on all of the locals. . I also get Tampa Stations(28 and 32 ) at night. This antenna works better inside for me. I have it setting on top of my entertainment unit. It won't get the local NBC station because they broadcast in VHF. I tried it outside but the signals were worse .
There is GOOD and BAD Depending on Your Area May 17, 2008
Male Recovering from Abuse in Corpus Christi, Texas (Surfside, Florida)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
My wife purchased this item to work with the new HDTV converter boxes that we got a few weeks ago. We decided to give this antenna a try based on reviews here on Amazon. There is GOOD and BAD news with it. The bad news has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS PRODUCT!
Where we live, Corpus Christi, Texas, for whatever reason, most of the current 10 digital channels are being broadcast over VHF. This antenna, of course, is "tuned" for UHF frequencies and, as I understand it, in February 2009 all digital stations will be moved to UHF frequencies. If you live in a place like Corpus Christi, Texas it can be a mess! The antenna works fantastic on the UHF channels receiving about 80% signal strength at a distance of about 20 (obstructed) miles from the tower. The bad thing is those UHF stations, with the exception of PBS, are Spanish-language stations.
It would be grossly unfair to mark stars off on this antenna (as some have done) for poor reception on the lower VHF frequencies that this antenna was not designed to receive. I would like to offer some information on the signal strength of this antenna based on another antenna available at Amazon, the Philips MANT940 UHF Digital and Analog Indoor/Outdoor Antenna.
Signal strength in the UHF range is about 79-80 percent, while the DB2 gives me about a 70 percent on the same frequency. This is remarkable considering the Philips antenna is electrically amplified. The problem really comes when you get into the VHF range where the DB2 is not designed to receive. There the DB2 runs at 50 percent or less, while the Philips maintained a 70-80 percent signal strength.
The bottom line: If most of your stations are in the UHF range, by all means this is the antenna for you. If most of your channels are in the VHF range waiting for a transition in February, this antenna will be near worthless to you. In that case I would advise that you use the Philips antenna I mentioned before. My wife will be returning this antenna, or maybe we will keep it around for February 2009.
UPDATE: Thanks to a link by N4YQT (please see his comment on this review) it appears that the stations in my viewing area will be staying in the VHF and UHF range per their current assignment. So, if you find yourself in a similar situation, you can use this antenna with a VHF antenna, or use the Philips; although the Philips is listed as a UHF antenna the in-box information has it cut for VHF, UHF and FM. Still, for UHF, you can't go wrong with the DB2 antenna -- it is terrific in the UHF range.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 352
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