Monday, November 24, 2008

An antenna that doesn't look like one =)

As a new resident of San Diego, getting reception for OTA stations is more difficult compared with getting reception in LA. Because I had to leave my faithful Terk HDTVa at home for my family's TV, I was in the market for an antenna that was slick looking, had a small form factor, and could pull in stations reliably.

For everyone who is in the market for a better looking antenna, I think the HDA-3700 is a good solution. With its short dimensions of about 5"x8", it is definitely one of the more low key antennas I've come across. Heck, it doesn't even look like one and can blend in very well with your home theatre shadig, or at the very least not look as obvious as a pair of rabbit ears.

Here are some snapshots of it, I'll report back on how well this thing pulls in the stations.


This low reception is typical of stations in my area.


The verdict? Performance was only average, this antenna did not do any better than an old pair of rabbit ears I had lying around. I later got the above image's reception up into the 60's by moving it around but granted it was nothing spectacular. The aesthetic benefits of this antenna do go out the door if you have to orient backwards to get reception. If you live in an area where reception is known to be consistently good, I would give this thing a try just because of its looks. But if you live in an area where reception has been known to be inconsistent, my opinion is that this antenna would perform just the same as all other indoor antennas that are available on the market.

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