Digital TV Antenna

The next step in the evolution of home entertainment has finally arrived with high-definition video. And to capture the new signals, it's not enough to have the right television set. It's also important to have a digital TV antenna, because without one, the HDTV would not even show traditional sized NTSC-resolution regular broadcast video.

The change in transmission signal is significant and it's what causes the need for the proper receiving equipment. There's going to be more information to be sent from the networks, and traditional receivers are not capable of capturing the signals. Also, not all high-definition sets have their own digital TV antenna right out of the box. It's been a while since manufacturers have included receivers as part of the set-top. Besides that, this gives the consumer the chance to choose which type, model or brand of receiver to buy, as there are lots of choices, with a wide range of features.

The problem is a matter of compatibility. Traditional analog receivers and sets were not designed to receive anything else but analog signals. A top of the line model of a high definition entertainment system would not be really entertaining if it can't receive high-definition broadcasts.

One important difference is what happens if there's a weak signal in the area. For an analog system, a weak signal will give fuzzy pictures, or gray video. For a digital TV antenna, a weak signal will not show anything on the video screen. If the in the area is weak, then there is not enough data to convert to pixels on the screen. The importance of a good receiver is evident in this scenario. A good brand or model should be able to pick up a signal, if there is one, and to convert the signal properly, and that includes video as well as audio output.