The HDTV Antenna: Worth The Hassle? | The Communication Blog

Monday, August 2, 2010

The HDTV Antenna: Worth The Hassle?

By Jeff Smith

The HDTV antenna is all over the place these days. Now that the switch has been made from analog to digital broadcasting a lot of people are wondering... If you already have satellite or cable... Is it worth the hassle? It IS a few extra bucks and then you have to set it up and everything, so... How about it? Is it worth it?

Yes, and here's why...

It's Free

Really the argument begins and ends at "Free HDTV". The only reason this is a full length article is because nobody's going to bother reading a page that just says "FREE TELEVISION!" So here we are. Let's be honest, we're in the middle of a recession right now, so who can really afford to pass up free entertainment? It beats spending twenty bucks to go see a movie. It beats spending the extra money the cable and satellite providers want for these channels. For a measly few dollars for the antenna, you get free TV for life. There's no downside.

Local Color

Whatever happened to hometown pride? It seems like more and more the entire western world, and beyond, is being homogenized. Everything's the same these days, everywhere you go. You could drive from New York to Texas and eat at the same restaurants, stay in the same hotels, and watch the same television shows in every single city on the way from point A to point B. The local programming is practically all a city has that makes it unique anymore. Fewer and fewer towns have "That great mom and pop steak joint down the street" anymore. With a hundred channels, you get all the new shows you want to see, but you don't get to notice that the weatherman shops at the same grocery store as you.

The Complete Package

With cable PLUS an HDTV antenna, you get everything, and you don't have to pay extra to make sure you get the full package. Cable and satellite MIGHT provide local programming, but they usually charge extra for it. Why bother when you can get it for free? Honestly, there's simply no excuse for it. If you can spend a few bucks, just once, on an antenna, or a few extra bucks every single month for the same channels, why pay every month?

It IS True HDTV

You may think that your nice big HDTV will be going to waste picking up free TV... Not so. The HDTV being broadcast for free is the same stuff being sent out through cable and satellite in terms of definition. So long as you've set the antenna up where the signal can come in clearly, the image is just as crisp and clean as anything you'll get from your HD DVD player.

It's Fun

It's actually kinda fun to be able to pluck free television programming out of thin air with the antenna. It's sort of an old fashioned, geeky, nostalgic high. As great as modern television is, there's something to be fun for the old school charm of watching television the way we did as children. This, plus the choice provided by modern television providers, makes for the full package.

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