Free over the air HD television broadcasts

Free over the air HD television broadcasts

Last week, I received a new Philips PHDTV1 Silver Sensor UHF/HDTV indoor TV antenna for receiving broadcast television. I purchased this antenna primarily so that I could test out the over the air HD broadcasts of the local television stations located here in Phoenix, Arizona.

Assembly of the Philips PHDTV1 antenna

The device comes packaged in a relatively flat box, requiring some assembly of the unit. Upon opening the box, I found 3 distinct pieces, which easily snapped together to form the final product. A coaxial cable is also included.

Installation of the Philips PHDTV1 antenna

Installation was also a piece of cake, I simply connected the coaxial cable to my Panasonic 42″ plasma HDTV and terminated the other end on the back of the Philips PHDTV1 antenna. I pointed the antenna south bound, as that is where all of the Phoenix metropolitan area broadcasts are located.

After using my televisions’ channel scan feature to program in channels that the antenna was picking up a signal for, I was up and running.

Results and Conclusion

I was pleased to find that the PHDTV1 was picking up a good amount of channels, over 14 digital channels in English, some digital channels in Spanish and many analog channels. The analog reception that I received was relatively poor, but that problem will be insignificant come February 17th as we transition through the digital switchover. At that point, I expect to be able to pick up even more digital channels.

The digital reception is fantastic for most channels. I recently watched an NFL football game and the Golden Globe Awards in High Definition using the PHDTV1. Picture quality is excellent. Both 720p and 1080i broadcasts were received well in my testing. Overall, I have no trouble recommending this Philips unit for others who are looking for a good indoor television antenna.

I picked up this bad-boy on Amazon for $25, but at the publication time for this article, it appears that Amazon has sold out. In place of their own warehouse offering this item, Amazon is now featuring the Philips PHDTV1 sold by Farm & Home Supply Center for $38.84 + shipping. Hopefully Amazon will get more of these in stock themselves in the near future at a lower price.