Indoor TV Antennas Compared: Cheap vs Expensive

Is there a difference between cheap and expensive indoor TV antennas? Here is my comparison of three indoor antennas: a $3 model bought at a 99-Cent Store, the As Seen on TV Clear TV, and a highly rated Amazon indoor antenna called U Must Have. Follow Brandon and Noah!
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#indoorantenna #cleartv #tvantenna

[@AntennaMan]

Great video! Thanks for actually testing out these antennas. I can't stand when websites (or KZbinrs) claim certain antennas are the best with no data to back it up.

[@carlbailey3556]

I would to sèe it show me

[@Unknown_Ooh]

This is far from scientific as to start with there's no such thing as an HD or digital antenna. You could use a paperclip as an antenna if you really wanted to.

[@encycl07pedia-]

@@Unknown_Ooh Is an antenna really just 100% metal? I thought there might be some internal electrics on them. There seem to be some on others.

[@ryanhuang8498]

It's just pieces of metal that picks up frequencies. Similar to a FM/AM radio.

[@ryanhuang8498]

You can even use a coax cable as an antenna. Remember mobile phones used to have FM radios in them? The headphone cable needs to be connected because the phone uses the headphone cable as an antenna.

[@paulsmith9341]

Thanks! You mentioned that a signal amplifier can cause worse reception. I live 26 miles from my tv broadcast tower. By unplugging the amplifier I went from 34 stations to 72 and the quality of the picture improved immensely!

[@captainscentsible1811]

I heard james got married to a antenna installer, the wedding was average, but the reception was excellent !

[@maureenmiaullis6427]

Lol

[@OGHG771]

lololol

[@danielsypher8832]

LOL...that was a bit funny i must say all in the name of love fun and games😂🙌🙏

[@trevordance5181]

I heard that joke over 50 years ago!

[@onlimi616]

They got divorced after he was caught watching cable.

[@bigtommy2556]

I only get 18 channels in my backwood area. But luckily one of them plays that 70s show every night from beginning to end then it starts over

[@krazyktex1]

You work your butt off on these reviews. Lots of time and effort. Good job!

[@chrisschenosky5161]

he works his but off because he injoys doing it and gets paid for it by watchers... God bless him..hope he does well.

[@dominicene3647]

First time watching your channel. Really enjoyed the dialogue between you and the kids. Good content

[@Soloman_Gumball]

Definitely a change from his other vids where he has them just standing there as props. They're actually involved in this one.

[@cowprez]

Your reaction to the antenna falling from the window was priceless! Perfect timing! I laughed out loud!! Keep up the good work buddy.

[@wesleyhester4284]

Remember those monster cable ads, where they tried to convince you that you needed their $200 hdmi cables, rather than the regular $6 ones?

[@gotsm9959]

@Wesley Hester: The Magic HDMI cable scam has to do with gold plates pins. The best antenna is the classic aerial. Basically all you need to do is toss a coat hanger in a tree with some wire connecting it to the TV .

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@gotsm9959 You have no clue what you're talking about.

[@gotsm9959]

@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt No it's true try it! If single is bad then then try it at higher elevation. Not that I watch TV anymore since I have everything I could ever want on my ipad.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@gotsm9959 No I was referring to the HDMI cables. Gold plating was never a scam. Almost all exposed connectors on cables are flash plated gold merely so they don't tarnish, nothing more. Only teens fabricated nonsense as they always do. Monster was at the forefront of cable design when most people were using lamp cord. The cable industry has blown up since then. Some of Monster's gear was designed by very reputable people in the industry. In case you missed it HDMI cables carry audio as well as video and those $6 cables sound like shit. If you have reference quality audio/video worth as much as some homes, you would know what I mean.

[@gotsm9959]

@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt Well I know that people like to argue and disagree.

[@bjpalm1994]

Great review James! I really got a kick out of the interaction between you 3 when watching all the channels. Funny stuff, lol.

[@1badnomad]

The dessert Tron movie is called "Solarbabies" from 1986. It's freaky weird, you should watch it as a family to show your kids what the 80's were like.

[@saxbob2006]

It's awesome seeing a family doing stuff together and enjoying each other's company. No to mention the good info/review. Job well done guys! ^_^

[@BoilingDietCoke]

♥️ I agree.

[@cybermuff]

The Star Trek episode was "Balance of Terror" with Mark Leonard who later became Spocks father in next generation. Great episode.

[@hueowen2786]

Before playing Sarek (Spock's father) in The Next Generation, he first played Spock's father in the original series episode Journey to Babel as well as in the Star Trek films The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home. He also played The Klingon commander in Star Trek The Motion Picture.

[@madhiker123]

Still one of my favorites! That and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"

[@raynic1173]

@The Butcher I agree, what a turd!

[@velvetsqueeze]

15:57 the movie is called "Solarbabies" and it's from 1986. Classic cheesy 80s movie.

[@leslieshafer6343]

Yep the movie is definitely cheesy - but it's still kinda fun.

[@tcjnz86]

Thanks... just looked it up. Sounds cheesy.. but Jami Gertz is in it.. so I'll check it out Haha

[@davidsenger4833]

Right crap movie Yor is a classic in comparison

[@basicfacekick]

Definitely cheesy and fun. Mad Max on rollerskates.

[@janglestick]

good to kno

[@mgunter]

Next comparison video should be package openers.

[@collinknapp5683]

I second that

[@jetjazz05]

I bought a tape breaking knife so I wouldn't cut anything inside the boxes I open... it sucks so bad lol. Turns out amazon tape as well as packing tape both prefer a sharp blade to a "safety nub".

[@ebuff57]

Box knifes are available at dollar stores

[@desertflower5724]

@@ebuff57 Right... Even a dang pair of scissors needs to always be at the ready...

[@AmberWool]

Many years ago there was a clamshell package opener "as seen on TV." In addition to the opener there was both a flathead and a Phillips screwdrivers. There may have been a box cutter, too. The package opening scissors were fantastic! I wish I had grabbed them before we were thrown on the street.

[@MrPawPaw]

Nice video. I had the same experience with amplified attenaes and those plug in amplifiers. They made reception worse. Went through about 8 attenaes. The flat ones do need a window otherwise they are crap. I wasnt going to relocate my tv by a window. The only attenae that actually worked very well in my situation was the Clearstream 2 max indoor outdoor attenae. Its rather big and its $70 but it works. The higher the better. Using it inside gives me 36 channels and the one in the attic 48. The flat ones gave me 5 to 7 channels. Rabbit ear type just as bad. It's all about where you can mount it in your tv space.

[@brutalfiction]

James always love your reviews, and love the fact your good family life spills into the videos . Keep up the good work good sir

[@michellepantoja-honn4287]

Another great review, thank you. Loved the interaction between all of you, so fun to watch.

[@juliebradley1184]

I love your family participating! Keep up the great work! 😁God bless y'all!❤

[@CoroaEntertainment]

I've been cable free since 2010, and I have both a rooftop OTA antenna for the main living room TV, and a powered indoor one similar to the Amazon one you guys tested for a bedroom TV (I wasn't able to connect it to my main rooftop antenna for various reasons). My rooftop antenna (which is an un-powered Channel Master 4221) kills it when it comes to the amount of channels in can pick up, but then again, it doesn't have to deal with thick walls, and it's pointed in the general direction of TV transmission towers I wanted to catch. It's also placed high on the roof, which is at least 15' higher than the inside powered antenna. In the OTA (over the air) TV channel world, height and line of sight is your friend.

[@DavidPresasNYC]

Trippy, insightful and keeps the family together! Good review....Kudos !

[@lariat-kw1xp]

We have used the amplified antenna from amazon. The antenna was placed directly behind the TV so to keep it hidden and not in a window. Without the amplifier it did not work well, but with it on we were able to pickup all of the local channels with excellent clarity. Very satisfied.

[@myway2653]

Which one?

[@lariat-kw1xp]

The brand said Range Xperts. I looked up the old order and says it is currently unavailable.

[@RAGordy]

You shouldn’t use the amplifier to scan for channels, but you can use it once the scan is complete to boost the signal. That will increase your “usable channels” metric. Good video.

[@candiewells]

Ty

[@CoroaEntertainment]

If the TV transmission antenna(s) are close to your home (ie, under 25 miles), most of the indoor antennas that come with a built-in power amplifier, will do worse... they can actually over power the antenna input on your TV, which means the channels won't be able to lock on/come in properly even if a scan is done without the power being turned on. The built-in USB powered amp (some will come with a local/distant switch on the little box), is only useful for transmission antennas that are more than 30 miles away, or the indoor antenna location you decide to use is located in an area of your home that has interference from thick walls (ie, steal, drywall/wood or concrete), and/or the powered antenna can't be easily pointed in the direction of the TV transmission towers; or you don't have any windows that are actually facing the towers.

[@adinahirschmann3112]

@@CoroaEntertainment Like in a brick apartment building.

[@gloveshot]

I have a set of 1977 rabbit ears sitting on a 5 foot pole outside my house about 40 miles north of Minneapolis. It powers 2 TVs and gets 34 channels. Good enough for me.

[@pauldswiftie13]

I still use rabbit ears and I get channels that are hard to get.

[@Happy78704gal]

ROBLOX Gaming Mastah I’m fixing to pull out my collection of rabbit ears! Y’all got me all nostalgic.

[@Szari124]

i have mine inside and the only channel I have problem with is Kare 11

[@adinahirschmann3112]

@@Happy78704gal Rabbit ears are good for the VHF part of the spectrum. The round element in between is for the UHF. Thinking about going back to those myself. BTW, wondering if there are any functional elements at all inside those flat, rectangular sheets of plastic mounted on the window glass.

[@S.E.C-R]

We have a cheap flat (indoor) antenna similar to the larger one mounted on the outside of our house with push pins and hooked up to our old coax cable line into the house that feeds all 5 of our TV’s with crystal clear pictures on each tv! One cheap antenna = 5 TV’s 👍🏼

[@Little_B]

Hey that movie was Solar Babies....from 1986 Jamie Gertz,Jason Patric,Lukas Haas,Peter DeLuise (yes Dom's son)

[@konversion]

THAT'S WHY IT LOOKED FAMILIAR! I haven't seen that movie in decades and remember loving it when I was a kid.

[@west1778]

One of my favorites as a kid. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who knew what it was lol

[@fourtwozero]

Thanks! I came to the comments just for this!

[@CattyTomfoolery]

I love that movie. It wasn't the best but it was awesome.

[@crowgrl13]

I came here to see if anyone else remembered Solarbabies!

[@BokkieXO]

This was such a pleasure to watch. Your kids are great. This was so fun to and giggle along with you and your family! Thanks, James! And Noah and Brandon!!

[@pamgonzalez6572]

Ty

[@valentine45]

Why did I spend 20 mins watching this, I don't Even need an antenna

[@emmanuelgarcia6125]

Me neither 😂

[@TerryTurner]

Oh Lord 😂, the $3 antenna hanged with the UMH antenna so closely while Clear TV is clearly not what's advertised. IMO, the $3 antenna is the winner for bargain hunters.

[@TheOzthewiz]

A 12inch piece of WIRE will probably work as well as ANY of these "DIGITAL" (VERY important) antennas..

[@FuzzyElf]

@Linda Holbrook - I picked one up at the 99 Cent Only store two days ago. Now I'm more excited out installing it. I have streaming services, just want to see what it can do. PS: "99 Cent" my butt. Those jerks price things at 99.99 cents, so it's really a dollar unless you buy 100 items. And so many things at $1.9999, $2.9999, $3.9999 and so on. Still good deals on some stuff, though! Why am I ranting this rant here?

[@redronin1968]

@@FuzzyElf stay off the meth

[@denajohnson794]

Terry Turner AGREE!

[@rosemariemastro-watanabe2000]

@@FuzzyElf Rant all you want! Xx L

[@herbthompson]

The movie is "Solarbabies"! I didn't have many channels growing up and this was in the approved movie list for the house.

[@mswhittaker231]

My antenna works better on the wall, not in a window. That's the best place to get the clearest reception here. Also we looked up where most of the stations near us broadcast from and tried pointing it in the direction of those signals using our phone compass, but that actually wasn't overly helpful. It was mostly trial and error to figure out the best spot in the room.

[@remcat3572]

That was fun! I've got to disconnect from cable - we are paying about $100 for the channels and HBO. And we don't watch much tv! Thanks for this!

[@elizabethtorres6069]

I noticed, the Shopping Channels, always come through clearly.. Bc they want you to, "BUY STUFF".. Yes I have, and since I hardly watch Television, the channels: NBC 4, ABC, CourtTV, PIX 11, Old Classics TV, Bravo, Grit, ION, COZI TV, AntennaTV, and my favorite was New Detective.. Also different versions of channel 2, 2.1, 2.3.. It wasn't bad, like I said for someone who didn't watch much television.. Some times your best signals were not near the windows, but against some walls for me..😂😁🤣 Thank you for the laughs, this was fun!

[@michaelfrederic7343]

Hi James, I just wanted to say you and your daughter pair so well together in videos she has such a great personality and your humor is always welcome.

[@sammadsaeed3373]

No offense but I thought that was a dude. Because I haven't seen a girl with the name Noah.😂

[@jimcollins742]

I was actually looking to get one of these. Thank you for the freakin' review!

[@josegutierrez-ibarra2537]

Great review just have to comment I'm in Las Vegas, I'm using a set of .99 cents rabbit ears, indoors I was getting 67 channels, I then just set it outside, on top off my roof laying down, and it picks up 100 channels, and my TV has TV plus on it, connected to WiFi it gives me 110 channels so I have 210 free channels to watch

[@joseajimenez8768]

What you use rabbit Ears. Tell me more please. Send me a pic please. Thank you friend

[@Happy78704gal]

What’s up with Las Vegas and all the channels? I’m impressed! Cable Companies must be hurting there.

[@j.emmanueltessier2074]

@@Happy78704gal Cable company's are hurting every where there's wifi.

[@alexandracuesta8952]

Thanks James. Do u still use the "no expensive cable tv" way. I really wanna stop paying almost 100 dollars.

[@tuco2421]

I'm in vegas also, switching to the flat antennas. Nothing to watch on direct tv but reruns and unreality shows. I get about 45 channels with it inside. I get the all the local channels and that's good enough.

[@snowdogg106]

love your children seem like fun and well brought up also really like Noah's hair really great video

[@JeremyBlant]

I went through several antennas before I found the ideal one for each place we’ve lived in the last 10 years. It depends on things like placement and channels near you. Great video !

[@FatBatCat]

When you said “twins” I for some reason thought you had brothers that looked like you. I’m disappointed. Lol

[@YourOldUncleNoongah]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHA

[@josethebeast2236]

me too lol

[@dan_fv]

same! ahahahahahag

[@kimonk]

Me too! 😂

[@ethanbesbris]

I THOUGHT THE SAME THING!!!

[@kimberlyevans7378]

I've been looking for a cheap indoor antenna so I very much appreciated this video. I'm a new subscriber..As a Hoosier I love your IU shirt.

[@honolulublues5548]

Depending on where your located, rabbit ears from Walmart at about $10 will do it.

[@lvncsr6166]

Loved your kids' reaction to the old movies:) I think you just saved me from getting the clear tv antenna. Not sure which one to get though because of my location; I'm about 40 miles outside the towers but still not getting but a few with the one I have.

[@crunchypuppy]

These reviews are awesome! Love your channel and especially this video because it's super fun too just watch you and your kids make fun off stuff on TV

[@stilcrazychris]

Hi James, I use to work for a big TV company (Zenith Electronics) from 1984 to 1992, but every since I was born I've helped my Dad in his TV & VCR repair shop. So I've used about every antenna out there. The best ones that we used in the repair shop was just straight rabbit ears that use to come w/every TV sold. It's just a shame we have to buy an antenna these days. Still to this day I use rabbit ears on every TV I have. Around 7 including the camper. There the type that sets on the TV. Nothing fancy @ all. Good video. Thanks to you & the twins, Chris from Missouri

[@BillAnt]

And if you really can't find a rabbit ear around the house, then a straightened out coat hanger bent in a V shape with some tin foil in between will do the job too. xD Not the best solution, but it will pull in some local channels.

[@myraknight3058]

You're so right I have some old rabbit ears and it picks up more channels than the new ones I bought so I switched them to my room and keep the new ones in the other rooms.

[@maryvaldez9777]

I ❤️ these Freakin’ Reviews 🤗 Hi James 👋🏻 I’m somewhat new to your channel. Found you during this pandemic. EVERY TIME I watch one of your videos I really forget about all the chaos that’s going on in the world 🌎. Keep those videos coming because I’ll still be watching even after this pandemic.

[@katiekat4457]

I am glad you adjust the amount of channels. For me I would rather have no channel than to have a channel that freezes or fuzzies up even if it just lasts a second and only happens a few times. It would drive me nuts because I have to hear and see everything from beginning to end when I’m watching something. Thanks for the reviews. I think I live too far from the city to get any channels.

[@baddog711]

Even though others have said it, I'll say it again, sound levels come from the studios level it was recorded at. Not your antennas quality.

[@mgbeheler]

I majored in technical electronics in high school over 50 years ago. One of the circuits we studied was an automatic volume adjuster for TVs and radios, so the sound level heard from the set was the same, no matter what the different stations were broadcasting. I sometimes ask myself why modern TVs don't have the feature.

[@AGreaterAmerica]

@@mgbeheler Mine do. 2 are late model 1080s, and 2 are 4Ks.

[@coryburns834]

@@mgbeheler these people that have videos on KZbin get to choose from more than one choice of audio levels that KZbin gives you

[@johnwente1413]

This was pretty interesting. Of course, as they say, "your results may vary". I live in a suburb of Oklahoma City. We have cable TV, but when a construction crew cut the cable to our house, I hooked up the old antenna that was still in the attic. I got WAY more channels than I expected. I think it was something like 33 to 35 channels, with about 28 or so of those watchable. I had no idea we even had that many broadcast TV channels in this area. Of course about 6-8 of those were full-time advertising channels. Now I have never tried an indoor antenna. For one thing, there are NO windows near the TV that face the direction of the broadcast antennas in our area. Second, there is a large 2-story house directly behind our house that would tend to somewhat attenuate those UHF signals. However, I'm pretty sure a good indoor antenna would still pick up at least the 5-6 major stations in the area with acceptable quality. The thing that shocked me the most about your review was that the results with the higher-priced antenna were WORSE with the amplifier. What's up with that? That says to me the their amplifier is trash. A good amplifier should ALWAYS improve the reception on weaker channels. If not properly designed, it might cause stronger channels to be "over driven" (signal too strong), but really good antenna design would prevent that. So, very interesting.

[@MrJuls71]

great review.i have one of the cheap ones in each of my tvs and they work great.channels sometimes are different because the antenna is in different sides of the house and some channels will be bad sometimes but i also found out that a cheap one works as good or even better than an expensive one.now i would like to know if one of the the outdoor ones for the roof will be much better

[@gloriajones1830]

I bought Clear TV and 2013 mine still work sometime you have to move it around when the weather outside is bad to get a clear reception I think you was spot on about your reviews 👍🏽

[@ChrisT6799]

Your attention to detail and the depths you go to , to provide honest and accurate reviews is godlike

[@ChrisT6799]

Also, THANK YOU

[@SoulcatcherLucario]

I love the interaction between your kids; it's so fluid and natural. I hope they show up more often!

[@MisterUptempo]

Something to keep in mind regarding the more expensive amplified antenna - Just as a television signal may be unusable because the signal is too weak, so, too, can a television signal be unusable if it is too strong. I don't know how close you are to the TV transmitters in your area, but it is possible that some of the signals were overboosted by the amplified antenna. Consider re-testing the most expensive antenna without the amplifier installed. You might receive more usable signals that way, maybe not. But it would be worth testing to find out.

[@ganeshh6378]

That's exactly what he did,he mentioned it like 20 times. what video did you see?

[@sandylee2817]

great detail. love the family involvement. I have a $10 version used for 2yrs. I do find its better to not mount it on window as I need to move the antenna often depending on which channel I am watching and the weather. I find it works better away from the window most of the time. I just place on tv stand next to tv and the move the tv stand around. thanks for the prison shirts also makes me smile. Great Dad vibes. :)

[@donnawilson6294]

The "Desert version of Tron" is actually a movie called Solar Babies. I grew up watching that movie. Definitely brings back memories. Great review as always.

[@jonlynch9089]

The main guy that was showing at the moment he turned to this movie is Done DeLuise's son. He also got his start with a couple of other well know stars,now, on an 80's show called 21Jumpstreet.

[@FuzzyElf]

@@jonlynch9089 Dom's son Peter!

[@jonlynch9089]

@@FuzzyElf , I actually typed Dom but autocorrect changed it. Does Peter have a son who is acting? I've seen reruns of NYPD Blue and I swear one of the detectives, Cipawits-the heavier one, had a son that left the military and joined the force but was killed before he attended the academy. I swear that kid's name was Deluise!

[@belowaveragereadings9107]

Your reviews are always so entertaining, hope you keep doing them.

[@tennamurfett7158]

The TV antenna reviews with your children was fun to watch. 👍 I bought a $30 G.E. amplified TV anttena from walmart , it pulls in about 60 channels when the weather is good. Added Netflix, Hulu & Brit Box , this better than paying for cable or satellite tv services.

[@looking4things669]

I enjoy watching reviews because I appreciate Reviewers such as yourself who spend the money and take the time to do this for consumers. To be frank, I subscribed and quickly unsubscribed to your channel because I pressed the Subscribed button much too quickly. I want to thank you so much for the service you provide at no cost, and the enjoyment I felt watching you and listening to your comments and then the additional bonus when your twins where added to the mix. You your children did a great job reviewing these antennas and provided a fantastic service to us consumers. Oh, and I Subscribed to your channel and look forward to your future additional videos where i can watch reviews on popular products the majority of us use every day. Be well and again, Thanks so much!

[@aleks1939]

The Balance of Terror, my favorite ST episode!

[@-Dwight-Schrute]

James your so cool. Thank you for these videos. I love getting your notifications. I hope you never run out of products to review.

[@AyAy008]

you are* / you're* Gosh, go to a school

[@-Dwight-Schrute]

@@AyAy008 I bet you have alot of friends...

[@johnwang9914]

When the US abandoned analog TV, I made an antenna out of a wire coat hanger as well as ordered a $50 antenna. They both gave me the same signal strengths. Elevating and orientating the antenna makes a bigger difference so get an antenna with a long cord and preferably some kind of wall mount that still allows you to tilt the antenna rather than just lie flat on the wall, that is not just a sticky strip or picture hanger.

[@honolulublues5548]

Well, yes, the signal changed, but the way it's broadcasted didn't. You should have been able to stay with the same antenna, there was no reason to change. Only the TV requires it to be digital (or converter box).

[@johnwang9914]

@@honolulublues5548 I had cable prior so I had no antennas. Indeed, tv's haven't come with antennas for quite some time, it's not as if rabbit ears and the UHF wire loop come by default with TV's since the 70's.

[@jwalach1650]

Enjoyed your review. I have a Clearstream 2max that I use inside and I found it to be a decent antenna. The only trouble is that it is a little awkward. It can be used as an outside one too. I have used similar antennas to what you use and in my area they all did about the same. Mostly though in my area I can only pick up 12 channels compared to over 20 to outdoor ones in my area. I live in the Altoona Market area and there is not many channels you can get here, plus the areas I live in a very hilly terrain. I enjoyed your review because you do the reviews in a more scientific approach. Curious though what you consider "Usable channels"? PS. I also noticed that you were watching Youtoo America. That is a great channel with great programming. Love Macabre Theatre every Saturday Night with Ivonna Cadaver. Anyway, I miss the days that I use to be able to pick that up on the antenna. I only cannot now because the broadcaster replaced it with Buzzr.

[@johndunbar5611]

You and your kids should start a channel where you rip on bad movies.🤣

[@Crochet_kitty]

Freakin' Theater? Kind of like Mystery Science Theater 3000?

[@johndunbar5611]

@@Crochet_kittyheck yeah I'd watch that!

[@skeletalSir]

Probably feel like a more casual version of Red Letter Media's Best of the Worst series

[@g.hanson9636]

That would be awesome.

[@gaylenewood7707]

@@Crochet_kitty I like that title freaking theater.

[@jetgold]

the frank Sinatra movie was "Suddenly" great movie on a assassination attempt on the president. and awesome team review . best of luck sir. side note the second Duke movie was " McLintock"

[@wd4edu]

Ironically, a TV (the old CRT type) was a crucial part of the story line.

[@TheOzthewiz]

"Suddenly" is a great film from 1953, also stars Sterling Hayden..

[@sooobyrooo5763]

I 💖 my $3 antenna over here on the other side of the valley! I agree totally it does more for the $3 even just draping it on a tall bookshelf works. Even in an apartment complex. Really appreciate the verification of such a good deal.

[@myriamcarcas7176]

The 3 of you are very funny!! I really liked your kids... thank you for this review, I still don’t know which antenna is better.🤪🥺

[@ProgressOnly]

Doing this test in a small media market (say, Alpena, MI and being 50 miles from the stations) it'll be a more fair comparison for the chap vs expensive.

[@freshbloominclothing]

Do I need an antenna? No. Do I need a watermelon slicer? No. But I will watch every video you post. 💙

[@thelittlepocket]

Lol. Seriously the same

[@chrisfarley871]

Me too, brother

[@Riddlemind]

I'm exactly the same. Sure most of the reviews aren't things I'd buy, but I like to watch anyway.

[@josephhmingthanzaua4473]

Me too.......

[@werewolf74]

One thing I'm starting to think I DON'T need anymore is my video portion of my cable bill

[@honolulublues5548]

You did a fine job. I'm glad you didn't fall for the advertisements of HD or Digital antenna that everybody seems to use when searching for an antenna. Those things don't mean anything when it comes to antennas as you are picking up frequencies on three bands, which is probably why each antenna provided different results. The three bands are VHF, High VHF and UHF - just like the old days before cable. One thing to note, what the frequency a TV station broadcasts on may be different than what it shows on your TV. To pickup VHF you need longer antenna elements while UHF needs shorter elements. There are usually more channels broadcasting in UHF, that's why I think the Clear TV did so poorly. I think it's only picking up VHF better because it doesn't have shorter elements. The $3 antenna seems to pick up the UHF channels really well and probably has the shortest elements. The "must have" probably has the most long and short elements and that is why it picks up a few more over the $3 antenna. Another thing people should not fall for is when they advertise that they can pick up stations from 150 miles away. It would be impossible to do so because of the curvature of the earth. Most people would be limited to about 70 miles max. For anybody interested in seeing other reviews of antennas, check out the antenna Man on KZbin. He is extremely knowledgeable and he is the reason why I know what I just said.

[@kevinw712]

First of all I'd like to thank you for this whole review piece in general, because in beginning to investigate all of this stuff within the last week (my cable bill had finally become untenable) my initial assumption was getting an HD antenna would be a much more expensive part of the process. It was from watching this that I decided getting like a $12 one from Amazon (as opposed to 50 or more) was well worth a try. But one question I have -- is it supposed to matter which SIDE of the antenna is used? The one I got has no plastic mount device, it's meant to just stick with adhesives onto the window, but I wasn't sure if there's a right and wrong answer on which side I literally attach it to the window. The only difference at all between the two sides (the whole thing is extremely thin and plain/full black) is the little plastic part at the bottom out of which the cord comes from has the "Antan" logo (the version I wound up choosing) printed on it, the other side has nothing. I wasn't sure if the product logo is meant to be facing toward outside or at me inside. thank you!

[@flagpoleeip]

With digital TV: The picture is either breaking up or it's not. There is no subjective quality.

[@fluffycritter]

Yep. And the channels being quiet or loud were just based on what the channels were showing at the time, nothing to do with the antenna.

[@NiHaoMike64]

A RTL-SDR makes a cheap spectrum analyzer to get actual readings.

[@ellisgl]

I know that some TVs you can find out the signal strength, though I think it's in 'number of bars', instead of db.

[@southernoftexas8229]

What @flagpoleeip said. With digital TVs and antennas, you either get enough signal (in Mbps) to display a picture and souond, or you don't. If you don't get enough signal, then the picture will either freeze, or contain artifacts. This isn't like Analog antennas where you can get static. The ClearTV rabbit ears have very little surface area, so they would pull in the least amount of signal. Hence why you scanned fewer channels with it. Channels that you DO receive enough signal for should all look identical regardless of antenna, as it's just a digital data stream.

[@gothamnetworks7323]

Absolutely incorrect when you are receiving a poor signal you can have all kinds of bizarre digital effects happen on a digital TV.

[@immanuelhensley6911]

I just bought an antenna I needed this video like a week ago lol

[@rocket767]

I also purchased a new antenna specifically made for an RV highly recommended for a receiving radius of 40 miles marketed under the KIng brand ..something I wanted to point out with respect to James antenna reviews was that two were specifically geared to the uhf frequency spectrum and the clear tv appeared to receive vhf frequencies only ideally an antenna should be able to decode vhf and uhf however it seems that if the signal is strong enough whether it be vhf or uhf some degree of reception may be obtained . I am located in Waterloo Ontario Canada so roughly 110 miles from the Canada US border living in a region of roughly 400 thousand people the antenna is perched in my window facing east at roughly 100 feet off the ground and I able to receive on average 8 channels my antenna is optimized for uhf and vhf hi so essentially 9 thru 13 during tropospheric weather events I am able to snag 28 channels

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

i remember way back in 2003 when digital TV was mainstream and i had to buy a new ariel/antenna ,still was only £15 with an amplifier :)

[@debbierhode6291]

Me too. Gave my daughter our non- smart tv, not hooked up to our Sattelite. Bought the more expensive antenna from Walmart good for 50 miles (I think). We live behind a hill. And orchards. We get 13 channels. Thinking it will be good enough for her until she leaves for college, because I don't want to put that dang 30 foot antenna back on the roof. And she is rarely home long enough to watch TV anyway. But yes I'll try the cheap one next time!

[@desertflower5724]

Live N Learn Folks.... Always, always ALWAYS ...READ OR WATCH REVIEWS BEFORE PURCHASING ANYTHING!! Word of mouth is best advertisements & reviews...ALWAYS.

[@honolulublues5548]

@@debbierhode6291 she'll be on her phone most of the time anyway. 🤣

[@rickynieves3992]

Thank you Melvin I appreciate you and everything you have done. I had a problem with someone getting my package and wiped it or added malware I don't know . I got the box had to set it up and it never worked right and the cable company shut me down a few times . Melvin remoted in and tried to fix it but seen there was more to it no questions asked and said hey send me that back and I will wipe it and go thru it put all the things that should be there. I was so impressed I got the 3 yr plan that covers anything to the box it is the lest I could do. You are the MAN the TV Guy and when I did watch something when it worked it BLOW my mind thing that are in the theater that came out 2 day ago like magic Mikes last dance the best 4k video 5 stars. Miracle box

[@Drewboo1968]

The best unspoken review here is the one that shows how well you've raised your kids! Well done, great dad in = great kids out.

[@wileecoyote5749]

He wouldn't upload if he was cursing or beating kids. He is doing what a responsible father is suppose to do. You don't congratulate a fish for swimming.

[@Drewboo1968]

@@wileecoyote5749 So because he did what he was supposed to do, this in some fashion means that one cannot say "Well done". A fish swimming is doing what comes naturally to a fish. Raising kids is much more involved, and not at all a natural and instinctive process for many people. I understand that most analogies don't bear close scrutiny, but yours is not even germane.

[@LyleAustin]

That was Solarbabies. Dystopian future movie with competitive rollerblading.

[@ggangitano]

Correct on the movie, but those are not Rollerblades. Those skates are Quads. When the movie was made, I'm not even sure if Rollerblades were available yet.

[@jagfanbb]

Yeah, you should review the litter box! 😸

[@serjorel4630]

Yes! This litter box needs a Freakin' Reviews, review!

[@jimvideotv]

And if you don't have enough cats you can review places that adopt out cats.

[@ronaldmoore2930]

Over the last ten years, we've tried at least 4 digital antennas. We've struggled with all of them. Even though most of the stations in the area are 15 to 25 miles away to the southeast, the window closest to our TV faces southwest, so we have difficulty pointing the antenna in the best direction. For our location, we must use the amplifier and we need to relocate the antenna for half the stations we watch. Sometimes we lose what seemed to be a strong signal in the middle of a program (especially when it's windy outside) and need to relocate the antenna to watch the remainder of the show.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

No such thing as a digital antenna.

[@felicialawrence359]

Thanks for sharing!! This was very helpful and informative!

[@AnnaJuist]

What a wonderful family. A family that laughs together....stays together.

[@gregk.6723]

Family that laughs together, should get their haircuts together.

[@BrogeKilrain]

You should compare to a wire bent coat hanger too 😆

[@overyourheadtampa]

Would be nice. I believe the FCC requires companies broadcast digital signals now. Analog is a thing of the past. If I recall, you need a converter between the antennae and TV to get a picture from digital signal. If you have a converter then should be no issue to hook up a wire hanger to that and it work. This is just a thought, no clue if it would.

[@SparkY0]

@kevin no, that's not how it works. The antenna is just a wire, old antennas work fine on new tvs. All the decoding happens in the tv tuner, so you might need a conversion box to watch digital tv on a really old analog CRT. But if you have a flat screen you don't need anything special

[@overyourheadtampa]

@@SparkY0 diggydog018 thank you for clarifying. You're essentially agreeing with me. Need a converter/decoder between the antennae and TV for it to work, just so happens newer TVs have it built in. I know the signal can be captured by a wire antenna, new or old, that wasnt in question. I wasnt aware new TVs had the decoder built in is all. Good to know.

[@You22Tube]

@@overyourheadtampa TV without a tuner is just a [computer] monitor. Prices of LED TVs have come way down. Recommend 55" diagonal, 4K resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate. That's about the best performance to price ratio today. No one is satisfied with a 60 Hz refresh rate. Specifically, there are so many different 55" models, that should run up the competition and push down the prices. Not 54", not 56". I use Newegg.com for a breakdown of how many models are available for each and every size. I'd choose a size with a lot of different available models. You'll be going from a CRT with 480 horizontal lines to an LED with 2160 lines, which also allows for the bigger display without the picture breaking up into individual dots. Going HDTV also means a 16:9 aspect ratio instead of the Standard Def 4:3, which provides a lower center of gravity. That's what I'd get if my 27" CRT stopped working. But it gave my brother a hernia setting it up, and I don't want to get a hernia disposing of it. I'd also get a Refurb, to keep the price under $500. You can save 10% getting LED 1st generation 1080 lines. but 4K (2160 lines) is so ubiquitous, and that's the direction the video world is going, it's not worth going 1080. Check online customer reviews for any particular model you're looking at. Newegg / Amazon. If you choose to purchase from a live salesman, beg their tolerance if you take minutes or hours to check out those online reviews and compare the possibilities. The on-screen menus on these TVs have a toggle between Antenna / Cable. Newfangled over-the-air broadcasts have the least digital compression for the best video quality. Worse are cable signals. Worst is satellite TV. Also, antenna signals are free, although who knows how big an antenna you'll need. But cable and satellite have the worst customer satisfaction anywhere in the Milky Way. Also, there is the "Smart TV" option. If you have WiFi around the house, a smart TV makes it easy to watch KZbin and stuff on the TV. It's hard to find a new TV that isn't a smart TV.

[@goddesszoei9872]

you’re my kinda people.

[@wydopensports8335]

Thank you! I appreciate all the hard work! Wishing you success with your channel…

[@bigbunn833]

I’ve watched every video you’ve done. You have a beautiful family! Subbed to Brandon and Noah’s channel! Also where did you get your earrings from? I can’t find any like that.

[@gameoverwehaveeverypixelco1258]

Fyi with digital you either get the picture or you get errors stuttering like shown, you don't get clearer image with different antenna, just image or errors. With my rabbit ears antenna I have to move it to the exact position to get every channel too which can effect how well it gets channels.

[@enp3413]

I'd like to see the Original ClearTV go up against the new and improved to see if it's really "improved" in comparison, when tested "scientifically" ;) Fantastic (family inclusive) review, as always~! :)

[@KaliSlay87]

ENP I would love a whole Series of this

[@kjaxky]

I'd like to see this garbage up against a channel master 4221 antenna even a clone , guaranteed it would blow these away 24/7

[@tabetha2511]

Don't forget every movement with an antenna picks up different channels so placement depends on each antenna. I did enjoy your video! Been living with America for about 7yrs now & love it

[@desertflower5724]

Hi James... I just love your reviews!! You've got class, dude. 🤗 ★My Experience: I personally have tried 3 different antennas on my lil flat screen TV (not a smart TV BTW), and my results are as follows: 1. Paid $30 @ Fam Dollar for a black, flat, hard plastic antenna that sits on a countertop surface... Claims to bring nice quality tuning to all broadcast channels. • Horrible picture quality on most of my 69 channels with broken pixels everywhere. Always having to readjust the placement. 😫 2. Standard Rabbit Ears antenna from Goodwill for $10... •Not so good; had to constantly go & adjust ears & placement for many different channels! One channel is good, the next NO SIGNAL, the next Broken Pixels... No fun. 😵 3. The $3 Flat Antenna from 99¢ Only Store... •The suction cup DOES SUCK! Doesn't stay where you stick it... JUST LIKE YOURS! *However; I was able to lay it wherever, its small & flat, & it literally gives me clear channels on all 69 channels I get {In the other desert 🌵🌴... Phx}. 😉 So in this case, for me, the cheapest was the BEST. The $3 !! 💜 BTW, Fam Dollar will not refund for their electronics, even with receipt... I boycott places like this. Bad mgmt. Who treats their customers like that?! Family Dollar does... → So I have 2 extra antennas ($40) on standby I'll prolly never use! ••• Hope this review helps others! 😘 Understanding, of course, that everyone has variables to consider...

[@Tes7000]

It helps tremendously. Thank you. As I am about to cut the cord, I have been tinkering with my old antennas around the house. The reception is actually okay for most of the major network channels, but I can't get ABC to come in at all. Both antennas are 25-30 years old. I will head to the dollar store and take my chances.

[@cky2kdunn]

Next you should use a cable splitter and hook em all up together and see if they work better

[@PierreaSweedieCat]

2nd the motion!

[@dieseldawg7132]

They have special splitters for that purpose

[@cruzmatt22]

I always watched forensic files before sleeping. Dunno why I stopped

[@lindaholmes4166]

Xbox 360 1953 Me too. For some reason, it helped me fall asleep.😁

[@900bz]

Thats me right now went through every season twice on my third now

[@jessdavis7565]

Yeah my hubby and I got a good laugh at that too because we literally fell asleep to forensic files last night!

[@juzagirlntheroom2692]

@@lindaholmes4166 omg. I always go to sleep to Forensic Files. I think it's that guy's voice. It's all deep and sedating.

[@artdogg50]

Haven't watched that in a while. Even though I think it's a great show, will admit it often put me to sleep too.

[@lorrainedean8923]

Thank you for your input. It was very helpful. I am constantly researching for the best indoor antenna. It is confusing.

[@madizzle90]

I have an indoor digital antenna (Clear TV) I bought from Walgreens for around $20. It occasionally glitches on some channels, but it beats having a cable bill by a long run.

[@ThriftyAV]

Some TVs have a signal strength meter. This can be helpful when adjusting an antenna for best reception.

[@TheOzthewiz]

When you have problems with reception close to the towers, it's NOT signal strength, but MULTIPATH interference as the problems, analogous to "ghosting" that we had with the old analog TVs. Reflecting signals from buildings, hills, etc, cause phase cancellation (dropped data bit stream) which the "error correction" circuitry in the TV tuner has trouble correcting. Some TVs also has a "quality of signal" meter which shows how much "multipath" there is so you can adjust the position of the antenna for BEST signal quality. FYI, IF you want the BEST image CONSISTENTLY on that fancy flat panel TV, your best bet is a DIRECTIONAL roof antenna WITH a rotor!

[@The..Butterfly..Effect]

16:00 Solarbabies (1986)

[@GlitteryPegasus]

OMG! I have wanted to see that again so bad! ...watch it be stupid now.... But, hey, 80's rule!

[@The..Butterfly..Effect]

@@GlitteryPegasusgo watch : Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

[@temporarybilly1851]

I use an rca flat , black square amplified antenna and it's fantastic !! I'm in rural central PA and I now receive 18 digital channels , most of which are in high definition. Your not going to pick up 4K but , you will get 720p and 1080 i and some 1080p . The RCA sells for about $32s and also has a signal booster too . No complaints at all !

[@boobsthechemist2067]

Two aerials got married. The reception was excellent 😀

[@edwardpaisley9063]

I live in a rural area with the closest broadcast station over 50 miles away and I ran similar tests on 8 (so far) of these antennas ranging from $9.95 to $149.00 my results were much the same. I did notice that after the first test run my expectations were lower and I started giving higher numbers to similar performances on the later reviewed antennas.

[@king_kongdingalong4697]

I just purchased the clear tv. But I’ve found that moving the rabbit ears and placing it higher had a significant different result

[@cjnthn]

The clear antenna worked great at first. A few weeks later, half of the channels disappeared

[@catrinaking-wilson1434]

What is the brand name of the $3 antenna? My Dollar store doesn't sell antenna. Can this antenna be ordered online?

[@msr1116]

I found a bunch of discarded rabbit ears in good working condition some years back. Some channels come in better after sundown when jet traffic reduces, but windy conditions cause reception issues regardless of the time of day or night.

[@rekaviles]

3 yrs late btu awesome review and awesome family. Thanks for doing this, helped a ton for me - just cut the cord finally.

[@anthonydavidson6139]

You really need to go side by side. Things can actually change your picture quite quickly such as atmospherics

[@Smedleydog1]

This was a great review. Dammit! Now I have to start binge watching your reviews. I knew I should have never clicked on this one.

[@ThePrevis2001]

I think your review and comparisons were very accurate. I have a 12" x 12" RCA (UMH similar) antenna on one TV and an old fashion rabbit ears on the other. The rabbit ears are the winner.

[@Medic63]

Forensic Files is like a lullaby to me. Peter Thomas' voice was so soothing. :)

[@patrickleitgeb]

Eric Kunz His son does movie trailers. Sounds like his father.

[@damon19751]

Thought I was the only one.

[@phnigra111]

I like forensic files .. i also like the voice for New Detectives & FBI Files.. its all about the voice 😉