Terk Technology HDTVi VHF/UHF HDTV Indoor Antenna
by Terk
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Terk Technology HDTVi VHF/UHF HDTV Indoor Antenna
Customer Review: Fine antenna, didn't work too well for me
Summary: 3 Stars
I ordered this antenna after reading many reviews of it on Amazon. All I can say is, it didn't work very well for my particular situation. I recently moved to a high-rise condominium and my unit is on the 6th floor. While I'm very close to the broadcast towers (all within 10 miles), I found this antenna to be unreliable in terms of reception. It's a nice antenna and seems to be of good quality construction. But the signal varies widely, even a few inches can make a huge difference. Initially, I plugged this into my Tivo DVR and from there connected the coax to my LCD TV, and it got no stations whatsoever. Plugging it directly into my TV improved signal quality substantially (I got around 25 channels this way), but the signal strength bounced all over the place (sometimes 10 bars, sometimes 3, sometimes 0). The design of this antenna is a little too bulky for a small setup such as my small apartment, consequently the options of moving the antenna around, extending the dipoles, and adjusting the angle, are far too limited for me. Also, the way the coax juts out from the back means the antenna has to be centered just right or the cable causes it to fall over. I ended up returning this to Amazon and getting the RCA ANT1050 instead, a tiny little antenna that can be easily hung on the wall and gets incredible quality with virtually no adjusting whatsoever. In fact, the RCA gets more channels sitting next to my TV (essentially completely uninstalled) than I could get with the Terk antenna. Sometimes the Terk HDTVi would get a great signal, but if I moved around my apartment, the signal would drop out. My takeaway on the Terk HDTVi is that if you have plenty of maneuvering space, and preferably don't live in a high-rise with lots of trees around, this could be a fine way to receive free digital broadcast channels. It just wasn't the best solution for me. Also, if you plan to use the antenna in tandem with a digital video recorder (Tivo or similar), consider the amplified version of this unit (I believe it's the HDTVa), because the signal strength isn't enough to pass through the DVR and still provide a decent signal.
Customer Review: Terk Antenna great for HDTV!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first heard of this antenna from a friend who let me borrow it after telling me how good the reception was. It worked great at picking up over-the-air digital & HD channels. When used on a standard def TV, performance was only average.
I bought this antenna myself for my new Sony BRAVIA HDTV with built-in HD tuner. I still had a std def DirecTV receiver so I couldn't really see the best picture on this set until I upgraded the receiver. While I waited for a HD DirecTV DVR box, I bought the Terk non-amplified antenna and received over 20 digital/HD channels. Some of these channels are not even available on cable or satellite so it was worth it. Depending on where you live, you may get more or less channels. I live 10 miles east of NYC.
The Terk outperformed the amplified Radio Shack HD antenna that cost me more. The Radio Shack unit required frequent adjustment of the rabbit ears as well as the gain adjustment. The Terk just needed to placed in the right spot in order to get the most channels. I did find the "Christmas tree" configuration (the Terk unit on its back while the rabbit ears are extended so that they hold up the antenna) works very well for most channels. You will occasionally have to adjust the position or the length to extend the rabbit ears depending on the channels you prefer.
When I got my DirecTV HD DVR, the picture from the Terk unit was just as good as the satellite channels. I attached the Terk unit to the "off-air" connection on the DTV box and received many of the same channels as I did connected directly to the Sony BRAVIA but some channles were missing. I've heard that cable & satellite companies "filter" the channels - software glitch or intentional? As the TV has its own tuner, I just hooked the Terk unit back into the TV directly. If the satellite signal is lost, I have over 20 channels I can still watch through the Terk.
Highly recommended for the price and for saving me the hassle of mounting an antenna on the roof.
Customer Review: Works great with my Slimfit!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have the Terk HDTVi paired with a 30" Samsung Slimfit (TX-R3079WH), and am very pleased with it.
I wasn't even sure if an indoor antenna would work. You see, our house and subdivision are surrounded by large, mature oak trees and spruces. To boot, our house is down a hill even lower than the rest of the subdivision. Satellite TV has never been an option for us.
According to anntennaweb.com, here are the digital stations in my area, as well as the orientation and distance from the towers...
FOX 95° (4.2 mi)
ABC 90° (3.4 mi)
UPN 147° (1.1 mi) - vhf
WB 74° (36.3 mi)
NBC 74° (38.2 mi)
PBS 243° (30.9 mi)
First, I tried the Jensen TV631. I could receive FOX, ABC, WB, NBC, and PBS HD, but not all at the same time. The antenna had to be adjusted often, especially for PBS HD, which was nearly impossible to receive. I then decided to try the HDTVi. Immediately after the antenna was plugged in, PBS HD came onto the screen before anything had been adjusted. Also, FOX, ABC, WB, and NBC all had strong, steady signals as well.
For me, the antenna works best when the tip is pointed towards the ceiling. I spread the dipoles out to allow the antenna sit in this position. It looks like a little tree this way.
Now, I can flip through the HD channels without fiddling around with the antenna. The Jensen was okay, but the Terk is wonderful. If you plan on using a HDTVi for only analog channels, I don't think that this antenna is anything special. I have cable, so I only use it for the HD channels.
Also, if your TV is "HD-ready," you will need an external tuner to be able to watch OTA HD channels. Unlike other TVs, such as the Samsung Slimfit, already have the tuner built-in. Lastly, for anyone disappointed by their HD picture quality, you're probably looking at an analog channel.
Customer Review: Works pretty well for me
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this antenna with some apprehension due to reviews here and elsewhere. My needs were pretty simple...
I have an ExpressVu 6100 HD receiver which has an off-the-air or cable input and a digital tuner section. The receiver can down-convert, which is important as I don't yet have an HDTV monitor but do have an older Sony 27" TV with S-Video input. I live in Rochester, NY, and the local stations broadcasting in HD have towers about 6-7 miles away. There are some buildings in the line of site, but nothing horrendous.
The digital reception I got after I set up the antenna is pretty good. I'm getting anywhere from 70-86% signal strength, and the images seem to be the equal to my satellite SD picture.
A couple of minor problems I encountered were as follows:
First, the routing channel for the RG6 cable is a bit tight, and getting the cable to stay in the channel takes some work. I have a feeling it may pop out anytime I walk by. Minor, but a bit annoying.
Second, after initial setup and success, all of a sudden ALL my tuned channels, whether OTA or satellite gave me no picture. I had to unplug the receiver, wait awhile, and then reboot the receiver. The problem was resolved, 24 hours later everything is still OK, knock on wood. Others who have had problems may have had a defective antenna, but perhaps needed to reboot their tuner/receiver.
Also, some have mentioned that for the price they would expect an amplified unit. This would be a mistake, in my opinion. At this pricepoint, an amplification section would have to be made out of really cheap components. Most amplifiers in this price range create more noise than signal. The best solution is a "straight wire with gain", which is what I think this antenna really is.
Customer Review: Just Fair with hidden annoyances
Summary: 3 Stars
My original Terk HD-TVS broke after 2 years of great reception and I decided to try out the cheaper, smaller, indoor Terk HDTVi as its replacement.
It has been mediocre at best. I can only pick up 75% of channels with this antenna and it is placed right at a window facing the same direction as my previous Terk hd-tvs.
PROS
- easy to use
- easy to put together
- made of high quality materials
- looks nice with brushed aluminum
CONS
- Large footprint: no pictures tell you that to get any decent reception at all you need to extend its rabbit ear antennas out as well, this really takes a lot more space with both rabbit ears extended 3-4ft in each direction and becomes an eye soar that can't be hidden
- Has a built in coax cable(only 5ft long) to plug into your tv that cannot be exchanged or replaced. My hdtv is mounted on the wall and already has a 12 ft coax cable out that I was hoping to use directly into my antenna. Not possible without an adapter now. I can't belive that a short built in cable would be included that can't be replaced! It really limits where you can put this at.
- The base of the antenna is very unstable. Easily knocked over if just touched.
- Reception is just ok in comparison to my terk hd-tvs. I get 75% of the channels that I use to and the pictures comes in out much more frequently as I don't think the signal is quite as strong.
Overall, this antenna is just going to be a temporary solution until my Terk HD-TVS can be fixed. I would not recommend to others unless you live extremely close the the towers and don't need to extend the rabbit ears of this antenna out taking up precious space.