Wondering if installing an antenna for your TV is the right move for you?
Despite being in the middle of the internet age, many Americans still watch TV today. However, unlike before, most Americans today subscribe to cable TV. While cable offers many choices on programming and stations, it’s also quite limiting and costly.
Below, we’ll discuss the benefits of getting a TV antenna for your home.
1. You Get to Watch TV
If you live in a rural area, it can be difficult for you to find a good signal for your TV. Many cable providers’ services also don’t often reach rural areas. Thus, if you’re moving to a rural area, make sure you also buy a TV antenna for installation.
The antenna you get can be an indoor or outdoor TV antenna. If you want the optimal choice, an outdoor TV antenna is the one you want. Once you install it or have it installed by professionals, you can finally watch TV.
Where you live may also affect the best TV antenna choice for you. The two types are directional and omnidirectional antennas.
Directional antennas are more powerful at longer ranges. Omnidirectional antennas let you receive signals from all directions.
For most rural homes, their TV antennas receive signals from nearby broadcast towers. If you live in an area where a lot of broadcast towers are nearby, you should get an omnidirectional antenna. If there’s only one tower near your area, get a directional antenna and point it towards the tower.
2. You’ll Gain Access to New Channels
One of the biggest benefits of installing an antenna is that it makes it easier for you to access new channels. Most of these channels are local, like news, sports, and special event channels.
You’ll also gain access to daytime, prime-time, and late-night shows. Remember that most of the top-rated shows come from local channels, too. You have an even bigger advantage with a TV antenna if you live close to a range of TV markets.
If you live in an area near various TV markets, you’ll receive signals from all of them. This means you can watch the various free stations in these markets. It also includes subchannels, news, sports programs, and more.
3. You’ll See Free Channels and Save Money
Did you know that local TV channels should be free? You don’t need to pay cable or satellite TV to watch channels like:
- PBS
- ABC
- CBS
- NBC
- Fox
You don’t need a monthly subscription to see these channels. All you need to gain access to them is an antenna. Once you have an antenna installed, you can get these channels for free forever.
4. Antennas Aren’t That Expensive
Speaking of saving money, if you’re wondering about antenna prices, don’t worry. The cost of a TV antenna and the installation itself isn’t too costly. Home Advisor says that the average cost of an outdoor TV antenna installation costs $308.
The average range is between $215 and $427. However, know that many factors affect these prices, such as location, type of antenna, and more. You can also DIY your TV antenna installation if you want to save money, but it’s better to let a professional do it.
Professionals have the tools and training for the best antenna installation. They also know where it’s best to place antennas to receive strong and the most signals. Plus, having a professional install your antenna is a lot safer than doing it yourself.
5. Antennas Give You Full Channel Quality
As a cable or satellite user, do you sometimes feel that your TV is losing its image quality? Sometimes, it’s not your TV. Rather, it’s the signal that your TV is receiving that’s losing its quality.
As you know, cable and satellite providers often try to compress their signals. The reason behind this is that they carry so many channels.
Thus, they have to use aggressive compression solutions. This compression can affect the image quality of their shows and channels.
Unlike cable and satellite providers, you get uncompressed signals from broadcast towers. This means that you’ll get the full, high-definition quality of the channel you’re watching. This is most noticeable to people who have a sharp eye or those used to watching on antenna TVs.
If you want to upgrade the visual quality of the channels you’re watching, consider an antenna installation today.
6. Watch TV Whatever the Weather
The last of the TV antenna benefits is the resilience of your signal reception. Many satellite subscribers lose connection under certain weather conditions. Reception is often lost during thunderstorms and rain.
If a TV is all you’ve got for entertainment in your home, then you’ll have nothing more to watch once you lose signal. This can also be dangerous, especially if you can’t stay updated with the latest news about a strong storm surge. You may not know that the government is calling for evacuation in your area or asking people to stay put.
You can stay entertained at home, even if there isn’t a great storm or natural disaster on the way. You don’t need to miss an episode of your favorite show from a local channel.
Outdoor TV antennas are weather-resistant. Whether it pours or snows, they can receive signals and keep you updated on the latest news. It’s the best choice for you if you want uninterrupted TV time, even when there’s a storm or heavy snowfall outside.
Get a TV Antenna and Gain Its Benefits
Even though they may seem old-school, TV antennas offer many benefits that cable and satellite providers can’t.
Now you know why you should get an antenna installed for your home. We hope that you learned something new from this TV antenna guide.
Do you want to keep learning about antennas? Are you curious about the difference between a traditional and digital antenna? Check out our other guides today to learn about digital antennas.
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