Let's talk antennas. Do you ever get tired of fussing with the bunny ears at home all while getting an inconsistent signal that constantly glitches? Well, it's time to upgrade!
We are testing out a product called "Clear TV!"
In the instructional video online, they state that the Clear TV Antenna is unlike any other antenna on the market today with its razor-thin design and allows you to watch your favorite programs for free! Talk about being a Smart Shopper -- if it works.
I took it home to test it out and followed the directions. This is what the instruction manual looks like.
Step one: Attach the mini coax cable coming from the antenna to the antenna-in or cable-in port on the back of the TV. The infomercial states that most TVs that are as old as 2007 and newer, should have a digital tuning option. Older television sets may not, and that would require an additional purchase of a converter box. If the cable is not long enough, an extension cable would need to be purchased as well.
Step two: Decide if you want to put the antenna on a stand. That is also an additional cost. It did not come in our box. Or you can mount it to the wall with screws that are provided in the box, or use suction cups, also provided, to mount it to the top right corner of the windowpane.
It's recommended that you put the antenna up with tape first to make sure your placement gets good reception before screwing it in or mounting it elsewhere permanently.
Step three: Navigate the system menu, set the TV's input to antenna, and do an auto-search or auto-program to find all the channels. It's also recommended that Clear TV Antenna is within 35 miles of the broadcasting towers and should not blocked by any physical structure, whether that be other buildings, metal, mountains, trees, etc. The instructional video shared that the signal may vary depending on the geography and home construction. You can click here, or click here, and enter your zip code to find the nearest transmission towers near you. Once you find it, be sure to face Clear TV Antenna in that direction.
Step four: Adjust the antenna location.
We moved ours several times and had to redo the auto-search several times, too. We found that the reception was best on the window. So, we suction cupped ours to the top right corner.
We also tested out our old antenna to compare. Not only was the Clear TV clearer (fitting for the name), but we also received more channels! Our old antenna found 29 channels, excluding many of the local news stations in town. Clear TV found 44 channels, and included all the major stations here. It's also supposed to be compatible with TIVO and DVRs. We did not test that claim.
We did not run into any snags while testing this out, but if you do, here is a video for troubleshooting. Here is another video for tips and tricks.
Our Clear TV Antenna cost us $14.99 at CVS Pharmacy. I also found it on Amazon.
So, where does it rank on our Bull or No Bull Meter? I'm going with... NO BULL!
Try it out, and let us know what you think!