There are free over-the-air TV channels available in most places in the US. I researched the channels in my region on the FCC’s DTV Reception Maps website. I also read the basics of such antennas on the Wirecutter’s indoor HDTV antenna page. After looking at the options, I got the Amplified HD Digital TV Antenna, primarily because it came with an optional amplifier.
Installation is easy: using the provided stickers I stuck the antenna on the wall near the TV. I had checked earlier that this position was enough to get most of the channels available in my region. The long cable allows you to even place the antenna much further away from the TV, near or outside a window.
I had bought this particular antenna because it had a signal booster amplifier. However, after seeing that the antenna itself was sufficient, I did not use it.
Doing a channel scan on my TV was enough to tune all the available channels.
Many of the channels turned out to be HD - great picture and audio quality. The channels appeared in the TV with the channel name, channel information, and information on what programs were airing.
For folks who don’t get the cable packages and rely on digital streaming services like Netflix, an antenna like this is a great way to watch free local channels.