Who would have thought that television channels over the airwaves were still a thing? Not this reviewer! I’ll admit that even though I grew up through the years before cable-television, and well before streaming-content, I had this idea in my head that modern-day airwave-TV was all but dead. Such is NOT the case, my dear TV watchers!
After a super-simple set-up of Antennas Direct’s Clearstream ECLIPSE, a whole “new” world of television viewing was made readily available at NO ongoing monthly fee! Truth be told, I am a binge-watcher of a wide array of online streaming-service selections. The shows I typically stream include some mainstream oldschool channel shows. CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox all have my viewership, but it has been decades since I watched any of those channels via the airwaves.
For years and years I’ve watched cable-television, and paid the monthly fees to do so. About a year ago I cancelled my cable-TV service and have been surviving (quite well) on streaming content alone. Well, the big companies have noticed viewers on this trend, and have started their own online services for TV content, at a cost. CBS, in particular, allows limited viewing of shows and lends their programming to Netflix and Hulu minimally, or not at all. Since I have a few favorite shows on CBS, I sought alternate ways to watch and was directed to antenna products.
Honestly, the thought hadn’t really occurred to me, but I figured it was worth a try. Pessimistically, I thought that I might get low-resolution access to perhaps three or four main local channels, but to my pleasant surprise I now have access to over 40 channels! Many of the channels are even high-resolution. Not sure if they are 4K, or not, but many are crisp and full-screen, exceeding my expectations.
Initial set-up was a snap. Three wires, one little amplifier box, and the self-adhesive antenna itself which almost put themselves together. The company’s tagline “Slap it. Plug it. Scan it. Watch it” is truly appropriate. A few short minutes of hardware set-up included glimpsing at the instructions, connecting the wire to the TV, then hanging the antenna high on the wall. After, my TV scanned for available digital-channels and in about 20 minutes I had a substantial assortment of channels from which to choose.
Great picture, great sound, and no recurring costs… I’m in, lock, stock, and barrel.
If you want television programming in your home or office, but you don’t want to pay for cable, satellite, streaming services, nor waiting for the series to come out on DVD or Blu-Ray, then do yourself a favor and grab an Eclipse antenna. While you won’t have access to all of the world’s channels and you will still have to endure commercials, this is definitely a good option.
Antennas Direct Clearstream ECLIPSE Amplified indoor HDTV antenna: $59.99 from their Web site.
Disclosure: Antennas Direct sent us the Clearstream Eclipse antenna for the purposes of this review.
Review by Steve Oatney, artist, graphic designer and media creator.
Gee Dave, this is hardly a review. More like an endorsement. KATHLEEN CHAPMAN did a good review at http://the-gadgeteer.com/2014/09/29/clearstream-eclipse-hdtv-amplified-indoor-antenna-review. From her review, it looks like the Eclipse is a 35 mile UHF antenna with a 20db amplifier. Of course, her channels were clustered, very strong (per tvfool.com), and Line of Site.
HDTV Expert (http://www.hdtvexpert.com/tag/clearstream-eclipse) did a very in depth comparison of a number of antennas. Conclusion: Radioshack Bow Tie is as good as any of the newer antennas for a lot less money.
Assuming a need for VHF reception, HD Frequency Cable Cutter (UHF/VHF) and Monoprice MDA-5600 (UHF/VHF) are probably much better choices and the Antennas Direct Clearstream 2V, while bigger, is also much better if your stations are clustered together.
The Wirecutter (http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-indoor-hdtv-antenna) has just updated his recommendation and now recommends the Eclipse, so what do I know…
“Based on our most recent round of indoor TV antenna tests, we now recommend the Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse as the best indoor antenna for most people who live within 20 miles of their broadcast towers. This covers most urban and suburban TV viewers. In our new tests, which included reception locations in both a suburb of Philadelphia and within New York City, the Antennas Direct Eclipse pulled in all our target channels easily. We also compared antenna performance using a computer-based signal strength and signal quality meter, and the Eclipse proved itself in those tests as well. In addition, we were extremely impressed with the antenna’s Sure Grip system which lets you attached the antenna on the wall without any hardware. You can also remove the antenna and remount it without damaging the wall. The Eclipse is available in both amplified and non-amplified versions, and while we had good results with both, we think you should try the non-amplified version first, then add the amplifier if you can’t get all the channels you’re looking for. A complete update to this guide will be forthcoming.”
Still no VHF, though, so no good for me. I’m going to give this a try…
http://www.hdfrequency.com/Cable-Cutter
Great links, Leonard. As a general interest consumer electronics site, we don’t have the expertise or equipment to do these sort of spec-based reviews, so we just report our experiences with devices and gadgets and invite readers to check with the vendor for specs. Those are harder to fudge. 🙂
I would really like to know if this would work in the country,cause we do live in the Country!