I am getting my best friend and his family a Panasonic plasma HDTV for Christmas. They don't have HD satellite and it is unlikely they will upgrade soon due to budget constraints. They do watch a lot of Blu-ray on their 30" CRT HDTV though so I expect them to really enjoy the newer, bigger set.

I would like them to be able to get some OTA HDTV and would like some input as to how good the built-in tuner is on the Panasonics. If I get a Zenith Silver Sensor will it tune some stations? They are on the side of a hill, about halfway up, looking over a valley. A friend a few miles further away from the towers (he has an older Mitsubishi CRT HDTV) is on top of a similarly-sized hill and he gets everything with the Silver Sensor. We tried the Silver Sensor with their Insignia 30", but it could not tune anything. I found out later that the antenna wire was broken, so it never had a chance and we never bothered to revisit it.

Any other set-top antennas I should consider?

I guess I am just trying to increase our chances of getting some free HDTV for them. Can anyone here help with some good advice, so their Christmas even better? :-)

Have you tried http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx ?

Enter your zip and it will give you color coded antenna info on what you need from that location. See if your Zenith falls in the category you need it to.

I'm not familiar with that antenna, but I have the pana pz85u and I use old fashioned rabbit ears and I'm 12 mile from towers. It works great for OTA.

I am getting my best friend and his family a Panasonic plasma HDTV for Christmas. They don't have HD satellite and it is unlikely they will upgrade soon due to budget constraints. They do watch a lot of Blu-ray on their 30" CRT HDTV though so I expect them to really enjoy the newer, bigger set.

I would like them to be able to get some OTA HDTV and would like some input as to how good the built-in tuner is on the Panasonics. If I get a Zenith Silver Sensor will it tune some stations? They are on the side of a hill, about halfway up, looking over a valley. A friend a few miles further away from the towers (he has an older Mitsubishi CRT HDTV) is on top of a similarly-sized hill and he gets everything with the Silver Sensor. We tried the Silver Sensor with their Insignia 30", but it could not tune anything. I found out later that the antenna wire was broken, so it never had a chance and we never bothered to revisit it. Any other set-top antennas I should consider?

I guess I am just trying to increase our chances of getting some free HDTV for them. Can anyone here help with some good advice, so their Christmas even better? :-)You have to use their zip code on antennaweb dot org to determine how many miles they are from the towers at least. I'm 29 miles from the towers and i tried various indoor UHF antennas and i settled on the Philips Silver Sensor (it's identical to it's sister company Zenith Silver Sensor but can be found cheaper). As long as i point it just right it pulls in all the digital channels plenty strong enough for both of my Panasonic plasmas, as well as my HP/Sharp LCD and Toshiba LCD TV and a few other LCD TVs that i've returned.

A good rooftop antenna is the new Channel Master 4221HD HDTV/UHF Antenna (formerly 4221A); i got one for my friend and it works fantastic on his Panny. This antenna is rated for 45 miles so it's efficient and more than he needs for his 31 mile distance. It can be hidden in a closet or attic or spare room if roof mounting or exterior wall mounting is not an option.

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=4221-HD

A good rooftop antenna is the new Channel Master 4221HD HDTV/UHF Antenna (formerly 4221A); i got one for my friend and it works fantastic on his Panny. This antenna is rated for 45 miles so it's efficient and more than he needs for his 31 mile distance. It can be hidden in a closet or attic or spare room if roof mounting or exterior wall mounting is not an option.

Be careful with just an UHF antenna. Some digital stations are returning to the VHF band after Feb 17th, 2009.

Be careful with just an UHF antenna. Some digital stations are returning to the VHF band after Feb 17th, 2009.I wonder if the antenna manufacturers know this?? I've noticed that some antenna makers have discontined various combination VHF/UHF antennas on their websites and have added new UHF models.

I seem to remember reading that VHF will only be used in more rural areas where UHF is not adequate or something like that, but not in larger cities. It was a long time ago so i could be mistaken....

I have used antennaweb and at least for my own home, I found it to be a bit conservative in its recommendations. I tried a Terk outdoor that it recommended and it could not tune squat. I went straight to a directional rooftop antenna with rotor and that has worked great.

Just went back to antennaweb... it seems to have been significantly improved!

It is recommending more than the Zenith, but anything other than a set-top is not an option. Can anyone recommend a really good indoor antenna, is there anything out there that is better than the Silver Sensor?

Have you tried http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx ?

Enter your zip and it will give you color coded antenna info on what you need from that location. See if your Zenith falls in the category you need it to.

I'm not familiar with that antenna, but I have the pana pz85u and I use old fashioned rabbit ears and I'm 12 mile from towers. It works great for OTA.