Rating  - Overrated
We do not have cable so the switch to digital signals and an ancient television led us to purchase a new HDTV. The reception on the new television was terrible so I purchased this Philips high performance antenna. The instruction warned in red that I should be sure that the television was not set for cable reception but for antenna reception. The default on the new television was cable, which I had not known, so I corrected that. The antenna brought in all but two stations very well, but the two that were receiving "no signal" were CBS and NBC! I called Philips and the guy at the desk said I should move the antenna two or three feet to improve reception for those stations--not adjust the "ears" but move the unit. I did and picked up signals for CBS and NBC, but the other stations were comprised considerably. Moving the unit back and forth everytime I changed channels did not seem a good solution so I decided to return the unit. I then connected my old antenna back up: Eureka: excellent reception, far better than I received with the Philips designated "high definition antenna." I had not received good reception before with this antenna because the television had been set for cable reception.
The FCC says there is no need to buy an HDTV antenna. I have read there is no difference between HD antennas and traditional ones. My experience would seem to bear this out.
Oh, my old antenna is something called an "antenna enhancer" and does not look like an antenna at all. I bought it about 20 years ago.
Philips PHDTV1 Silver Sensor UHF/HDTV Digital Indoor TV Antenna
Rating  - Good but not Great
I recently switched from pay TV to OTA (over the air) and I purchased this antenna as a starting point to see if it worked well enough to keep me from having to buy a more expensive model. It worked but I was unable to tune all the channels I wanted to with the device pointed one direction. I had to constantly adjust the position of the antennae to get the best reception for a particular TV station. I decided to move this antenna to my second TV and purchase a better one for my main TV (the Terk antenna here: Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception). If you are going to go OTA and you think to save an extra 10 bucks is worth having to mess with the positioning of the antenna then I say buy this one - otherwise get the Terk...
Rating  - Really depends on where you are
If you are looking to buy an HDTV antenna, you really should be aware that the performance of any given one completely depends on your location, your building, etc, and that these reviews will not reflect your own experiences.
For me, in San Diego in an apartment complex, this antenna has been absolutely terrible. I previously used the cheaper Philips model, (when it was Zenith), and that one worked pretty well, I received all the major channels. This antenna has absolutely sucked, and even after positioning it every which way possible, I can barely pick up anything. Horrible performance is an understatement. Powered, unpowered, facing everywhere, mounted, against the window, etc, it sucks no matter what. Sometimes I can pick up NBC if I get lucky but then it dies.
Bottom line, don't rely on these Amazon reviews. If you can, make sure you can easily return your antenna if it doesn't work well for you. Many people had great experiences with this, but look at where they live, it probably is not the same as you. And likewise, other people (like me) have had terrible experiences with this. So in the end, it will depend on your specific area.
Rating - Amplify what?
Take a look at that antenna. It measures approximately 7x5 inches. That's not much of a signal gatherer. Once gathered, amplifying it does no good. Multiply (amplify) 0 by ten and you get 0! Also, this antenna boasts a 50 db gain from amplification. This is not true. It only gives about 30.
Save yourself time, money, and frustration by buying the Eagle Aspen DTV2Buhf antenna. The DTV2Buhf antenna works great, and is actually smaller than the Phillips because you don't need to extend di-poles. The reception is much better with the DTV2Buhf, and believe it or don't, the 19" x 13" DTV2Buhf is quite attractive right out in the open. It looks good, and works great. This Phillips antenna disappoints in both respects.
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