Most modern TVs are fine to use with an antenna. However, the tuner sensitivity can vary between brands. Just like radios, some TVs will pick up local channels more reliably than others. Brands known to have the best tuner sensitivity include Samsung, LG and Vizio. Brands known to have the worst tuner sensitivity include Sony, Dynex, Insignia, Toshiba and TCL. Newer TVs tend to have better tuner sensitivity than older TV sets that were released between 2008 and 2014.

The best way to test the tuner sensitivity of the TVs in your house is to connect each of them to the same antenna in the same location. If one TV gets fewer channels than another, the tuner sensitivity may be to blame. The TV can either be upgraded or you can continue to use it with the Mediasonic Digital Converter Box connected via an HDMI cable. It has good tuner sensitivity which may get you better reception if you have a TV with a weak tuner.

Watching free, over-the-air TV with an antenna is simpler than you may think. In many cases, you can take an antenna out of the box, connect the cable to your TV, run a channel scan and voila! You have dozens of local channels to surf.

The number of channels you can access and how clearly they come in is based on a number of factors, including your distance from the point of broadcast towers, the type of antenna you have and where it’s located in your home.

Not sure what kind of antenna you need? Take our simple quiz to help narrow down the options. You can also find a general list of recommended antennas here.

Did you know you can use an antenna similarly to how you watch cable? Ditch the costly subscription fees, but keep the cable capabilities (record, pause, rewind and fast forward) with an OTA DVR device. Here are the products we recommend: