Are you having issues with poor TV signals for your over-the-air TV channels? If so, you might want to consider a solution like the GE Indoor TV Antenna Amplifier.
The amplifier is designed as a signal booster connecting your outdoor antenna to your TV. This should improve the TV signal available in your area, allowing you to receive clearer and better image quality.
But does the GE Indoor TV Antenna Amplifier work, and should you really buy one? Below is a detailed review of the TV signal amplifier!
What is an indoor TV antenna amplifier?
Indoor TV antenna amplifiers are signal boosters that strengthen incoming TV signals. They can boost weak TV signals caused by several issues, such as:
- Broadcasting tower(s) being too far away from your TV antenna.
- Signal losses due to long TV antenna cable run.
- Signal losses caused by using a splitter to connect multiple TVs to your outdoor antenna.
However, while indoor TV antenna amplifiers can boost weak signals, they cannot create TV signals that are not there.
Therefore, they can help improve the picture quality of existing TV channels, but this does not necessarily mean they will help you get more channels for your TV.
However, an indoor TV antenna amplifier may get you more channels in a few scenarios.
For example, some TV signals might be too weak, so they don’t appear on your TV. However, an amplifier can boost the signals enough for your TV tuner to detect them.
Features of the GE Indoor TV Antenna Amplifier
The GE Indoor TV Antenna Amplifier comes with several features, including:
1. A signal booster
One of the main features of the GE Indoor TV Antenna Amplifier is a signal booster designed to increase the strength of the incoming TV signals in your location. This can help minimize TV reception dropouts, clearing up fuzzy and pixelated channels.
The signal boosting can increase the strength of some low-level signals hitting your antenna, allowing you to receive additional channels on your TV.
2. A low-noise amplifier
The GE TV Antenna Amplifier has a low-noise amplification feature that boosts the signal-to-noise ratio.
This helps to compensate for signal losses caused by using long coaxial cables, TV splitters, or other issues on your TV antenna transmission line that can degrade signal quality.
The improved signal-to-noise ratio offers clearer signals and better image quality. It can also prevent TV signals from dropping or being interfered with by other devices or weather conditions.
3. 4G/5G LTE filter
The GE TV Antenna Amplifier has a built-in 4G/5G LTE filter that prevents unwanted cellular signals from interfering with incoming TV signals.
By reducing cellular signal interference, the filter helps to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the incoming TV signals, leading to less distortion and clearer, higher-quality pictures of the received TV channels.
4. NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) compatibility
The TV antenna amplifier is compatible with the NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) broadcast standard.
Therefore, it boosts the available TV signals in your area while guaranteeing higher picture quality with richer colors, faster refresh rates, and superior sound quality.
5. Universal compatibility
The GE Indoor TV Antenna Amplifier is universal and designed to work with all TV and Antenna models.
It is also designed to support several types of picture and sound technologies, including 1080p and 4K Ultra HD video resolutions, allowing you to enjoy high-quality pictures and sound on your TV screen.
Pros of the GE TV Antenna Amplifier
The GE TV Antenna Amplifier has several pros, including:
1. It is very easy to install
The GE Indoor TV Antenna Amplifier is easy to install and does not require complicated technical steps to connect.
You only need to connect your TV antenna cable to the amplifier, connect the amplifier output cable to the TV, and plug the device into an AC power source with the supplied power adapter. After setting up, perform new channel scans to enjoy the boosted signal.
2. Does a decent job of boosting the TV signal
The TV antenna amplifier strengthens weak signals, compensates for signal losses in the transmission lines, and improves the signal-to-noise ratio. This can help fix fuzzy or pixelated TV channels or even add new channels to your TV.
The amplifier also reduces signal interference, leading to more stable signals, especially when using a cellular device close to your TV or during windy and rainy weather conditions.
3. It can allow for easier splitting of your signal
Signal losses along coaxial cables and splitters are among the top causes of weak TV signals. By compensating for these losses, the amplifier can allow you to use a splitter to distribute the signal from your TV antenna to multiple TVs.
Furthermore, the amplifier is available in a 4-way version (4 outputs), allowing you to split your TV signals without the need for splitters.
4. It offers a great value for money
The GE TV Antenna amplifier is affordable, available at $16.50 for the 1-way and $21 for the 4-way versions.
It also does a great job of boosting TV signals and can give you access to several free-to-air channels, allowing you to forego expensive cable TV packages.
Cons of the GE TV Antenna Amplifier
The TV antenna amplifier does have some drawbacks, which include:
1. It won’t necessarily add new channels to your TV
One of the cons of the GE Indoor TV Antenna Amplifier (and all TV antenna amplifiers in general) is that it only amplifies available TV signals.
Therefore, if you were not receiving a TV channel in the fast place, you will likely still not receive it even after adding the amplifier.
2. It can cause more issues with your TV signals
While the GE TV Antenna Amplifier is designed to strengthen your TV signals and improve picture quality, it might also do the opposite.
This can happen when the device over-amplifies strong TV signals, thus overloading your TV tuner. Consequently, this can lead to issues with channels that were okay before installing the amplifier.
Another scenario is that your amplifier can boost the noise levels of the incoming TV signals, create distortions, or even generate unwanted signals. These issues can degrade the quality of the signal reaching your TV or even cause some channels to drop.
Should you purchase the GE TV Antenna Amplifier?
The GE TV Antenna Amplifier can do a decent job of boosting the TV signals you are receiving, and it is not expensive. Therefore, it can be a handy device to buy to improve your TV viewing experience.
However, you should not expect magical results, as it will only amplify weak (already present) signals.
It might also cause some unwanted interference, especially if you are already receiving strong signals or if there is too much noise interference in your location.
Therefore, this might be a good device if you are dealing with too many pixelated channels or unstable TV signals during adverse weather conditions.
However, if you are having an issue receiving channels in your area, a stronger antenna might be better.