Tom's Guide Verdict
If the broadcasts you want all come from one direction, the Monoprice Digital Indoor/Outdoor Antenna HDA-5700 is a good budget HDTV antenna.
Pros
- +
Inexpensive for an amplified model
- +
Plentiful channel selection
- +
Works indoors and outdoors.
Cons
- -
Not omnidirectional
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Who's it for?
The budget-conscious whose local stations all lie in one direction. Also an option if you're open to installing an antenna outdoors.
Design and setup: far from flat
It may not have a household name or the sexiest design, but for $28, the Monoprice antenna is flexible and delivers reasonable performance for the money.
Looking like a piece of surveillance equipment, the HDA-5700 stands about 7.5 inches tall and is waterproof for outdoor use. (We only tested indoors.) The Monoprice comes with brackets for pole or wall mounting, as well as a stand. Its power amplifier is rated to boost the signal approximately 20 db.
Performance: good but highly directional
In our tests, the Monoprice HDA-5700 managed to capture 22 channels, a couple of which dropped in and out after several minutes of viewing. Still, 20 reliable sources of entertainment was better than average among antennas we tested.
This antenna proved to be more directional than others. For example, while the HDA-5700 could detect tricky signals from the likes of ABC, it could not also simultaneously pull in the local Fox affiliate. Depending on the direction of stations broadcasting in your area, this may or may not be a drawback. Check AntennaWeb.org and your seller's return policies.
