Clear TV Key is an antenna that is marketed as a way to bypass cable and satellite providers. It’s a follow-up to the original Clear TV that was released about four years ago. But how does it actually work?
The product is advertised as a simple solution to save money by receiving free over-the-air broadcast channels. It’s an antenna that attaches directly to your television, without any wires or cables. The idea is that you can get access to local channels and save money on cable bills.
In a review by Freakin’ Reviews, the product was put to the test. The reviewer found that Clear TV Key does indeed work as advertised, but with some caveats. The antenna was able to pick up about 55 channels in the Las Vegas area, but not all of them were desirable. There were foreign language stations and a lot of paid programming.
One important step that some people skip is the auto scan feature of your television. This is because channels that you think might be at a certain place are somewhere else. So it’s an important step to have your television scan for channels so it can set them up for you.
Clear TV Key doesn’t give you anything that a regular television antenna doesn’t. It doesn’t access any exclusive HD channels. It’s a regular television antenna, but unlike other antennas, this one actually attaches directly into the TV. There’s no wires so it’s more discreet. If you have a wall-mounted TV, you might want to make sure there’s enough room because it does protrude out a little bit and make sure you have enough room for clearance.
The placement of the Clear TV Key can also play a difference. The reviewer found that in the same house, there was a large difference between the channels that were available using Clear TV Key and any television antenna.
Clear TV Key should attach to most televisions directly in the cable/antenna input. If your television is older than about 2007, you might have to get a converter box to pick up digital signals in your area.
Does Clear TV Key provide a better picture than cable and satellite? If you get a good signal, yes it can, because it’s an uncompressed signal. However, if your signal is kind of weak, that might offset the benefit of the improved picture because you have a choppy picture.
In conclusion, Clear TV Key may work for you if you have realistic expectations and you know that this is just a television antenna. If you’re expecting to get some sort of exclusive channels or cable channels, you might be disappointed.