SCOTVILLE, Mich. (WZZM) -- Clear TV begs the question: 'Why spend hundreds of dollars on cable and satellite TV service just to watch your favorite broadcast channels for free?'
Depending on where you live, it's often difficult to pick up reception for local TV stations, but Clear TVclaims you can bypass cable and satellite and enjoy crystal clear local and national HDTV.
The idea of no monthly contracts and a one time fee of $19.95 (plus shipping and processing) intrigued Kay Walle. Kay lives in Scottville, near Ludington. When she recently subscribed to DirecTV, she could no longer get WZZM 13 or other Grand Rapids stations, something she enjoyed watching. Instead, DirecTV only carries local stations out of Traverse City and Cadillac. She was hoping Clear TV would allow her to receive Grand Rapids stations.
Clear TV is a thin, flat antenna that attaches to a window or wall and can be moved for better reception. You just plug it into your digital TV and then scan for channels to see what can be picked up. We had no luck; Clear TV picked up zero channels, even when we moved locations and scanned it several times.
Upon further review, we read that Clear TV recommends it be used within 35 miles of a broadcasting tower. It also states that signal strength will vary based on certain valuables, such as distance for the transmitter, hills, buildings, and even trees can impact reception.
We tested it at WZZM 13 studios, where our transmitter is roughly 24 miles away. We only received one channel and it wasn't WZZM.
Clear TV also recommends if you live in a rural area or an area that doesn't seem to be close to any broadcast towers, that you purchase an amplifier, which is an added expense. We found online reviews that said that didn't seem to help either.
We weren't happy with the results of Clear TV and Kay said she definitely would not buy it.
