Season five has just begun, and I hope you stick around for the ride. Check out season one to get a taste for characters, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

This product is unique in the sense that it uses a flat-bed design. I’m sure you can picture rabbit ear antennas but according to RCA this new design picks up more channels than the old design. This antenna support all digital and analog frequencies (VHF and UHF) giving you the best chance to find a station that you like. It also uses extremely low noise circuitry to preserve the purity of your feed.

The 1450b, rated between excellent and superior by RCA, includes a removable amplifier as well. But what does this amplifier do and is it necessary? To being, the included amplifier “enhances performance of passive antennas and optimizes signal for the best possible reception.” In essence, it enhances the antenna to get the best possible content for the viewer. Now the short answer is no you don’t need the amplifier. If you live in a densely populated area you should be fine receiving all the ota content you want. If you live in a more suburban area the amplifier will allow you to view more stations and experiences better quality on the stations you do receive. In my opinion though, just screw on the amplifier and forget about it.

With the amplifier attached and the antenna placed without obstructions, I was able to pick up around 36 channels [including several in HD]. I was lucky to have a feed from all the major networks, in HD, allowing me to record any programs, with the elgato, I wasn’t able to watch live. Of course some channels looked better than others but for basically no money I’m able to watch any program I want.

In conclusion the 1450b antenna is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. With it’s unique design and included amplifier you are not going to get better results from any other indoor antenna. Of course if you don’t have any signals coming your way this device will be useless so use antennaweb to check the OTA content available to you. For under $50 I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed with this product and recommend it to anyone in the market for an indoor antenna.

I have already talked about waiting to buy blu-ray players and movies but I also feel that physical media overall is coming to an end. Right now, the internet is the most efficient way to enjoy media. You don’t have to drive to a brick and mortar store, hope they have what you want, buy it if they have it, and drive home and enjoy. By the power of the internet you can press a few buttons on your computer and you can enjoy that media in a few minutes. Plus, the cost of digital media is much cheaper than physical media furthering the overall feeling that digital is taking over.

Netflix allows their users to enjoy movies and tv shows on their website. This way, you can simply log on and view the files. (Granted right now the selection is slim but more titles are coming) Recently, netflix began offering a set-top box which allows the user to stream that same online media directly to their tv over the internet. You can’t store the files on the device but you can watch them in somewhat standard definition.

Similar is to be said about apple. For a long time they have had a huge online music library which honestly can not be beat. Over the past few years they have branched out to movies and television shows which have grown to include all the major studios besides NBC of course. Last year apple launched the apple tv which allows media to be streamed to or stored on the device in high definition or standard definition. Earlier this year apple released a software update which allows media to be purchased directly on the apple tv itself. This is one of the easiest ways to enjoy digital media. Simply turn on the device, browse the media you want, download and enjoy. HD content delivered seamless to your tv; thats a great product!

My advice is to wait until the bugs are worked out of digital media distribution and then upgrade your hardware if need be. In all reality though, you probably already have the hardware you need to enjoy this media. In the coming years digital media will continue to expand so expect great things and amazing hardware. Conventual media is changing so it’s important you follow technology, understand how it works, but more importantly, enjoy it.