Clearstream FLEX and VIEW Off-The-Air HDTV Antennas – FirstLook
Hiding in plain sight
The NFL Super Bowl is almost upon us. While it is no surprise (to those of us in New England) that the Patriots are in the final game of the season (again), what is surprising that some people are still paying for cable service. Why, people, why?
Off-the-air (OTA) TV is free and the resolution is fantastic, often times better than cable. The specific city-suburb-middle of nowhere location will dictate the type of HDTV antenna required.
Regardless of where you live, in order to maximize the number of channels you can pull out of thin air, a good antenna is a must. And for that, we rely on Antennas Direct.
The Clearstream VIEW or FLEX offerings from Antennas Direct are perfect for folks who live in the city. There is no need to run a co-ax cable to the outside or position something on the roof, or anything approximating effort. Both antennas can be mounted directly on an inside wall, making them easy to integrate into any decor.
Plus, one looks like the wall (if the wall is white or black), and the other looks like a photo frame. Good either way.
Their 50+ mile reception range will pull in most stations you’d be interested in watching, and because of their large “beam angle,” there is greater latitude in placement/mount location of these antennas.
Clearstream FLEX
- In-Line Amplifier
- 70° beam angle
- Sure Grip™ double-sided tape
- Double-sided design (one side black, one side white)
The 20dB in-line USB amplifier system provides added range and maximum signal reception. The amp may be powered using any available USB port on the TV, and will only draw power when the TV is turned on. Power may also be provided to the amp via any standard AC wall outlet using the USB AC plug adapter.
In case it’s not clear from the photos, the reason this antenna is called FLEX is because it’s a thin, flat, flexible rectangle of antenna-ness. It reminds some of the folks in the RainyDay office of a placemat, because of its size and material.
The included double-sided tape secures this bad boy to the wall. It may not adhere well to textured surfaces, but unless you’re planning on putting in on the ceiling, it should work on any wall you’ve got.
Clearstream VIEW
- In-Line Amplifier
- 70° beam angle
- Paintable frame
- White collage mat
- Space for nine photos
The VIEW is a very clever way to put the HDTV antenna anywhere you want, in any room you want, because it looks like a multi-photo frame. A photo-frame antenna, that’s what this is. Talk about multi-tasking! The VIEW can display nine photos using the included white collage mat in the following sizes:
- Four 3.5 x 5.0
- Two 3.5 x 4.0
- Two 3.5 x 3.5
- One 3.5 x 5.5
The frame itself is 14.25″ in X 18.75″, and the glass window is 12″ x 16″. The VIEW will fit on any wall, and because the frame is paintable, will match any decor.
While one can certainly hackdecorate the FLEX to accomplish the same thing, the VIEW’s frame has a few aspects that make it an all-in-one choice:
- Convenient, built-in keyhole to hang the frame;
- Easy access, unique slide-locks to add and replace photos;
- Channel on the frame that accommodates the coax cable.
We’ll pick out some photos for the frame and get it mounted before the game on Feb 4th. The writeup of the setup and installation to follow. Look for it AFTER the Super Bowl 🙂
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