Don Lindich: HDTV antenna isn't easy to find

Q I read your recommendation of the Philips Silver Sensor and wanted to try the antenna, because the ones I have tried keep giving me pixelation. Local retailers do not carry it. I then tried Amazon, and it was "unavailable." Do you know where I can get one?

JOHN WALTON, ANOKA

A It seems that among small HDTV antennas, there is little middle ground. Some perform spectacularly well, such as the Silver Sensor, and most others are practically useless, such as the ones you have been using.

Amazon is now showing the antenna as the Philips SDV2780, selling for $18 and on one- to two-month back order. It is worth the wait. Everything I have read suggests the new Philips PHDTV3 does not perform nearly as well as the original PHDTV1 Silver Sensor.

If you need one now, you can order a PHDTV1 Silver Sensor from Solid Signal (www.solidsignal.com) for $40 (Philips version) or $44 (Zenith version). They are identical in quality.

Terk makes a clone of the Silver Sensor, but a trusted colleague has reported it does not perform nearly as well as the original Zenith and Philips antennas.

There is also an amplified antenna from Monoprice (www.monoprice.com) selling for only $17 that might be worth a try. I have been told by readers and colleagues that the antenna is quite good. I have ordered one for testing. If it turns out to be a good choice, I will write about it in a future column.

HENRY BRANDIS

A You will have the sound quality of the compressed file because that is what you are starting with and the lost information can't really be recovered. If you want to get a sense of how much sound quality is lost through compression, an inexpensive experiment will make it plainly obvious.

Find a favorite CD and pick a song. Pick a relatively recent CD (past 20 years), because this should ensure a good-quality recording. Import the song into iTunes using the Apple Lossless Encoder.

Next, find the song on the iTunes Music Store, purchase it and download it. Drag the imported file into a playlist with the downloaded file, then burn an audio CD. Make sure you select "Audio CD" in the burning preferences.

You now have a CD with two tracks of the same song, one with compression losses, the other full quality. Put the CD in your stereo and use the skip track button to switch between tracks.