At a glanceExpert's Rating
Pros
- Internal amplifier boosts signal level
- Stable reception
- Amplifier can be powered from one of your TV’s USB ports
Cons
- Lower performance with VHF frequencies
- Larger design could make it difficult to hide
Our Verdict
The Televes Bexia is a high-performance indoor TV antenna suited for homes in areas with strong to medium powered TV signals. In our tests, it was comparable to the best indoor antennas we’ve tested, and it can be mounted or rest on a surface.
The Televes Bexia is a good-looking indoor TV antenna that works great for pulling in strong to medium-power TV signals. As such, it’s best suited for reception of local TV if you live within a few tens of miles of TV transmitters. It’s one of the best indoor TV antennas we’ve tested.
The antenna differentiates itself from the competition in terms of its design. It’s hard plastic unit with an elongated cutout along the top half of the antenna. The base includes a small LED that indicates when it is powered on. This is not the flat/floppy type of antenna that you can tape to a window, but it does have mounting holes on its back if you want to hang it on a wall; otherwise, you can set it in a window sill or on top of a piece of furniture. A small folds away from its back for this purpose.
The Televes Bexia is a rigid antenna that can be mounted to a wall or set on a window sill or piece of furniture. It features an internal signal amplifier, so it must be plugged into a power source.
The Televes Bexia is a rigid antenna that can be mounted to a wall or set on a window sill or piece of furniture. It features an internal signal amplifier, so it must be plugged into a power source.
Martyn Williams/Foundry
The Televes Bexia is a rigid antenna that can be mounted to a wall or set on a window sill or piece of furniture. It features an internal signal amplifier, so it must be plugged into a power source.
Martyn Williams/Foundry
Martyn Williams/Foundry
Power is required for an amplifier inside the antenna that boosts weak signals. Televes says the antenna doesn’t need to be aimed and will automatically adjust the amplification required for each channel. The amplifier is powered by a conventional USB charger or a USB port on your TV.
The Televes Bexia is one of the best indoor TV antennas we’ve tested.
Televes Bexia indoor TV antenna specifications
The antenna is designed to work across the TV band at both VHF and UHF frequencies. UHF reception goes up to channel 51, which could be a problem in some circumstances. In 2020, frequencies from channel 38 to 51 were reassigned to 5G cellular service and are no longer used for TV broadcasting.
This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best TV antennas.
Some antennas have been redesigned so they don’t cover these frequencies, as we found in our Televes Dat Boss LR review (an excellent outdoor antenna), but this one hasn’t. That means that if you happen to have a 5G cell tower near your house, this antenna will pull in those signals, which could affect your TV reception on some channels. It’s far from certain whether this will be a problem for you, as TV reception is highly variable and localized, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Using the Televes Bexia TV antenna
To test the antenna, I first scanned channels 2 though 36 with an outdoor TV antenna, to provide a baseline for reception. I then scanned with the Winegard FlatWave Amped, which is Techhive’s current best indoor amplified TV antenna. Finally, I scanned with the Televes Bexia to see how it compared to the Winegard antenna.
In almost all cases, the Televes Bexia matched or bettered the Winegard FlatWave Amped. Signal levels were slightly higher with the Bexia antenna on local TV stations, although both products managed error-free reception.
There were three exceptions to this rule: The Winegard antenna successfully received a local station on VHF channel 9, in the VHF-Hi band, while the Televes antenna partially received it but with enough errors to make it unwatchable.
On the other hand, the Televes Bexia successfully received a local low-power station on VHF channel 6 (in the VHF-Low band) that the Winegard didn’t get a signal from at all. This station is transmitting in the new ATSC 3.0 format, which is supposed to improve reception at low signal levels, so perhaps the Bexia is slightly more sensitive.
Both antennas failed at pulling in most stations from a neighboring market that the outdoor antenna could receive with no problems. This is entirely expected from indoor antennas that do not work well at distance.
The Televes Bexia has a flip-out stand or it can be mounted to the wall if you don’t want to rest it on a surface.
The Televes Bexia has a flip-out stand or it can be mounted to the wall if you don’t want to rest it on a surface.
Martyn Williams/Foundry
The Televes Bexia has a flip-out stand or it can be mounted to the wall if you don’t want to rest it on a surface.
Martyn Williams/Foundry
Martyn Williams/Foundry
The exceptions were that both successfully received a different ATSC3.0 broadcast from the neighboring market, again pointing to the new format’s ability to be received at low signal levels. Lastly, the Televes received a single UHF channel from that market that the Winegard could not pick up.
As a result, the two antennas ended up being equally matched. While the Televes Bexia pulled in stations at slightly higher signal levels than the Winegard Flatwave, its problems with one local VHF TV station were unfortunate. For these reasons, it’s difficult to recommend one over the other; either one would be an excellent choice among indoor antennas if you have strong to medium level signals in your area.
The Televes Bexia indoor TV antenna is a strong performer
If you are considering an indoor antenna, our ultimate advice is to instead go for an outdoor antenna or, if you cannot manage that, an attic-mounted model. Either of those will ultimately pull in more stations at a higher signal level than an indoor unit. But for those who don’t want to clamber onto their roof or poke around in their attic space (or don’t have an attic), the Televes Bexia is one of the best indoor antennas we’ve tested.
Author: Martyn Williams, Senior Correspondent
Martyn Williams produces technology news and product reviews in text and video for PCWorld, Macworld, and TechHive from his home outside Washington D.C.. He previously worked for IDG News Service as a correspondent in San Francisco and Tokyo and has reported on technology news from across Asia and Europe.