At first sight
Expert assessment
Professionals
The internal amplifier increases the signal level Stable reception The amplifier can be powered by one of the USB ports on the TV
Versus
Lower performance with VHF frequencies A larger design may make it difficult to hide
Our verdict
The Televes Bexia is a high performance indoor TV antenna suitable for homes in areas with strong to medium TV signals. In our tests it was comparable to the best indoor antennas we’ve tested and can be surface mounted or free standing.
Price at time of review
$99.95
Today’s best prices: Televes Bexia
Televes retail price $129.95
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Televes Bexia is a great looking indoor TV antenna that works great for receiving strong to medium TV signals. As such, it’s best suited for local TV reception if you live within a few dozen miles of TV transmitters. It’s one of the best indoor TV antennas we’ve tested.
The antenna differs from the competition in terms of design. It’s a hard plastic unit with a cutout stretched along the top half of the antenna. The base includes a small LED that indicates when it’s on. This isn’t the flat/floppy type of antenna that you can bolt to a window, but it does have mounting holes on the back if you want to hang it on a wall; if not, you can place it on a windowsill or on top of a piece of furniture. A small folds up from its back for this purpose.
The Televes Bexia is a rigid antenna which can be wall mounted or placed on a window sill or on a piece of furniture. It has an internal signal amplifier, so it must be connected to a power source.Martyn Williams/Foundry
Power is needed for an amplifier inside the antenna that boosts weak signals. Televes claims that the antenna does not need to be aimed and will automatically adjust the required amplification for each channel. The amplifier is powered by a conventional USB charger or a USB port on the 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 operate across the entire 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 channels 38 to 51 were reassigned to 5G cellular service and are no longer used for television broadcasting.
This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best tv antennas.
Some antennas have been redesigned so as not to cover these frequencies, as we have found in our Televes Dat Boss LR review (an excellent outdoor antenna), but not this one. This means that if you happen to have a 5G cell tower near your home, this antenna will attract those signals, which could affect TV reception on some channels. It’s far from certain whether this will be an issue 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 through 36 with an external TV antenna, to provide a baseline for reception. I then scanned with the file Winegard FlatWave amplified, which is Techhive’s current best indoor amplified TV antenna. Finally, I scanned with Televes Bexia to see how it compared to the Winegard antenna.
In nearly every case, the Televes Bexia matched or surpassed the Winegard FlatWave Amped. Signal levels were slightly better with the Bexia antenna on local TV stations, although both products managed error-free reception.
You might also consider:
Winegard FlatWave Amplifier (model FL-5500A)
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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 partially received 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) from which the Winegard received no signal. This station is broadcasting in the new ATSC 3.0 format, which should improve reception at low signal levels, so perhaps the Bexia is slightly more sensitive.
Both antennas failed to receive most stations from a nearby market that the outdoor antenna could receive without problems. This is entirely expected of indoor antennas not working well at a distance.
The Televes Bexia has a pull-out stand or can be wall mounted if you don’t want to rest it on a surface.Martyn Williams/Foundry
The exceptions were both successfully receiving a different ATSC3.0 broadcast from the neighboring market, again indicating the new format’s ability to be received at low signal levels. Finally, Televes received only one UHF channel from that market which Winegard was unable to pick up.
As a result, the two antennas ended up being equally matched. While Televes Bexia attracted stations with slightly higher signal levels than Winegard Flatwave, its problems with a local VHF TV station were unfortunate. For these reasons, it is difficult to recommend one over the other; either would be an excellent choice of indoor antennas if you have strong to medium level signals in your area.
The Televes Bexia indoor TV antenna offers high performance
If you’re considering an indoor antenna, our last tip is to opt for an outdoor antenna instead, or if you can’t handle it, an attic-mounted model. Eventually, one of these will attract more stations at a higher signal level than an indoor unit. But for those who don’t want to climb on the roof or snoop around their attic (or don’t want to have an attic), the Televes Bexia is one of the best indoor antennas we’ve tested.
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