The GE Enlighten HD antenna with offset lighting is a beautiful-looking, compact indoor antenna with built-in offset lighting that allows you to watch night TV programs more easily. The antenna has a small bracket so it can be placed on top of a flat-screen TV, which makes installation a breeze.
Unfortunately, both polarized lighting and set-top brackets cause two major problems with antennas. The function itself is not bad, but the light is only effective on smaller TVs, and the bracket will limit the position, so you need a good TV signal that can be used normally after installing the TV.
If you have both, this may be a worthwhile investment. If not, then you might want to take a look at other competing antennas.
Limited to the top of my TV, reception is mediocre. GE Enlighten managed to introduce two local VHF channels and one local UHF channel for a total of 15 TV stations. In my position, this means that ABC, CBS and Univision are in the national network, as well as some digital channels. Other TV stations, including the usually reliable and powerful public TV signal, are lost.
Needless to say, this is not great. The antenna can be rotated on the shelf, which helps to bring in local Fox affiliates, but nothing more. I had to physically move the antenna from above the TV to a higher position on the wall to receive more channels. But this ruins the polarization function.
If you have ever used an indoor antenna, this will be familiar. Antennas usually have to be moved around the room to find the best position. Even so, you may still miss some channels. This is why TechHive always recommends using external antennas whenever possible.
However, if you want to use the polarized lighting function, you cannot use GE Enlighten to move it. If your TV is leaning against the outer wall of the house, on a higher floor, and on the side of the house facing the local TV tower, the chances of the antenna working well will increase. You also need to be in an area with strong or very strong TV signals. You can check the latter on Rabbit Ears.
Bias lighting includes illuminating the wall behind the TV to reduce the contrast between the TV screen and the wall, thereby reducing eye strain. This is a good idea and also helps to create a good atmosphere in the room at night, but it needs to be done correctly.
Usually, this can be achieved with LED strips of about 50 to 80 lights, so in comparison, the 10 lights embedded in the antenna are already small. This, coupled with their positioning in the top bracket of the TV, means that the light is not as bright as a proper polarized lighting kit, and the spread behind a large TV will not be as good.
I tried it on a 55-inch TV, and the result was not satisfactory. This works best on smaller TVs, perhaps on the 20 to 30 inch level. Read this story to learn more about polarized lighting and comment on some of the best products in this category.
GE Enlighten is a novel-looking antenna with an innovative design, although the requirement to place it on top of the TV made it faltering. Therefore, whether you can successfully use it depends largely on whether you have a strong TV signal in that particular location.
GE Enlighten TV antennas cleverly combine indoor antennas and offset lighting in one package, but one function limits the practicality of the other.
Martyn Williams produces technology news and product reviews for PC World, Macworld, and TechHive in text and video at his home outside of Washington, DC.
TechHive can help you find the best technical option. We guide you to find products you like and show you how to make the most of them.