Before selecting a receiver, there are several questions a consumer should ask. Retailers abound, and some web-based retailers offer their own ratings of various brands and models. Gosatelite's site evaluates various models based on power, size, performance and reliability. Before purchase, a consumer should ask herself realistic questions about how many channels she hopes to receive and at what quality. If she is looking only for a few channels for a small television, she may be able to spare the expense of a more elaborate receiver.
If you are planning to use your FTS receiver on an older or smaller standard television, it is likely not necessary to invest in a high definition receiver. High definition products are generally more expensive and really for those who are using high definition, large-screen televisions as well as those who are highly concerned with picture crispness and definition. The images streamed from a standard definition receiver should be perfectly familiar and acceptable to most people who remember television before the introduction of high definition.
A consumer should also be realistic about his level of technical acumen. Like many electronic accessories, FTA receivers can be customized to be as basic or as complicated as a customer desires. According to Free-to-Air-Receiver, some of the more intricate receivers "...allow you to blind scan for satellite transponders and channels, essentially setting itself up on its own." You can also set up ones PVR (personal video recording), allowing your free-to-air receiver to record your preferred programming. How much a customer wants the receiver to do automatically is entirely a matter of personal preference.