Which is best indoor antenna (for crystal clear picture) for lcd – HDTV to see local TV stations programs?

Mark's experience with the Philips MANT940 is remarkable, but you need to know two things about it. One, his results are well outside of the norm for any indoor antenna. He's among the very few, not close to the TV transmitting towers, who have commendable results from any indoor antenna.

And two, the MANT940 is a UHF antenna. It's not designed or intended for receiving VHF channels. True, most digital TV channels in the U.S. are transmitting on UHF frequencies, but a substantial number–at least one or two of the major networks in most markets–are on VHF channels. The vast majority of those are on channels 7-13, but there are a scant few in some areas, i.e. Chicago, where the lower VHF channels are still used.

To restate the basic problem, indoor antennas cannot be expected to receive every channel you might like unless you are quite close to the source–the transmitting towers. Indoor antenna buyers and users need to be aware that 100% success is a rarity.

That said, there are a small number of them that actually merit consideration, and a great many that are about as useful for an antenna as the box that they come in.

If you're in an area like San Diego where all the local channels are transmitting on UHF, the MANT940 would be a prime choice (see the first ref below). Otherwise, for UHF-VHF performance, the Winegard SS-3000 is a very well designed antenna by a top TV antenna manufacturer. It gets excellent reviews from the real experts.

Bottom line: keep your expectations reasonable for any indoor antenna. Depending on your local channels (all UHF or UHF-VHF), one of the cited models will be about the best you can get.
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Followup to Grumpy's answer: the Silver Sensor is another good choice (I have one), but it's also a UHF-only design.

Suggestion:

I have tried so many, and the Phillips mant940 antenna
when you point the curvy side at the stations flat (like
lying it on a table) has got me 3 times more channels
than so many amplified indoor antenna's I tested that
are 80 bucks, this antenna if you google it you can
find on the net from 30-40 bucks. This antenna says
it has a range of 40 miles, but believe me, I get a good
solid signal 2 stories high from 60-70 miles away, and
it does OK on High VHF channels as well, but most HD over'
the air channels are UHF anyways.