HDTV Tuner

If you have a high definition television or HDTV, it is possible that while it is HDTV ready, it may not have a built-in Advanced Technology Standards Committee (ATSC) tuner.  It may just have a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) tuner that can only pick up broadcasts that are analog.  Because of this, you need to get an HDTV tuner box that you could plug in between your HDTV and antenna feed.

An HDTV tuner is an instrument that has the capability of taking in and getting out HDTV signals for display on screen.  They can be a device that stands alone by its own or it can be incorporated in the display screen of the HDTV.  The HDTV tuner is known by several names in the market among which names are HDTV receiver, HDTV decoder and set-top box.

The problem with acquiring an HDTV tuner, whether an external one or that which is built in your TV, is the price.  They are very expensive that they even cost an estimated $1,000 or more two years ago.  It is said though that these price has gone way down recently making it more affordable for people to get hold of.

When you are planning to purchase an HDTV tune, there are some considerations that you might want to look into.

For best digital outputs, it is best for you to use a cable connection between your HDTV and your tuner that is digital.  A DVI-D or HDMI is the most common that you could get these days, just be sure that your tuner's outputs match that of your HDTV's inputs.  The HDMI system is relatively new and is backward-compatible with the DVI-D through the use of an adapter.  This way, you can freely mix and match HDMI and DVI-D.  Also remember that if the tuner of your HDTV is either HDMI and DVI-D and its output uses the HDCP scheme that is copy-protected, be sure that your HDTV's HDMI's or DVI-D's input is also using the same scheme because if this is not the case, your signal could be weakened and you will be able to get a picture that is non-HDTV.

While it is best to use your digital HDTV outputs as much as possible, it is also an added feature if you have a full set of outputs for analog on your HDTV tuner as this is great for linking it to other instruments or devices such as a video recorder that is digital.

Also look into the output resolution of your tuner.  While most HDTV tuners have adjustments available that will allow you to get a the resolution that is best for your HDTV, there are also some that will ask for specifics in its signal resolution.  If your HDTV is like this, just make sure that your tuner will be able to produce the output for that specific resolution.

You may also want a tuner that has a satellite capability as some over-the-air HDTV also include receivers for satellite-TV.  This could be handy if you are utilizing a satellite service for HDTV channels that are considered premium as well as an antenna that is able to get signals for HDTV channels locally.

There are many types of HDTV tuners available in the market as well as those that can be bought online.  Here are some examples of HDTV tuners available on the net.  There is the DIRECTV H2O, which is a High Definition Receiver that takes in and decodes DIRECTV and over-the-air HDTV/SDTV programming that is digital although subscription to DIRECTV is required, the tuner has an output that is selectable and could be adjusted according to resolution lines of your HDTV that is through HDMI as well as component video.  It also has two sets of audio and video outputs.  The tuner is priced at $99.99.

Another tuner is the HD Receiver and Digital Video Recorder by the DIRECTV HR20-700S.  Aside from the usual features for a tuner, this one also has a hard drive digital video recorder that is built in and could hold up to 200 programming hours.  It also has a 14-day interactive program guide and one set of audio and video outputs.  This type of tuner is priced at $299.99.

There are also tuners that are sold as part of a digital living system like the Sony VGX-XL2.  It has a chassis that is styled after a component and a Windows XP Media Center of the 2005 edition.  It also has HDTV and standard TV tuners as well as a software for TV recording.  Aside from its HDMI and component video outputs, the system also includes a 200-disc DVD/CD recorder and changer as well as a 320GB hard drive that is built in.  The product is sold at $1,999.99.