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Unregistered guest | I saw where someone recommended AGAINST an integrated HD tuner. Why? I have a good antenna and could get free HD on local channels as well as on my satellite. Why should I settle for HDTV ready? What is the biggest, best DPL with HD tuner built in? |
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Silver Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 322 Registered: Feb-04 | There's no good reason not to buy an HD capable set. In fact, there's some reason to believe that over-the-air HD signals may be better than the same signal received from a satellite or cable feed due to possible compression artifacts. One contender for the best DLP (rear projection) honor is the Mitsubishi WD-62825. |
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Sydney Unregistered guest | I personally love my RCA DLP HD50LPW162. It has a built in tuner and I enjoy free HD every day. The picture quality is amazing and I have been very pleased with my purchase thus far. This particular set has the HD2+ chip. |
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FYI Unregistered guest | How about five good reasons! 1) If something goes wrong with your internal digital tuner you may loose the entire set to a repair shop for weeks. 2) External HD tuners can combine the digital off-air network channels with HD programming for smoother operation on a single set input. This is true for sat receivers. I'm not sure about cable receivers. 3) With external receivers you will retain the guide, two-way interactive, and pay per view capabilities. 4)Internal tuners will never receive HD Discovery, HDNET, ESPN HD, HBO HD, Showtime HD, and other HD programming requiring a subscribed receiver. 5) The RPTV industry's push to CableCard is premature as the technology is riddled with flaws. Cable company personnel are not trained to resolve many CableCard issues. Finger pointing ensues and the frustrated customer is placed in the middle. Firmware update? Bad card? Cable hit? No guide? No pay per view? Channels missing? What a disaster! Until these issues are resolved, if ever, the HD ready sets will have some advantages. That being said, sets without digital tuners are not being manufactured anymore. It forces cable subscribers to split their already weak signal for multiple inputs and switch between these inputs. It's just stupid! Such are the growing pains of an industry in transition! |
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Anonymous | HDTV tuner or not is really a non-issue. Go for the tv picture & sound & features that you want and need the most. I have the KDF60XS955. We brought it for picture quality and size. The fact that it had a tuner, too, never occurred to us. However, if the cable goes out, I can still watch local HDTV (Balto., MD) |
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Silver Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 325 Registered: Feb-04 | 1) If something goes wrong with your internal digital tuner you may loose the entire set to a repair shop for weeks. OK, let's see a show of hands out there--how many of us has had a tuner burn out in a TV (or VCR)? Not very many, I'd say. An ATSC (hi-def) tuner may be less reliable, but I doubt it. 2) External HD tuners can combine the digital off-air network channels with HD programming for smoother operation on a single set input. This is true for sat receivers. I'm not sure about cable receivers. If you are using cable or satellite for your main program source, then obviously there's no need for a hi-def tuner in the TV, unless you want to see any local HD OTA broadcast. Either way you'd have to change inputs. With cable service, all channels are accessible (SD and HD) via the set top box with no need to change inputs. 3) With external receivers you will retain the guide, two-way interactive, and pay per view capabilities. This is all cable/sat stuff. What does this have to do with being able to tune in local OTA HD broadcasts for free? 4) Internal tuners will never receive HD Discovery, HDNET, ESPN HD, HBO HD, Showtime HD, and other HD programming requiring a subscribed receiver. No tuner has ever been able to tune in cable/sat channels by itself, and an HD tuner is no different. 5) The RPTV industry's push to CableCard is premature as the technology is riddled with flaws. Cable company personnel are not trained to resolve many CableCard issues. Finger pointing ensues and the frustrated customer is placed in the middle. Firmware update? Bad card? Cable hit? No guide? No pay per view? Channels missing? What a disaster! What do cable cards have to do with built-in HD tuners? Until these issues are resolved, if ever, the HD ready sets will have some advantages. That being said, sets without digital tuners are not being manufactured anymore. It forces cable subscribers to split their already weak signal for multiple inputs and switch between these inputs. It's just stupid! Such are the growing pains of an industry in transition! We're not asking any cable subscriber to split any signal. All I'm saying is that an on board ATSC tuner just might come in handy occasionally, not only for a possibly better signal (see my post above) on local channels, but also when the cable/sat signal is interrupted for any reason. Here's another reason why I wish I had an HD tuner. In my area, no cable company carries the Fox or ABC HD because the company who owns both stations (Sinclair Broadcasting) wants money for the cable companies to carry their HD signal. The cable companies have so far not caved in to the blackmail. If I had a proper hi-def tuner and a good antenna, I could have enjoyed both the Superbowl and the World Series in hi-def for free. That being said, sets without digital tuners are not being manufactured anymore. Which makes arguing about this pointless doesn't it? |