Will a QAM tuner pick up unscrambled digital as well as over the air HD without the use of a cable card?

Question

And if it doesn't, what are the benefits of a QAM tuner now and in the future once analog bites the dust?

Answer 1

QAM is used for cable; broadcast (OTA) digital TV uses VSB; these are two different modulation methods that are incompatible. The OTA tuner in TV sets and set-top boxes receives VSB; the cable card and cable TV set-top boxes receives QAM. Some cable boxes also have inputs for OTA broadcasts; those have both kinds of tuners.