HD TVs, HD tuners, what is the deal with them?

Question

I was looking at ads for flat screen, HD TVs. Some will say something like "LCD Flat Panel HDTV ", then when I look at the specs, it will say it has either 1 or 2 "HD tuners". So does that mean it onlt gets 1 or 2 stations in HD? Some ads even say "No HD tuner", so then is it or is it not a HD TV?

Answer 1

OK, an HD TUNER is a necessity for the future....

BUT it depends on how you get your signal....

If you have CABLE or SATELLITE and plan on staying with it,
an HD tuner is NOT necessary as you will use Video INPUTs or Channel 3 or 4 FROM your "set top box"....that's the box you HAVE to use from the cable or satellite company.....

NOW if you just use an outdoor antenna....then you do want to purchase an HD TUNER built into the TV....without that HD tuner built in, you will not recieve any TV stations after they shut down the old TV tranmitters in 2009.

A 2 tuner HD unit will use one for PIP....(but I think they're just using one HD tuner and one Low Def tuner (for the small pix))

The NO HD TUNER unit is still HD....but that's the one you choose if you plan on staying with a Cable or Satellite set-top box...and you need that box no matter what....Also you can add an HD RECIEVER (set-top box) to this unit if you do decide to drop Cable or Satellite in the future....

An HD tuner gets >>ALL<< stations...not just one or two.

Answer 2

HD = high definition (SD = Standard Definition).

Numerous products will have two tuners in them as it gives you the ability to watch one channel whilst recording a different channel to a PVR or similar device.

Not everything is broadcast in HD (nor probably should or needs to be), however over time more and more shows will be both in HD and 'widescreen' (16:9 ratio like a movie) rather than 4:3 ratio (like bog standard TV).

There is a lot of mis-information regarding true HD so do your research before purchasing a TV.

Most TV stations will broadcast multiple channels on their digital frequencies - normally only one or two of them will be HD channels (say sport and movies). Clearly there is not a lot to gain from showing old TV shows in HD.

have a look at the links below, they will help you make an informed choice when it comes to purchase.

Answer 3

You need an HD Tuner built in if you will be using regular cable or an antennae to get your HD stuff. It has nothing to do with how many channels; it has to do with inputs. If you have 2 HD Tuners, you could hook up cable & and an antennae. If you are going to be using satelite TV from DirecTV for example, you just need a DirecTV HD Receiver, and you would only need it to be HD Ready (not necessarily HDTV). You MUST make sure the TV supports 1080i though. Good luck. Hope this helped.

Also, I would ask for the DVR with whatever digital cable/satelite company you are with. By the way, don't even get an HDTV unless you are going to be signed up with digital cable or satelite service.

Also, the guy above my answer made some incorrect statements.

Answer 4

If it just says "HD" or "HD Ready" then chances are it's a monitor and not technically a television because it has no tuner. A tuner is what allows you to receive station signals. If you find a terrific deal on an LCD or plasma monitor, you can buy a tuner for about $150 and get the same result. If it has a dual tuner, it PROBABLY capable of achieving "picture in picture".

Answer 5

Below is a post that I had that explained the different Tuners inside televisions (look below line). But when it comes to new televisions the FCC has mandated that All TVs 27" and larger must include a High Definition Tuner (ATSC Tuner) by law at this point, and by March of this year all TVs 20" and larger must follow that mark as well. If you are looking at any new TV over 27" especially a flat panel it will be an HDTV. Now if a set says that it has two tuners it can refer to it having an HD (ATSC) Tuner, and an analog (NTSC) Tuner built into the set for reception of both Digital and Analog or for Digital and basic cable. If the set says that it has two HD Tuners, then it may offer recording capabilities inside the set like a DVR, but there's not many of those. It could also be for Picture in Picture as well as you need two tuners to watch two different shows at once in most cases.

To get HD you will need a High Definition source, not just the television itself. You will need High Def Cable or Satellite, or for just local channels all you need is an antenna that is strong enough to pick up the local broadcasts in your area, and that is where the internal tuner comes into play.

Read Below for more explanations. This is what I train on for a living every day of the year, so if you have more questions don't hesitate to email me through my profile, or check out my blog below for more.


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NTSC - This is your analog TV tuner that is built into every VCR and Television in America. Basically its purpose is to bring in ANALOG broadcasts. Will receive Cable or Antenna Broadcasts. It will be in every TV that you buy.

ATSC - This is the Hight Definition Tuner that by this time next year is required to be in every new television 20" and larger. Its purpose is to receive OVER THE AIR (OTA) broadcasts from local channels via an Antenna, not cable. To utilize this you will need to connect an Antenna, whether a roof top or attic mount and depending on your situation even a table top antenna will work to receive the local HD broadcasts. So when you see the icon in the bottom of your screen now that says available in HD/5.1 this is where you would need an ATSC tuner with an Antenna to receive them that way (or through HD Cable, or Satellite in some cases).

QAM - is a High Definition Cable tuner. Used to receive HD Cable broadcasts without a box, just connect your coax directly to the Television. You will need to pay for the programming from your cable provider. However, maybe 2% of the cable companies in the US have this as an option currently (they want you to rent their boxes instead).

There's also Cable Card - which works with the QAM tuner to receive HD Cable without a Box. Basically you pay your cable company for the card (rent monthly like a box), but instead of having a box on top of your TV and wires to mess with, you put it into the back of your Television like a disc (similar to a PC slot on a laptop if you are familiar). This works like a box, and the QAM tuner on your TV does the tuning.

It all comes down to your source. If you're going to do HD Satellite, then it really doesn't matter what connections your TV offers, because it will connect via Component Video or HDMI and will bypass the tuner inside the TV. For local HD Channels most are available in big cities through DirecTV HD and their new equipment, but if you don't want to mess with the upgrades, all you need is an Antenna for all your local broadcasts (through the ATSC tuner) and use standard DirecTV for everything else.

If you're doing Cable, the same thing applies as listed with Satellite, unless you are going to use the Cable Card, then you must have a QAM tuner in your set, and Cable Card Capability.

The most important thing to know is what your source is going to be, once you know this, then it will help in determining what is right for you.

If you have questions feel free to email me through my profile, or check out my blog below for other posts relating to your question. You can also email me from there.

Answer 6

Yes it is a HD TV.