As everyone knows for a fact, today HDTV or high definition television has taken over from DTV or digital television and is the latest in television technology thus requiring programs to be in widescreen format so that you can view the high resolution pictures as well as listen to surround sound and thus get superior ambience and a more theater-like experience right there in your home, which is what HDTV is all about. So, if you have a HDTV at home and need to receive as well as output HDTV signals, you just cannot do so without first having a HDTV tuner.

Receives Signals As ATSC And Converts To HDTV Signals

A HDTV tuner is also referred to as a receiver, decoder and even a set-top box, and it is usual for the HDTV tuner to receive signals in ATSC format which are decoded in HDTV signals so that they are fit to be displayed on a HDTV screen, and it also means that the HDTV tuner will provide your HDTV with aspect ratio of 16:9 as well as picture quality in the range between 720p to 1080i.

In addition, it is also normal that the HDTV tuner is able to receive all HDTV signals which include cable and satellite as well as over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts, and it must also be suitable for receiving any kind of digital VHS recordings. In most instances, the HDTV tuner is used as an external box or it can even is integrated with the HDTV itself and even with a HDTV receiver, and it is generally connected between the television and the antenna. However, should you buy a HDTV that already has a HDTV tuner, then there is no need to use an external HDTV tuner for receiving regular cable channels.

The HDTV tuner is also very handy should you need to view HDTV programs as it can perform the necessary conversion for use even when using an analog television as well as with digital televisions. These tuners are readily available though they come in different prices while an average one would cost you between hundred and four hundred dollars, though the price really will vary from one maker to the other. And, some of the leading makers of such tuners include Sharp and Panasonic, Mitsubishi and Thomson as well as Samsung, and, in addition, it is also possible for you to get your HDTV tuner from any local dealer as too from online stores.

Finally, you can expect different HDTV tuners to come with various features meant to suit different user needs including having program guide displays for each and every channel, self-guided setup as well as interactive program guides. Some of these tuners even come with a hard drive which can record standard TV programs both digital as well as HDTV, and the many features available in these tuners make it possible for you to enjoy a true home theater experience.

As with so many questions in life the answer to whether you neeed to buy a HDTV now or wait longer, is that it depends. It depends on your own viewing habits and how much television you like to watch. It also depends on how much you can afford to spend.

Currently, you can view pretty much all television programming with analog TV sets, but the FCC has made it necessary for all television broadcasting companies to switch over to being able to send their TV signals in HDTV format by 2007, and that is not very far away. The problem is that analog TVs cannot receive and display HDTV or digital TV signals. So when the time arrives that all programming is being sent in digital format, what is going to happen to your old, reliable analog TV?

Well, there are conversion boxes that can be bought for between $50 – $100 that will convert the digital signal to a format that an analog TV can display. Of course, the picture and sound will not be anywhere near the quality of even normal digital TV, much less HDTV. But at least you will still be able to view TV as you always have on your analog televison set.

So back to the question at hand, should you go ahead and buy a new HDTV soon, or just go along with your old analog one for a while? Well, keep in mind that a new HDTV will cost several hundred to a few thousand dollars to buy. If you simply can’t afford that expense at this point, then maybe keeping your current TV and getting the digital to analog converter is your best bet. Or maybe you just aren’t that much of a TV viewer anyway, so when you do watch, having enhanced picture and sound is just not all that important to you. Then once again, maybe you should just get the converter box and stay with what you have.

On the other hand, there is no good reason to keep waiting much longer to buy HDTV as the prices have already fallen quite a bit. They undoubtedly will fall further, but not all that much. And there is no advanced technology available after HDTV that is on the horizon that you should be holding out for either. So for those folks who can afford buying a new HDTV television, there is no time like the present.