HDTV tuner?

Question: If a tv is equipped with high definition, does that mean it already has the tuner to receive off-air local channels or does that mean it's compatible with an HD tuner? What other components are needed to enjoy HDTV?

Answer:
It's screwed up terminology, but a HDtv should have a ATSC (HD) tuner installed, a HD ready TV doesn't have a tuner installed, but you can send it a HD signal from a seperate source (HD tuner, HD DVD player, Xbox360, PS3 or whatever).

A couple of things to know:
ATSC = HD tuner (HDTV)
NTSC = Standard definition tuner (reg. tv)
There are 3 HD formats
720p
1080i
1080p
Cable & Satellite TV only come in 720p & 1080i
As far as I know there is no widespread source (besides the Sony PS3) for 1080p.

You can only get an HD signal from a component through:
Component Cables (Video Only)
HDMI Cables (Audio & Video)
DVI Cables (Video Only)
Tos Link Cable (Audio Only) sometimes called an optical cable

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TVs with a hd tuner built in are a very new thing. most of what you see advertised are TVs with a hdmi socket to connect to an external hd tuner.

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