OK, I have had a 52" widescreen with HD capapbilities for 2 years but was never really interested in getting an HD tuner or what not.Here are a couple questions from an HD noob!
I only have standard cable, not digital.Can I still get the full capabilities of an HD tuner?
Is an HD tuner all I need to purchase to get an HD picture, or is there some kind of extra monthly fees to get it?
Can someone give me some good brands to purchase? Something reasonable.
You need a tuner(provided from your cable company) and about 5 bucks more a month, depending on your provider. Or you could buy a HD antenna to get basic stations in HD, like CBS, NBC, ABC depending on where you live. Hope this helps
basically, you need a HD signal, an HD tuner, and an HD tv.
there are 3 options of HD signal: cable, Direct TV (satellite), and over the air HD signals.
HD through cable requires 1) digital cable, and 2) a HD cable box. this costs a little bit extra than standard cable alone - but, in my opinion, is well worth it.
Direct TV works pretty much the same way (i think).
Over the air signals are free - you just need an HDTV antenna to receive them. you can get them at any best buy or cicuit city; you can also get them for cheaper online like on amazon.com. i bought 2 HDTV antenna from best buy to compare them: i got the Terk HDTV indoor Antenna (Amplified) and the RCA Amplified HDTV Antenna (Model: AND525). the Terk antenna was slightly better; the antennae cost between $30-$75 depending on where you get them. then you go to the website http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx to figure out where the broadcast towers are so you can orient your antenna in the optimal direction. my problem - i live in west los angeles which can get some pretty choppy signals over the air (too many buildings in the way) and the signal kept getting pixelated every minute or so - so i returned both antenna and went with digital cable.
lastly you need an HD tuner. most TVs now are made HDTV, meaning that they have an HD tuner built into the TV. older HD tvs can be HD-ready which means that they require an external HD tuner. your TV sounds like HD-ready from the way you're describing it, so i guess you have to get a tuner. check the manual first, though.
i guess i should add the over the air antenna only receive stations that freely broadcast their signals - like NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, plus a couple of others. you don't receive pay channels like ESPN or HBO on over the air antenna.
