HDTV Tuner

[kevzik]

I am a bit new to HDTV and the over the air signals, but because my LCD doesnt have a QAM tuner, I believe I need to buy a separate hdtv tuner.

After breif searching, these caught my eye:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SAMSUNG-DTB-H260F-DIGITAL-HDTV-RECEIVER-HD-TUNER-nb_W0QQitemZ280198494402QQihZ018QQcategoryZ61396QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosti ng
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150212690818&ssPageName=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX&refitem=150212697319&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget

would these be okay?

I realize I will need an hdtv antenna for the tuner and I am pretty sure I have one, but feel free to list those as well.

I am on a very tight budget...I mainly just want to watch LOST in HD without paying the cable company.

(yea, I should of bought a tv with a QAM tuner)

Thanks cags.

[KAR10]

What kind of LCD do you have?

[kevzik]

What kind of LCD do you have?

32" westinghouse

[daphatty]

You don't need a QAM Tuner to get the free OTA channels. You just need a tuner. If your TV has at the very least a basic HD Tuner then all you need is an antenna. The old school UHF rabbit ears work in a pinch. Try that out before you go out and spend money on a tuner.

[kevzik]

You don't need a QAM Tuner to get the free OTA channels. You just need a tuner. If your TV has at the very least a basic HD Tuner then all you need is an antenna. The old school UHF rabbit ears work in a pinch. Try that out before you go out and spend money on a tuner.

Could you go more into detail on "a basic HD Tuner" compared to a QAM? Thanks.

[ShottiePippen]

Could you go more into detail on "a basic HD Tuner" compared to a QAM? Thanks.

You're probably getting confused, so I'll clarify:

First, the government has mandated that all newly-made TVs have digital TV tuners built into them. These tuners are referred to as "ATSC" and receive signals that picked up via antenna.

"QAM" is actually for digital cable. When someone mentions "QAM tuner" they are talking about a device which picks up the cable company's unencrypted digital channels. QAM tuners are not mandated by the government to be included in all new TVs.

You are looking for a standalone ATSC tuner. Samsung amongst others have made several of them. I have the old previously-activated Voom receiver w/remote. The functionality of ATSC tuners are first and foremost for over-the-air signals and some of them do QAM. Except for probably the HD boxes the cable companies give to their customers there is no such thing as a standalone QAM tuner.

Now, there is an cheap way to get one: sign for the FCC's digital coupon program and get $40 off a FCC-certified ATSC tuner. However (this is very important), these certified tuners will only convert down to standard-definition and these coupons haven't been issued yet and AFAIK many of the certified tuners aren't in stores yet. Right now it's not a good option for the impatient.

[bostonfrontier]

I have 2 samsung HDTV tuners is you want to buy one from me..... just PM me.

I have both the SIR-T451 and the 351 models.