High Definition TV Receivers

You need more than just a High Definition TV to get HDTV broadcasts; the missing piece to getting the magic of HDTV in your home is the receiver. You may also see the HDTV receiver referred to as the HDTV tuner, the HDTV decoder, or the set-up box.

The receiver’s job is to receive the High Definition broadcast and decode it so it can be viewed on your High Definition television.

The HDTV that you buy may already have a receiver built-in. This is a common feature of some of the newer models that are coming out. When you’re shopping for your monitor, look at the labels carefully. “High Definition READY” means that it has a receiver built-in. You do not have to buy one for these. Sets that say “High Definition CAPABLE” are those that can get HDTV broadcasts, but the receiver comes separately.

One more word of warning: HDTV receivers look almost exactly like regular digital set-top boxes, but they are totally different. Make sure when you are shopping that you get an HDTV receiver and not something else.

If you plan to watch HDTV programming that is sent out from your local TV station, you definitely need to have a receiver bought or built-in. But, if you get your HDTV entertainment from a satellite dish or from a cable company, they may provide the receiver for you. In this case, they will rent it to you for a small fee. Some companies and dealers, as part of promotions to sell consumers on HDTV, will throw in the receiver or other accessories free.

As if this weren’t all enough to think about, you have some options about which receiver you buy. Different models have different features. Here are some things you can opt for:

-Some receivers will automatically switch you back and forth between regular programming and high definition broadcasts. This might be a good idea for you to keep in mind while looking for a receiver, because having to constantly switch back and forth yourself can be a pain.

-You can pimp out your receiver with other electronic components, like a PC interface, digital video or high end sound gear. If you want to do this, you’ll have to have a whole mess of wires back there. One way to circumvent this is to get a receiver with lots of outputs for these goodies.

-Now, you can buy an HDTV receiver to use with your PC for recording off-air broadcasts. You can also watch HDTV broadcasts directly on your computer.

Actually, you can watch High Definition programming on a regular Standard Definition set if you have an HDTV receiver. But, the quality won’t be very good, and there may be other problems with the image. For example, you might have black bars on either side, or surrounding the entire image. It depends on what kind of Standard Definition television you are using. You definitely won’t get the full HDTV experience.