integrated vs. standalone receiver

[satmen]

Does anyone have any input on using an integrated HD tuner in the TV or should I stay with the seperate receiving device like the dishnetwork 811?

[content edited by jaymer to remove blatant advertising for vendor]

[ProntoProgramming]

I would go with the set top box just because you have the Sat/Cable feed tied in with the OTA feed. I have yet to play with a TV that had an integrated tuner, but would imagine that you have to switch inputs when going from OTA to Sat/Cable, is that correct? If you are just going for OTA signal only (no Sat/Cable feed) then I would go with the internal just to free up a component input on the TV.

Glenn

[bdraw]

An integrated tuner is nice, but I am not sure how much extra it is worth. Panasonic has a tv out now, that has an integrated tuner and is "Digital Cable Ready" What this means is starting in July you will be able to use this TV to watch Digital cable, channels without a Cable box. The cable company will bring you a card to put into your TV to give you access to your premium channels. The downside to this is that your program guide has to be supplied by the TV not the cable company, and you won't be able to buy PPV or watch any VOD. The other downside to this TV is that it does not have a firewire port which means that you won't be able to record anything in HD.

Almost all of the other TV's with integrated tuners have firewire out/in which is nice because you can record from it, and even create a AV network which will have some great features and less wires to mess with. We should see TV's with integrated tuners with both firewire and "Digital Cable Ready" by the end of the year.

It is going to be harder and harder to find a TV over 36" without a integrated tuner as time goes on. The FCC has mandated that 50% of all TV's over 36" have an integrated tuner by July 1st 04. And 100% over 36" by July 05. There is a schedule for this and eventually ALL TV's will have one, just like all TV's have SD integrated tuners now.

[Floyd]

I'm somewhat surprized that there aren't more small TVs on the market with an integrated off-air digital tuner. Even a 4x3 with a SD digital tuner would eliminate some of the ghosting problems that are bad in some areas.
Perhaps the circuitry is still cost-prohibitive, or maybe the designers are waiting for MPeg-9 or whatever, to make the sets work with the multi-casting.
Since the technology is rapidly evolving, I wouldn't want to be locked into a set with a built-in tuner, unless esthetics or price was over-riding.

[bdraw]

I'm somewhat surprized that there aren't more small TVs on the market with an integrated off-air digital tuner. Even a 4x3 with a SD digital tuner would eliminate some of the ghosting problems that are bad in some areas.
Perhaps the circuitry is still cost-prohibitive, or maybe the designers are waiting for MPeg-9 or whatever, to make the sets work with the multi-casting.
Since the technology is rapidly evolving, I wouldn't want to be locked into a set with a built-in tuner, unless esthetics or price was over-riding.

The FCC has not plans to change the current technology. They have said that the tuners we buy today will work for many years.

I think the tuners are still cost prohibited, with the costs of the tuners being more than 50% of the cost of a 19" tv. This should change within the next 1-3 years.

[satmen]

I believe that it is easier to replace an updated reciever (HD box) that will get much cheaper, than it will be to replace an outdated TV?tuner biult in TV. When the techlogy for tuners get better your stuck with a five year old biult in TV that works fine but the reciver that it came biult with is outdated technlogy. I feel its better to buy a nice TV and take the free HD box or discounted HD box that one of these Satellite companies are offering.