| Tuners
We have gotten so used to our conventional television coming with
built-in tuners that we forget to look for this feature when buying one
of these new sets. Remember, not all flat-panels have a tuner. A prime
example is the computer LCD monitor. If you have one, you've probably
noticed that they do not have a connection for your cable TV. That's why
you can't watch TV on your computer monitor unless you buy a tuner card
for your computer. That's why a 17" computer LCD monitor is $200 whereas
a 17" LCD TV is $400. The difference is due to the built-in TV tuner
(and a few other things, such as remote control and analog AV inputs).
Some LCD TVs, and many plasmas, have a separate tuner box that contains
all the connections necessary to connect to other devices such as a DVD
player or VCR. This may sound inconvenient, but it's a god-send for
those planning on wall-mounting their unit and only want to run one wire
up to their TV. Another type of tuner you may have heard of is an HDTV
tuner. This is only needed if you are planning to view over-the-air
HDTV. Since most of us will receive our HDTV content through satellite
or cable, we will have a cable/satellite box with the tuner inside of
it, provided by our cable/satellite company (for a fee, of course).
If you will always use a cable/satellite box, then you can get an LCD
without a built-in tuner (i.e. a monitor). You'll need a basic cable box to
view basic cable, and you'll need a digital cable box to view digital cable
channels, and an HDTV box to view HDTV. Simple, isn't it? Not really...
...because if you are buying a monitor, you have to make sure that you have
the inputs on your TV which will allow you to connect your source. Inputs
are those things on the back of your new TV and they are what can make you
look like a fool after you've proudly lugged your brand new LCD TV home and
not been able to connect it to your cable box. They are also what we will
discuss next. |
