Digital (HD) Tuner: Buy a TV With or Without It?

I am revisiting this issue because it is important. The Federal Communications Commission has set compliant dates for all televisions to eventually be equipped with an ATSC digital tuner, also referred as a high definition tuner. But, there are still a lot of televisions for sale without the digital tuner. I suspect there will always be.

And, I think the federal government thinks the same way because they are in the midst of creating a landmark bill to subsidize external digital tuners for those needing one when the country's broadcast TV stations go all-digital in 2009. What does this mean to you? I don't know, but I am almost to the point where I don't think it matters if a television comes with or without a digital tuner because the option to buy an external tuner is there. For some people, the price difference on a flat panel TV without a digital tuner versus one with a tuner is so much that they have to buy the one without the tuner because it just makes financial sense.

Notice how I wrote that I am almost to the point of indifference regarding internal digital tuners. That is because I like consolidation of devices, and the advantage an internal has in the short term, especially when connecting to an off-air antenna with coaxial (not component) to receive HD signals. To read more on this issue, click here.