How important is that built-in tuner?

Scan through the ads for any major electronics store and you’ll see big screen televisions with terms next to them like HD Ready or HD Built-In. What does this mean? Is it important? Well, that really depends on how you plan on receiving your high-definition signal, either now or in the future.

Let’s first start with what these terms mean. HD Ready means the television is capable of displaying a high-definition picture but it relies on additional equipment to provide the high-definition feed. HD Built-In is usually more expensive and means the television is capable of displaying a high-definition picture and it can do so through its own built in HD tuner. Technically you still need additional equipment but in this case it’s a simple pair of rabbit ears or a high-definition antenna.

Breaking this down a little further, HD Built-In televisions can begin receiving local high definition channels the moment you plug in the television and hook up the antenna (assuming you live in an area that can pick up the high-definition signals).HD Ready televisions rely on high-definition equipment such as the digital cable receiver or satellite receiver provided by your local cable or national satellite provider.

So which one is right for you? My personal preference is to not intentionally pay more for the HD Built-In. But if the television you want has the HD built in already, consider it a bonus. Here’s my reasoning. Most people are not going to rely on the over-the-air signals to watch high-definition television when they can get the same exact high-definition programming from their cable or satellite provider. And if you are getting these high-definition channels from your cable or satellite provider you most likely already have a high-definition receiver from them so why pay to have another one built in to your television?

And when it comes to non-local channels such as ESPN, Discovery HD and HDNet, you won’t be able to pick those up with an antenna anyway. You’ll have to rely on a cable or satellite receiver for these channels.

One last reason. If there are (more like when there are) any technology advances in the HD receivers themselves, it’s much easier to replace your existing cable or satellite receiver than to purchase a new television just so you can get the new and improved built in tuner.

So I say until the day when the built-in HD tuners come standard with every television or unless you have no plans for getting cable or satellite programming, save yourself the money and be happy with HD Ready.