Will I be able to watch TV in HD with this HDTV?

Question

I'm planning on buying a HDTV soon, so I was doing a bit of research first. I found that not all HDTVs are able to display TV shows in HD automatically. So, my question is whether or not this HDTV will be allow me to watch TV shows in HD:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8632571&type=product&id=1194052042226

If not, then is this what I need to allow it to do so:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8102796&type=product&id=1161734592183

Answer 1

The Insignia TV you specified WILL display HD. It has an integrated tuner, so you don't need the Samsung external tuner box you point to in the second link.

I don't know much about the specific Insignia TV you link to, but Insignia is BestBuy's house brand. I don't know who makes it.

I'd recommend that you keep your eyes out for a sale on either a Sony or a Sharp 26" set. They both make really nice units at prices not much more than the Insignia.

Answer 2

This is a very low quality TV, but it does have an ATSC tuner and so it will be able to display broadcast HDTV.

There are many better places to buy a TV from than Best Buy. My advice is to look to souces like Buy.com or ecost.com and get a better quality set. The one you selcted has very poor contrast ratio spec's and will produce a lousy image.

Astrobuf

Answer 3

yes thats why is called hd

Answer 4

yes just get component cbles. but it won't look as good as u expect cuz its not a very good quality tv.

Answer 5

Any TV that says it is  a HDTV is capable of displaying a HD signal.

All HDTVs also come with the new digital tuner needed to get digital TV and HDTV signals from your TV's antenna or analog cable with no additional equipment needed.  This will allow you to watch your local broadcast stations - like CBS, ABC, PBS, NBC, CW and FOX - in HD.  

However, if you want to watch other cable/satellite channels in HD like Discovery-HD or FoodNetwork-HD, you'll need to upgrade your cable or satellite subscription to include those HD channels.  This usually costs  $10-20/mo extra and will also require you to use a different cable or satellite box.

If you do use a cable or satellite box to receiver HD channels, be sure it is connected to your HDTV using either a set of component video cables, or a HDMI cable.  These are the only two things that can carry HD video.  HDMI can carry a 1080p signal, but currently, the only thing that uses 1080p are blu-ray movies and some video games.  Almost all HD TV channels are only using 720p.