Hello all,

I just got a 47" Westinghouse LVM-47w1 1080P monitor. The quality of SD was much worse than I expected so I would like to watch free local channels on HD using this monitor.

I don't want to upgrade my cable service as I don't watch a lot of TV. Is there anything I can buy to watch the local HD channels (unscrambled) on this monitor (convert coaxial --> HDMI/DVI)? I tried to find a HDTV tuner/receiver, but most of them are either too expensive, need directv or are discontinued.

Any suggestions on how to watch local HDTV programs without upgrading cable or renting equipment from comcast?

I want something that can send video signals to the TV and 5.1 sound to my speakers. Also, I set this up in my basement, so I don't want an antenna, especially since I already have cable.

Thanks!

You'll need something with a QAM tuner.

A bit late but you should have gotten a set with QAM tuner built in.

You can give the 260 (see thread about it in this section) tuner a try.

I second "biker19" recommendation - Samsung DTB-H260F ATSC/QAM tuner. Currently, a little hard to find - very popular. The thread biker mentioned shows most people have had some luck with Circuit City and J&R Electronics - try both on the web and check current stock.

Thanks for the replies. :)

I looked at a few BestBuy and Circuit City stores nearby, none of them seem to have it though. Can't find it online too... Guess I'll just keep looking.

Keep an eye on Circuit City's web site. According to reports in the long thread about the DTB-H260F, it's been available for ordering online, on an on-and-off basis. Perhaps Samsung is shipping them to CC in small batches.

The link below makes it sound like in March all DVD players and VCRs will have built in ATSC tuners. If this is true, I would think we'd start seeing some before the March date, but I haven't seen any anywhere. Has anyone heard if this date has been pushed back, or if the government stopped this requirement? I was planning on holding off buying a tuner until some VCRs and DVD players had them built in. Part of the article stated:

"By 2007-03-01 all televisions regardless of screen size, and all interface devices which include a tuner (VCR, DVD player/recorder, DVR) must include a built-in ATSC DTV tuner"

http://www.answers.com/topic/atsc-tuner

Never mind. I found the answer in another thread, and in the link below in case anyone else is interested.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12760_7-9675202-5.html