I have a 34" Sony CRT HDTV with a CableCard Slot. Thru Insight we have Standard analog Cable, and their HD package, along with the CableCard.

For the past couple weeks, we have been getting no analog channels. We only get the few HD channels. So, Insight has come out twice now, and they are telling me that the problem is with my TV. They said that the NTSC tuner in the TV isn't working, therefore, I get the HD channels, but nothing else. I have a feeling they're right. I plugged the cable into the TV without the CableCard in, and so far it doesn't look like the TV is gonna find any channels.

Feasible?

If this is true, then I'll have to get one of those evil STBs...ugh. The problem with that is that I don't have any open inputs left on the TV. Guess I'll have to sell off my PS2 or something...

It certainly appears that the analog NTSC tuner chip in your TV has gone bad. Apparently you are not also subscribing to any SD digital channels since you are not now getting them and apparently were not getting them before.

That was something that confused me. We WERE getting SD-NTSC, and SD-Digital signals a couple weeks ago, and then this problem started, and we were only left with HD signals. So...if the NTSC tuner went out, why would we still not get the SD-Digital channels?

Very strange. It appears that your tv can not longer process 480i SD inputs received either directly from cable or from the 480i SD digital channels using cable card.
Can you play a SD DVD connected to your TV in either progressive or standard mode?

Walford, you made me think of something else strange. Whenever I change to a new channel, I get the display bar up that the top that tells me what channel I'm on, and usually I get the channel code, too (if I turn to ch. 32 for ESPN, the top bar will tell me that I'm on 'ESPN'). What's interesting, is that I'm STILL getting those channel codes on the display bar! I would think that if the tuner wasn't working, then those channel codes would not show up.

But, to answer your questions, I have NOT tried a non-progressive SD signal since all of this started happening. I've only used my HDMI upconverting DVD player, and my PS2 via component. But, when I get home I WILL try a composite SD signal and see what happens.

As I stated I no longer think it is the tuner but it is the component that displays 480i SD video be it from the NTSC tuner or from the SD digital tuner. Testing 480i component from a DVD will be a good case.

I tried using the composite RCA video from the DVD player into the TV, and it worked fine. So, apparently the TV CAN process 480i (I also tried it with a composite signal from a Nintendo64). Now I'm really puzzled.

I would go ahead and get an ugly STB, but Insight doesn't offer JUST HD-STBs, they say I'd have to get an HD-DVR for an additional $15/month. Maybe I'll just try to get my OTA set up working.