The deep, dark secret of the digital television world is that most digital-ready TVs can’t actually receive digital television signals. If a TV mentioned in our listings does not include any kind of digital tuner, then you’ll need to get one separately. Given how long the average viewer uses a TV before replacing it, however, and given how quickly digital tuner technology has advanced and prices have dropped, it makes sense for the two components to be sold separately. Following are a few guidelines to help you pick out the tuner that’s right for you.

What type of digital TV tuner you need depends on where you live and how you’re able to receive digital signals. This might be via over-the-air, cable, or satellite broadcasts. For over-the-air, or terrestrial DTV broadcasts, you’ll need either a stand-alone tuner or an integrated DTV (i.e., one that includes a built-in DTV tuner). You may also wish to consider a satellite HDTV tuner, even if you don’t have satellite, as these also tend to come equipped with analog and digital terrestrial tuner functions. An analog tuner is listed as an NTSC (National Television System Committee) tuner and is the same unit used in regular TVs and VCRs. This may be a handy feature to have, to ensure you can get all your existing channels plus whatever digital channels might be available. An ATSC (Advanced Television Standard Committee) tuner is a fancy name for an over-the-air, HDTV, or digital TV tuner.