Do I need an additional box for HDTV?

Do you really have HDTV?

You're purchased a new Digital HD-Ready TV, and now you're wondering if what you're seeing is high-definition.  Are you getting HDTV?  The answer is most likely no, because majority of digital TVs sold do not include the HDTV tuner/decoder which must be purchased separately.  Does the image get better with the purchase of a decoder?  If you are able to get HDTV broadcasts, the answer is absolutely, positively, yes!  

The Set-top-box dilemma

With the exception of the few sets that offer integrated HDTV tuner/decoder, the purchase of a separate set-top-box is a necessity.  Many manufacturers do not offer decoders simply because it keeps the cost of the new sets down, and many cities in the country simply do not have high-definition broadcasts. (check your city at www.titantv.com) For those without local HDTV broadcasts, many of today's set-top-boxes will offer DirecTV satellite decoder to ensure HDTV virtually anywhere in the country with use of a small dish. DishNetwork also offers HD capable boxes with purchase of a service package.    If your service is provided by cable, chances are you won't have any HDTV programming available.  Some cable companies have started testing in several cities, but the service still requires that you lease a decoder box before you can receive HDTV.

Most HDTV decoder boxes will offer Component input (Y-Pb-Pr), however some will offer both Component and RGB.   RCA's DTC-100 is one of the rare units that only output RGB via VGA 15-pin connector commonly found on a PC monitor, which makes this box ideal for use with a front projector or Plasma TV.

Future Development of Set-Top-Boxes

There's a storm brewing on the HDTV horizon as content providers and studios push for copy protection to ensure that the high-definition programming carry strong restrictions for copy and timeshifting.   There are currently no common consumer boxes that allow recording and timeshifting of HDTV material, much less a unified standard between the various providers such as public (Over-The-Air) TV, cable, and satellite.  Clearly, the issue of "Fair Use"