Full HD LCD TV vs HD Ready LCD TV

When shopping for an LCD HDTV, we often encounter two terms on practically similar hardware: Full HD and HD Ready. These two terms do serve a purpose aside from making the choice more difficult for most of us. The main difference between Full HD and HD Ready LCD TVs is the former’s built-in HD tuner. The HD Tuner is responsible for decoding signals and converting it into pictures and sounds that we can understand. An HD Ready TV can display those pictures and sounds but cannot convert the signal.

This is not important for most people, though, as most HD content comes from cable, and cable companies provide a decoder box that outputs HD video and audio. HD Ready TVs work perfectly fine with these decoders: there would be no perceivable difference in the image with Full HD TVs, as long as everything else is the same. The problem arises when you want to watch HD video from local TV stations that are broadcast over the air (OTA). With Full HD LCD TVs, you just need to purchase an antenna and attach it to your TV and you’re good to go. With HD Ready LCD TVs, you need to purchase the antenna as well as a separate HD Tuner. The only, but understandable, downside to a Full HD TV is its higher price. As I said, this is understandable because the manufacturer needs to factor in the cost of the components of the built-in tuner.

If you have stations in your area that are broadcasting in HD, it might be a good idea to purchase a Full HD LCD TV. Buying an HD Ready TV and a separate tuner later on could cost you more than the price of a Full HD TV, not to mention the fact that you would have a separate tuner that you need to hide or find an appropriate location for. If there are no stations broadcasting in HD in your locale or you do not care for their regular programming, just buy an HD Ready LCD TV as you will probably be using the cable company’s decoder box.

Summary:

1. Full HD TVs are equipped with an HD tuner, while HD Ready TVs are not
2. Full HD TVs can receive OTA signals, while HD Ready TVs cannot
3. Full HD TVs are more expensive than HD Ready TVs

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