HDTV Receivers - All the major manufacturers have them
HDTV receivers deliver both 4.3 and 16.9 widescreen high definition programs to your television set. With the HDTV set top box, you not only get a sharp picture on the screen, but you also get the Dolby Digital surround sound. You can feel as if you are in a movie theater, but you are watching TV from the comfort of your living room or rec room.
If you have a plasma TV, individual pixels are generated by three containers of inert gas, such as neon. On an average plasma TV screen, there are hundreds of thousands of these pixels. This is why a plasma big screen TV offers such a sharp picture for your viewing enjoyment.
If you want to watch high definition programs on your TV and it is all ready for HD, then you do need to have a HD receiver. Even if your big screen TV has a built in tuner, with a receiver you can greatly expand the number of channels that you have open to you. You have the option of a much higher level of programming with the purchase of an HDTV receiver tuner.
With an off-air HDTV antenna, your options are somewhat limited as you can only get the channels that are free anyway. If you want more options, then subscribing to a satellite provider will give you the high definition television that you want.
If you subscribe to cable, there is a set top box that you can rent to bring you digital and widescreen TV. However, cable providers do not have the same number of high definition programs that you will get with satellite. The amount of channels and the quality of the picture depends on what is available in your local area. Check out all your options and then make a decision based on what is best for you.