Will digital tuners replace digital cable?

Gary Krakow Columnist • E-mail

Bill Hale of Moreno Valley, CA begins today's column with a question about being confused by the term ‘digital TV tuner’:

Will a TV with a digital tuner be able to display digital cable channels without having to use the converter box the cable company rents out?

I know this is not the answer you want to hear, but maybe. New television models are touting the addition of internal digital tuners. A digital tuner allows your television to receive the all-new all-digital, HDTV channels obtainable from over-the-air broadcasters. You also need to use a proper antenna to receive those new digital broadcasts. Rabbit ears probably won't do the trick.

But, you don't need a special antenna if you get your TV through a cable system. Your local cable company is capable of providing a large number of analog and digital TV channels (although you might need a new box to view 16:9 format high-definition programming). Cable boxes let you attach their output to any TV set through your TV's standard analog coaxial input. Newer boxes also offer higher-quality audio and video outputs — both analog (S-video, composite) and digital (component, HDMI, etc.) — which plug directly into many modern HDTV monitors. 

There are also some new TVs that let you plug your cable TV feed directly into the TV without a cable box. You watch the higher-quality digital channels by plugging in a smart card from your cable provider. If your current cable box has your account smart card (looks like a credit card) sticking out of it — then you can take that card and plug it directly into one of the new TVs that accept it — and watch digital TV channels without the cable converter box.

Confused yet?  For the record, by 2009 all new TVs sold in this country will be required to have an all-digital tuner built inside.  Broadcasters will not be broadcasting on their current channels.  You will need to have a new, all-digital TV — or for older TVs there will be analog-to-digital converter boxes available to purchase.

If you think it's confusing now, just wait until 2009! 

Andrew from Elmira, NY has a specific earphone question:

I’m a huge digital music fan and I appreciate your picks for top earphones to go with the players.  However, I’ve recently joined a gym and I’m a little worried about some of my expensive in-ear plugs getting ruined with sweat/harsh treatment/etc.  Many companies market ‘water proof’ or ‘rubberized’ plugs for work outs. Can you recommend some of the top units?

I can tell you which earphones sound best to me and which ones might be comfortable in my ears but unfortunately my picks may not be right for you.

You’re going to need to do a little research to make sure you like the way a particular set of earphones sound, how they fit and whether they're comfortable over a 10-15 minute stretch.  If you plan to shell out $100 or more for a set of in-ear phones you should be able to listen to a pair for 5-to-10 minutes or more to make sure they’re comfortable.

A number of high-end earphone manufacturers offer a few different kinds of user-replaceable earphone plugs, some rubber/plastic and foam, of different sizes. One or more of those plugs could be right for you. Start your search for ‘phones from Shure and Etymotic Research and Ultimate Ears for starters.

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