If you plan on getting high-definition programming from satellite (DirecTV or Dish Network) or your local cable company, a built-in HDTV tuner is worthless.  Unfortunately, this extraneous (for most people) bit of feature is costing you extra. But don’t blame the manufacturers; the real culprit here is Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has decreed a schedule by which an ever-increasing majority of TVs sold–all sets 25 inches or larger by March 2006, for instance–must include a high-def, or ATSC, tuner.  While the law may be well intentioned, it doesn’t match the needs of the consumer.  Indeed, extremely few individuals would buy a big screen HDTV without paying for cable or satellite television programming.

The one potential benefit of having a built-in digital tuner is that you can get free local HD programming with an inexpensive antenna. That HD picture may also be a tad better than the picture you’d get via a set-top box from your cable or satellite company, which often compresses signals to conserve bandwidth. But if you’re not going to get your HD over-the-air, there’s very little point in having the tuner.

Fortunately, the tuner mandate has a loophole: the high-def tuner requirement applies only to TVs that have an analog (NTSC) tuner.  Manufacturers are offering models that drop both tuners, exempting themselves from the statute. The result is a burgeoning category of HD monitors–displays that are fully capable of high-definition resolution once they’re hooked up to an HD video source. While they can’t legally be marketed as TVs, you’ll nevertheless find them in the TV section of your local electronic store and online retailers.

The Westinghouse 42″ VM-42F140S model posted previously is one such HD monitor.  By removing a component that is seldom used by consumer, manufacturers are able to provide these tunerless models that passes the savings down to the shoppers.  These models are, however, still not very common because of the fact that they cannot use the “HDTV” buzzwords when advertising the product.  But if you find these models on sale, don’t worry about the lack of mentioning “TV” - as long as you got your cable box or satellite receiver, you are good to go!

$579.99

Tigerdirect has Westinghouse 42″ 1080p LCD HDTV on sale for just $579.99.  No tax out side of FL.

Technically speaking, this unit is not a TV because it lacks a tuner.  But since most big screen owners are likely cable and/or satellite TV subscriber, this is not a non-issue. Your cablebox can handle the signal and send the sound and graphics to your display via one of the common interface - HDMI, composite, or s-video.

$899

Memorial Day Sale! Dell Home has the Sony BRAVIA KDL-40S5100 40″ LCD HDTV for a low $899 with FREE Sony BDPS360 Blu-ray disc player, with Free Shipping.  Tax in most states.

The discount will show up once you add the item to your cart.  Hurry while the bargain lasts!

$299.99

Best Buy has the Dynex DX-L32-10A 32″ LCD HDTV for a low $299.99. Select Free in-store pickup, otherwise $44 Shipping.  Tax in most states.

Dynex is a private label that Best Buy carries.  Budget brand, budget quality (no support for 1080p), but hard to argue with the price.

TigerDirect
$1099.99

TigerDirect has this nice 42″ 1080p LCD HDTV from LG for just $1099.99, with no shopping. No tax outside of FL.

This TV features 10,000:1 contrast, low power consumption (221W), and USB port that supports your digital camera. It also employs the Super IPS display technology, which gives better viewing angle and stronger contrast than the budget displays.

TigerDirect
$799.97

TigerDirect has budget 42″ LCD 1080p HDTV from Akai on sale for just $799.97. No tax outside of FL.

Build-in speakers, with HDMI and VGA input. It does have fairly low review on TigerDirect, however. Buy with caution!

Vanns.com
$979.88

Vanns.com has this 37″ 1080p LCD HDTV for $979.88. No tax outside of MT. FREE Shipping!

This unit features 1300:1 contrast, a strong 500 cd/m² brightness, and a good 5ms response speed. It also offers an USB port for convenient photo viewing.

TigerDirect
$799.99

TigerDirect has refurbished VU42LF LCD TV on sale for just $799.99. No tax outside of FL.

This model features full 1080p, HDMI, 1500:1 contrast, and a thin 4″ deep foot print.

Vanns.com
$999.99

Vanns.com has this 50″ 1080p LCD HDTV on sale for just $999.99. No tax outside of MT.

Note that this is a rear projection model using the new LIFI technology that Panasonic introduced early 2007. It is deeper (16″) and thus not wall-mountable, but it does have the benefit of short start-up time and higher color fidelity than flat panel LCDs.

The recent high number of HD DVD + HDTV bundle deals from several vendors were signs of a final attempt for Toshiba to combat Blu-ray’s growing momentum.  It’s bad news if you had already invested in HD DVD, but it is good news for all consumers.  Expect upcoming Blu-ray deals from retailers and manufacturers to piggy-back the victory to jump start the next-gen format upgrade for the consumers.

Interestingly, Toshiba made no comment about backing Blu-ray.  In their statement, they only mentioned their continued effort in the standard DVD space.