I am waiting for delivery of a new HD TV(my first). One of the features of this tv is that it has a built in QAM tuner. Can anyone tell me if I still need a STB for this TV?
Depends on what you want to receive.
If all you want is the local broadcast staions, PEGs, and I believe WGN then the answer is no - no box required. If you want anything beyond that you will need either a cable box or have a TV that accepts a cable card which you can rent from Verizon for $3.99 / month. All other channels are encrypted and require a decoder which is the STB or TV with cable card. The days of just hooking the cable to the TV and getting all your programming are gone - even with a QAM tuner.
If the TV is cablecard ready, which I have seen few, you will need a STB to get anything other than the locals. If by some odd miracle you have found one that will take a cable card, you can get everything subscribed but the VOD and other IP features. That includes no channel guide.
http://www.silicondust.com/support/channels/
if you put your zip and your cable provider it will give you an idea of what kind of stations you will get if you DON'T get a cable box.
