# Are there TV RF modulators which output digital/HD on channel 3? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 9, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066 "2015-06-09T15:32:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/21 "2015-06-12T14:02:53Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Wow, I just looked and you are right. 2 seems pretty standard now. Maybe it is the amp reason stated below, but do many people have them, it seems like the sound bar is more common and that’s just a standard RCA audio hookup. I just scanned quite a few Samsung LED/Plasma models and can’t find fewer than 4 HDMI inputs. All had at least one component, one composite and one PC/DVI as well. I may not have drilled deeply enough into each “series” and each may have the lower-tier brethren I mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/22 "2015-06-12T14:12:42Z")
Several years back I bought a 55" Vizio TV from Costco. A week later I saw what looked to be the same TV at Walmart for about $200 less. A check of the specs revealed a slower refresh rate and fewer inputs. Not quite bait and switch, but you do need to know what you’re looking at. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/23 "2015-06-12T14:32:47Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > The number of inputs a TV has, these days, depends more on the “sub model” than the model. The plethora of inputs and switching is the second thing stripped out of lower-end models. > > That is, I’ve discovered each time I went TV shopping that the magazine-cover, blog-review darling with the ultra screen qualities, enough inputs to connect the western world, extra filters and “pro” video adjustments, etc. so forth and on and on… has siblings. Cheaper ones. They lack the pro settings. They use lower-grade “glass” (for plasmas) or DLP chips. And they often have some minimum number of inputs. > > If you are out to buy, say, the Samsung 6040 mega-monster review champ, don’t get excited because you find it at Best Buy or Sam’s or Costco for a thousand less. It’s NOT the same model. It’s the 6040LE, when what you really want is the 6040S or -X or something. This has become legion in middle- to upper- models. > > Most truly top-of-the-line sets still have 4 HDMI or more, along with a couple of component, a video and a PC input. And more audio inputs and better setup options. And “pro” adjustments. > > Don’t get fooled by the base number, the great price or blithering marketing copy. Look at the specs and KNOW what you’re buying. > > (If you use a modern media amp with lots of switching… yes, you can get by with minimum TV inputs and are probably better off doing so. But if you expect to plug 4-6 devices directly into the screen, like the OP, be sure you bought that capability.) yep. last job I had was at (_large electronics company who makes TVs_) and they had specific TV configurations referred to as “club” models, specifically for places like Costco and Sam’s Club. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/24 "2015-06-12T15:27:53Z")
Were any DVDs actually recorded in HD anyway? 720x480 is about the very best they can do, and I suspect that in the DVD format’s heyday, that was the extreme high end of what televisions could display, so I suspect they aimed squarely at maxing out regular analog televisions. In other words, are your DVD sources in HD? If not, who cares if it’s a digital signal or not? ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/25 "2015-06-12T15:34:46Z")
My DVD only has the component/composite outputs, not HDMI. That signal actually looks fine on the TV if I connect it using those same ports. But it looks bad on the TV if I take that composite output and put it through an RF modulator to channel 3. It loses some of the resolution in the process. It would be convenient if there was an affordable “HD RF modulator”-thingy which could take the component/composite signal and preserve the resolution, but it doesn’t seem like that’s available. My 50" Samsung only has 2 HDMI ports, 1 combination port which can be used as component or composite, and a coax TV input. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/26 "2015-06-12T15:35:26Z")
DVDs are all SD. Some are anamorphic and expand (via non-square pixels) to fill a 16:9 HD screen from what is essentially a 4:3 image. Component video reaches the limits of DVD quality. HDMI allows upscaling players and TVs to enhance the resolution, with mixed results. (All-digital stuff like Pixar can be astounding; older film-based stuff, not so much.) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/27 "2015-06-12T15:48:45Z")
For the OP, I’d run the DVD directly to the TV’s component inputs, and use an HDMI switch to connect everything else. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/28 "2015-06-12T17:53:02Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I just scanned quite a few Samsung LED/Plasma models and can’t find fewer than 4 HDMI inputs. All had at least one component, one composite and one PC/DVI as well. > > I may not have drilled deeply enough into each “series” and each may have the lower-tier brethren I mentioned above. They still make plasma displays, I thought they were all gone. I just did a quick search for HDTV’s on Google shopping and just looked at the spec’s on the search page, so no deep digging either. I guess it makes sense as a low end option as some people just want it as a single source display and they need a functional differentiator between prices. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066/29 "2015-06-12T18:55:07Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > They still make plasma displays, I thought they were all gone. Pretty much, moreso from the sales chain than from the manufacturer listings. > [@](#): > > I guess it makes sense as a low end option as some people just want it as a single source display and they need a functional differentiator between prices. I think you have that muddled; I’d guess that most people who buy a club or discount model aren’t completely aware that it’s a stripper. Buying by price can be okay, but this is one case where, as the OP found out, you really should make sure you’re buying what you think you are, and that it really does meet your needs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-tv-rf-modulators-which-output-digital-hd-on-channel-3/722066.md?page=1)