ViewSonic Unveils H/DTV Tuner

ORLANDO, FLA.— ViewSonic will ship in April an outboard H/DTV tuner — called the NextVision HD10 — that will support monitor-only displays with ATSC and NTSC terrestrial broadcast TV signals.

ViewSonic said the new component was designed to complement its line of digital projectors and advanced LCD, plasma and rear-projection displays. The HD10, which carries a $399 suggested retail price, is compatible with any display that features component, composite or S-video inputs, and will tune in NTSC VHF, UHF and all 18 ATSC signal formats.

Additionally, Dolby Digital and MPEG audio decoding is included in the set-top box, as well as picture-in-picture support.

Output formats include 720 by 480i, 720 by 480p, 1,280 by 720p, and 1,920 by 1,080i.

The HD10 displays content in both 16:9 widescreen and 4:3 aspect ratios. An electronic programming guide is available in the HDTV channel range for the user's convenience.

"U.S. consumers spend millions of dollars a year on televisions that are capable of displaying digital resolutions, but most are not receiving HDTV content because of the extra fees associated with the process," said Gene Ornstead, director, Advanced TV Products, ViewSonic. "The HD10 allows them to take full advantage of their advanced televisions without paying extra subscription fees for local HD programming."

The HD10 will be available through authorized ViewSonic resellers, distributors, mail order and retail outlets.