Digital TV tuner pcbs?

[newastrocity]

Hi all, I am a big fan of the eevblog, and have learned a lot!  I am wondering if there exists a smallish pcb for digital TV tuning, that I could use to make older tvs with only analog tv tuners less obsolete?  There are some very nice and rare hardware that is only useful for being a video monitor now that their tuners do not work in the US.

I have tried googling for something but came up with nothing.  Is it just unrealistic to find one that is easily hackable, and in a small package? 

[wraper]

Don't know any to exist. The problem is that it would require to be special for each tv platform, require additional low voltage power that TV PSU likely is incapable to supply and would need separate remote control anyway. Serviceman won't install that for free too. This is just not viable to do, when it is much easier to just connect external box.

[GEuser]

Like Wilfred suggests http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set-top_box

Over the years I have used several different types , 1 was a real handy gadget with a RF out with 2 channel choices so it plugged strait into the antenna socket (I forget which but say old channel 5 or 9 for instance with analogue tv) .

The TV did not have a remote it was a old push button , the stb had a remote so it was real flash back in the day , those stb's for a old analogue tv like above can still be got real cheap , some Rf out some AV out , look about ...

edited> ps> I still have to old tv , the 48" LCD now sits on top of it , the STB must be still around somewhere I think ....

[newastrocity]

Thanks for the set top box idea, I remember the term "set top box" from the 90's when they were going to be the do-everything-box connected to your TV, I didn't think they were still called that for the digital tuners.  I wonder if there are any set top boxes with small enough PCBs... are the antennas the same between analog tuners and digital?

Just to give some examples, the mini-CRT Sinclair portable TV that Dave had a video of would be an example of one of the TVs I thought it would be worthwhile to make use of again.  There are also tuner carts for handheld game consoles, and some very nice looking, reliable retro televisions that I think it would be nice to have all-in-one like they were meant to.  I am somewhat of a CRT fanatic.

[miguelvp]

Where were you 5/6 years ago when these things were all over the place?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupon-eligible_converter_box

Of course you can't get the coupon now but the market has to be flooded with those. They were fairly small
 

[newastrocity]

Where were you 5/6 years ago when these things were all over the place?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupon-eligible_converter_box

Of course you can't get the coupon now but the market has to be flooded with those. They were fairly small

I remember those, but at that time I didn't have a TV (still don't, except a few CRTs w/no signal).  I'm not interested in watching TV so much as saving some hardware.