LCD HDTV's

[Jimbo]

I know there's been some threads recently on TV's. They didn't cover what I was looking for. I've pretty much made up my mind on an LCD HDTV Flatpanel (I was actually looking for HD CRT, too tough to find and didn't want to lay out the cash for plasma). Anyway, the guy at the store got me confused about some of the components. Specifically, what is the purpose of the tuner card and do I need one? Same for the cable card. I can't see any reason to get it if all it buys me is the programming guide, Pay-Per-View, and I no longer need the cablebox. Is there another reason to have this card over the box? It seems like the cable provider should be able to get me either.