What Do I actually need for a tv tuner card? Do I need a hdtv provider like comcast or verizon? All I have is FIOS internet and basic cable. Looking for a good tv tuner but need some help. Thanks
All you need is regular cabletv or even off the air antenna. Every tuner card I have ever bought has had the regular cable coaxial input. some of the more expensive tuner cards have RCA inputs. If you plan to make a pvr, get the tuner cards with built-in mpeg2 encoders (hauppagauge hvr1600/pvr150/pvr500 etc) The built-in hardware encoder will allow smooth livetv pause and use of multiple tuner cards (example I have 4 pvr150 tuner cards installed in my mediapc, I can record 4 different shows at one time). These cards don't use your cpu or audio card they get the audio straight from the cable and compress the video on the tuner card chip. You can record shows in the background and at the same time play video games or watch a dvd. If you just want a basic tv expierence (no heavy tv recording/pause tv) get a cheaper software encoder type video card (avertv/msi tvanywhere plus) These cards use your cpu to record tv and also will use your audio card. With these cards while recording you won't be able to play video games etc because the cpu will be in use. Some cards are hd ready and can tune/record off the air HD. Just make sure you get the correct type for your motherboard, some are PCI and some newer ones are pci-e. Also for a mediapc where you plan on doing alot of recordings you need good software (example sagetv or beyondtv). This software shows the tv listings and you can program what show to record for you. I use sagetv and it has never let me down, records everything I want. It will give you a better expierence. It cost about 80.00 but it's a onetime fee, I've had it 4 years and your tv listing for your area are updated at no further charge. Theres free media software but I was never able to get it to work properly on my computer, but it's available.
Thanks for all the info. I dont really plan on recording at all, and if I do I have a q9550 @ 4GHz with a very new motherboard and soundcard. So using cpu power wont be an issue. Would I be able to watch HD channels like the ones you watch with "The Dish" or "FIOS tv"? or would I still need to pay or get an antenna? Thanks again
same here. dish is what i subscribe to but there tuner units are great, just not what i want, my pc in question is a semi powerfull unit. socket am2+ a 64 3.2ghz single core 2 pcie 3 pci 1 pcie16x (1gig vidcard in that slot)4gb ddr2 800 pci tuner tv in w-remote ( cant remember what type) winxp prof sp2 mediaportal is the recomended sw from what i,ve heard what else is needed
If you want to tune SD, non-digital cable, then most old cards should work. With the power your system has, there is little use for a hardware encoder if you are not going to use it as a DVR. If you want to tune broadcast TV (either HD or SD, but all digital in most places), you need a card that supports ATSC. If such a card has a hardware encoder, it is only because it also has an older non-digital SD tuner. Digital TV has no use for an encoder, as it is already digital. If you want to tune HD from satelite or cable, then you need a tuner with a cablecard slot. These are hard to find, and are usualy locked to a specific mainboard. The OEMs used to sell a lot of these, but they are getting hard to find. I have heard that some companies might be making these for the aftermarket soon, but I have not seen any yet. You should also be able to get a cablebox/satbox that has a firewire output. Used with a firewire input and the correct software, this can allow for digital HD input. This tends to be cheaper in terms of hardware cost. It will also save you the fee to rent a cablecard from your provider...some providers charge insane monthly fees for these cards.
