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View Full Version : Internal and USB TV Tuners.

EliotAndrews
10-06-2008, 06:40 PM
Hi.
I'm moving, and would like to simplify my life as much as possible. I happen to have a nice-sized HD Monitor, and started doing research on internal and USB TV Tuners. I've come across several, such as ATi's TV Wonder and Beyond TV's software package, but nothing that stands out as a quality product.

Has anyone researched these items in the past? And, if so, are there any that are worth consideration? Any help you guys can provide would be excellent, since there seem to be a lot of different products, but none that provide a reliable picture.

My main focus is HDTV direct to the PC, no recording features. I have a Windows XP machine with 2.0 GHz (Single-Core) and over 600 MB of RAM.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide!
Ajmukon
10-06-2008, 08:02 PM
ATi are good. I use one and can't complain.
awaj
10-06-2008, 08:58 PM
I would personally go with an internal tuner (assuming you have enough slots on your computer) USB tuners can be more of a hassel, but it also depends on who you buy from and such. I haven't looked at tuners in a while so I can't recommend one to get.
EliotAndrews
10-06-2008, 09:29 PM
ATi seems to be the only "big-name" brand to carry a line of PC TV Tuner products. If you don't mind me asking, which one do you use, Ajmukon? Do you have a series, like cable, or do you rely on basic channels?
Ajmukon
10-07-2008, 12:40 AM
ATI TV wonder Pro PCI

it is no longer made.. and the drivers are a few years old..

but it works great. And i get cable (school Direct TV).

ATI still has a few, you just need to look for them. Remember: for TV tuners it is not necessarily the price that determines quality...
i only spent around 30 for my TV tuner...
mjc
10-07-2008, 02:13 AM
Hauppauge (http://www.hauppauge.com/index.htm) is the big name in tuner cards...followed closely by Pinnacle (http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Home/)
pave_spectre
10-07-2008, 04:00 AM
It has been my experience that TV tuners are a bit like modems, in that USB varieties are mostly software based, whereas a good internal will have hardware decoders, requiring that little bit less effort from the CPU.