HDTV Tuner Cards ? Can it convert like cable box does?

[Necrosaro420]

I have a pc and HD monitor down here in the basement, and we have the HD package for our cable, which is upstairs...but we also have a cable line (with no box) downstairs...do they make HDTV TV Tuner Cards that would convert the signal into HD so I can watch on my PC just like a normal cable box does? Thanks!


EDIT: My Monitor has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, Svideo, AV connections on back.

 

[quikah]

If your cable sends clear QAM signal then you can use just about any HDTV tuner card to watch those stations. Otherwise you need a cable card capable device, which does not exist in the form of an add-in card. Usually your local channels are sent as clear QAM signals.

 

[Necrosaro420]

Thanks, I have another question though. My monitor has PIP, how would I use a tv tuner card with that? Is there any HD cards that have an HD Output (HDMI etc?) This is an HD monitor with alot of extra inputs on the back listed above. Thanks

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: Necrosaro420
Thanks, I have another question though. My monitor has PIP, how would I use a tv tuner card with that? Is there any HD cards that have an HD Output (HDMI etc?) This is an HD monitor with alot of extra inputs on the back listed above. Thanks

Onboard card will allow you to watch via the pc monitor through the video cards output.
So it basically will be a window in your windows (so you could kindof call it PIP).

 

[Necrosaro420]

Mmmmm...This is kinda what I want to do, like during football season, I want to be able to surf the web and watch the game on my monitor at the same time...It has PIP, PBP (Picture by Picture/side x side) etc.

My video card has 2 DVI ports...

The thing is, unless there is a way to change it, the PIP is auto set to SVideo input

 

[quadomatic]

Yeah, and HDTV Tuner card will pick up HD from your digital cable without the box, but only the local channels, which are unencrypted QAM. If you want to use your HDTV tuner card to pick up all HD, you'll have to plug it into the output from your cable box. You can plug an IR Blaster into your computer so that it'll change channels on the box when you change channels on your pc.

Tuner cards don't have any sort of output. MAYBE if you could use the dual monitor function to do the PIP (is it that your monitor has 2 DVI inputs?). You could have the one of the DVI ports on your video card outputting fullscreen TV and the other DVI port output your normal stuff.

 

[Necrosaro420]

Originally posted by: quadomatic
Yeah, and HDTV Tuner card will pick up HD from your digital cable without the box, but only the local channels, which are unencrypted QAM. If you want to use your HDTV tuner card to pick up all HD, you'll have to plug it into the output from your cable box. You can plug an IR Blaster into your computer so that it'll change channels on the box when you change channels on your pc.

Tuner cards don't have any sort of output. MAYBE if you could use the dual monitor function to do the PIP (is it that your monitor has 2 DVI inputs?). You could have the one of the DVI ports on your video card outputting fullscreen TV and the other DVI port output your normal stuff.

The Video card has 2x DVI, and monitor has 2x DVI...but monitor only worsk with PIP using the svideo cable, its the Dell 2408WFP

 

[s44]

With a 24" monitor it'll be much simpler just to get another cable box and hook it directly to the monitor via HDMI (or some lower-quality input if you need it for PIP to work).

 

[CKent]

I've been wondering about this too. My cable company provides HDTV boxes free of charge, so the signal unscrambling is already done at the box level, yes? And if so, will just about any HDTV tuner card work with it?