Need helping picking a new TV tuner

[archcommus]

Hi all, well I have PVR-150 that was working perfectly fine until I got Vista 64-bit with 4 GB of memory and now the drivers for it no longer work, even the latest prerelease. I don't expect a fix to ever come for this product and I don't intend on disabling a gig of my RAM, so it looks like it's time to get a new tuner. However, it's not just as simple as getting any old analog tuner to replace this one.

We recently got Comcast digital cable. No HD or anything, just regular digital. The only set-top box in the house is in the living room. The PVR-150 is of course only analog and I still get the analog channels under 100. This leads me to believe that Comcast is broadcasting both analog and digital signals into our home. So, if I got a digital-only tuner for the PC, what channels would I receive? I imagine everything that's not encrypted, but which would those be? Is that what clear QAM is all about?

So I'm not sure whether to get another analog tuner, a hybrid analog/digital tuner, or a purely digital tuner. And then, I'm not sure what brand to get, mainly Leadtek, ATI, Hauppauge, or maybe some other. Both ATI and Hauppauge have disappointed me with their drivers in the past.

Any info would be helpfu, thanks!

 

[jkresh]

hauppauge makes good hardware but is terrible with driver updates

QAM will get you unencrypted digital channels (which should at the very least include, abc,cbs,fox,cw but it depends on where you are. If you are interested in hd (and can wait a little while), hauppauge just released their hd pvr (with component inputs) so if you get an hd set top box then you will theoretically be able to record from any hd channel (but there are no 64bit drivers at release, and it requires having a cable box or some kind of tuner with component out).

 

[vailr]

Try updating the drivers & software for the PVR-150.
WinTV2000 Hybrid Full CD 4.1.26009:
http://www.shspvr.com/smf/index.php?topic=11324.0
If that doesn't work, I'd recommend going to the Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1800.
http://www.directron.com/wintvhvr1129.html
Note: the latest software versions can be checked (free) using SUMo:
http://www.kcsoftwares.com/index.php?sumo

 

[Arcuivie]

Go grab yourself a DViCO FusionHDTV7 Dual Express. Just released a couple of days ago, saw the article on Engadget the other day, about to pick one up myself.

From Engadget:
"Heads-up, OTA lovers. DViCO has just announced the formal launch of its FusionHDTV7 PCI-Express card, which claims to be the "world's first dual HD (digital or QAM) tuner PCIe card." The device is designed to pick up digital (ATSC) / analog (NTSC) terrestrial signals, and the twin silicon tuners also provide picture-in-picture support as well as the ability to watch and / or record two high-definition broadcasts simultaneously. And at just $140 (available now), we have a feeling this one's going to be a fan favorite."

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Hey archcommus, I am also in the same situation, with the PVR-150 and Vista 64 + 4GB RAM, and Hauppauge has been horrible with this issue. However, I have found a work-around that works 100% of the time for me, but is a bit of a PITA. Basically, if I am planning on watching or recording some TV, I will restart the computer, and upon restart, open Windows Media Center before the computer is done all of its normal startup loading of programs.

 

[archcommus]

Thanks. I'm not really interested in hooking up a set top box to my PC tuner. I've gotten the latest pre-release of the PVR-150 drivers and the problem still exists, however that link from shspvr appears to be the latest full CD, which may include newer drivers than I currently have. The 1800 looks like a very capable card, I would just have to trust that the new beta drivers truly do fix the 4 GB x64 limitation.

The DViCO also looks good, powerful, and simple, but I know nothing of the brand or their other products. Perhaps after it's been out longer and I can find some good reviews.

Thanks for the suggestion, SLU Aequitas. I use SageTV and have it set to open on startup, and have also noticed that the first time I use it it works fine (because it's been open in the tray since boot). However any subsequent time it does not. So yes I guess restarting any time you want to watch TV is a temporary fix.