Need the skinny on tv tuners

[websurfermom]

For some reason I can't get rid of the notion that I want a tv tuner for my PC. I've read and read; Cnet says the picture isn't that good and it seems to say you can't hook one up to your satellite configuration; PCWorld doesn't say anything about picture quality or hookup. What I'm wondering is 1) Can I hook up to my satellite rig? 2) Is the picture any good 3) If both of those are okay, which type of tuner, usb or PCI card? I have a HP Pavilion bought last year with Vista and Media Center. I'd like to know the details of hooking up the tuner, both ways. Will somebody with hands-on experience please share their wisdom? I'm also wondering if I have to drill a hole in my wall to get to my TV, which is an LG 32LG30 LCD. The computer room is next to the room with the TV. (If anyone has that much time for an answer.)

 

[sivart]

HD in through your satellite is going to be challenge as most TV tuner cards only have a composite in.

HD via QAM or Over the air should look just like the broadcast as the tuner card simply captures (copies, not records) the data stream from the broadcaster.

I only have OTA at my house and the one in my HTPC (Hauppage HVR-1250, I believe) looks exactly like the live broadcast. I don't have any analog channels.

Converting to analog is where your quality will differ. Just expect to add an antenna and only record (uh, copy) the local over the air channels in HD and you will like it.

 

[mshan]

Slingbox Solo?

If you have a plethora of Over The Air HDTV signals in your area (check Antennaweb.org or TVFool.com), this tv tuner card is supposed to have a very good tuner in it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100041

 

[sivart]

Slingbox Solo?

If you have a plethora of Over The Air HDTV signals in your area (check Antennaweb.org or TVFool.com), this tv tuner card is supposed to have a very good tuner in it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815100041

Tuner is just as good as the tuner in my DTVPal HD DVR...pretty average...my 3 year old Vizio TV tuner does a better job on the same antenna. Meaning that it only does an average job of tuning fringe stations. The ones it tunes have great HD picture quality.

Plus I couldn't get this to work in Windows 7 Media Center. After about 3 minutes of watching TV it would lock up the computer requiring a hard reboot.

No way to attach any input other than antenna / QAM. (I.e. no way to even capture satellite in SD).

 

[Modelworks]

Really unless you are going to be recording video I wouldn't spend much. With satellite the best you are going to get is svideo . I don't know which satellite system you have but if it is directv you can watch the video off your receiver if it is a DVR over the network.

The software is on the directv site and is called directv2pc and is free.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4920044

 

[kalrith]

I don't know who's saying that TV tuners degrade the PQ, but they don't. I have a similar setup to sivart (OTA antenna to Hauppauge HVR2250), and it looks the same as connecting it directly to the TV. The video card will make a bigger difference to the PQ than the TV tuner will.

If you must do satellite, then you want something like the Hauppauge HD PVR. That's quite pricey for a single-tuner DVR, so you'd have to be really set on hooking up your satellite to your PC to make that investment. As already mentioned, you'll have much better luck with cable, especially now that you can use cable cards with any Windows 7 PC.

You'll have to somehow route an HDMI or DVI-to-HDMI cable through the wall from the PC to the TV. I route all my cables under the floor through the crawl space so that they're hidden from view. I just pull up the edge of my carpet and drill a hole in the floor underneath the carpet. Then when I move, I can just staple the carpet back down, and no one will know the difference.