TV Tuner (Lifeview vs. Leadtek)

[Kingsbury]

I have read a few threads on this subject and it seems that the LifeView FlyTV Platinum card is highly recommended, especially by "peter". However, I cannot find where this card is available in the US except from LifeView, and it will cost $70 shipped. The Leadtek TV2000XP/EXPERT is available from newegg for $46 shipped. Therefore, is the $24 dollar premium on the LifeView card really worth it, or will the difference be negligible to a casual user.

TV Tuner Thread

LifeView FlyTV Platinum

Leadtek TV2000XP/EXPERT

 

[kylebisme]

Any idea on what software you want to use? I got the Leadtek card but didn't care for the software it comes with and never managed to find anything that works with it that I do like so it seems software comptablity is an important consideration when picking a tuner card.

 

[Gamingphreek]

PErsonally i prefer Hauppauge TV tuners. They all have superb image quality, and are very nice cards. I have never heard of LifeView before so i cannot recommend or advise against them. Leadtek makes some damn fine cards. You really cant go wrong with their quality, only the chipset.

-Kevin

 

[Peter]

The Leadtek card has a single-standard tuner, no advanced (dolby) stereo processing, fewer inputs, and the older tuner technology (the silicon tuner on the Lifeview is particularly good with weak signal stations). And it's not compatible with 3.3V PCI slots (this doesn't matter in standard desktop PCs).

I'm very surprised at the price for the Lifeview - newegg briefly had them for 40, and here in Germany I'm paying the equivalent of 35 and 40 USD for the versions without/with FM radio.

My personal experience with the obvious brands (Hauppauge, Pinnacle) is that while their cards are definitely fine, their software usually lacks the attention to detail beyond description - every time I tried, I found them to be incomplete, crashy, non-working in the less obvious functions. No fun, definitely not worth the premium you pay for a recognized brand name.

Leadtek's as well as Lifeview's software however haven't disappointed me so far. So if you got trouble obtaining the Lifeview for a reasonable price, that Leadtek card will do a fine job as well. From the photo, it's using the current Conexant main chip - that one's good in color depth and signal handling. Just stay away from the ancient BT878 or 848 chipset, that one's well past his best-before date (low color depth, bad contrast etc.)

 

[Kingsbury]

Thanks for the responses. I will probably get the Leadtek card, since it seems like a decent midrange card, and i don't want to spend 70 to 100 bucks for one.

Snowman, it was my intention to use whatever software came with the tuner card. Any particular problems with leadtek's software?

 

[kylebisme]

My biggest complaint is when you full screen the window on a widescreen display it doesn't pillerbox the image but rather just streachs it. Other than that I was dissapointed with the fact that the electronic programing guide isn't fully intigrated in the software but rather runs though a web browser. The software is stable and all, just not nearly as user friendly as some other programs which are not comptable with the leadtek card.

 

[Rage1881]

ya i never heard of lifeview either... one of those crappy ones probably like the mercury tuning card

 

[Peter]

Lifeview is rather small in own-brand retail, but surprisingly big in OEM business - and they've been around for ages. Having dissected a handful of their designs for Linux driver support, I confirm they know what they're doing ... and you wouldn't believe just how much stuff turns out to be rebadged Lifeview designs.