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Watching TV on Computer

W

wirm

Member
Hi guys, I don't have an HTPC exactly (never have). But I'm just moving into an apartment across the country, and don't have a TV. Instead of investing a couple hundred dollars on one, I figured I could save some money by turning my computer into a TV. That would let me save (DVR) stuff too, right?

Anyway, I don't know how to do it. What's the cheapest (and legit) way to do it? Way back in college I heard about TV tuner cards. Is this still a viable solution? I don't really care about 1080p or wireless streaming, or whatever. I just want to be able to catch my local channels, and maybe cable one day.

computer stats:
3.2 Ghz Athlon x3
4 Gb RAM
1 TB Samsung HDD
768 MB GeForce GTX 460
Windows 7 Home

Thank you
 
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What will be the source of your tv signal? An antenna for free broadcast channels? Cable?

You should be able to just get a tuner and set up media center in w7 so you can watch live tv and have your computer a dvr. For just an antenna, the tuners are fairly cheap. If cable, you'll probably need a cablecard tuner, which is pricier.

I've been very fond of the hdhomerun tuners I've used. They've got both cablecard and non-cablecard varieties. They plug into your home LAN, not inside your computer.
 
I haven't moved in yet, but I'm thinking antenna for now. Might get cable in the future, so the capability wouldn't hurt.

Where would I find the HDHomerun tuners?

thanks
 
Cool, I'll take a look. Since I may eventually cave and buy a TV, I don't want to spend too much on a tuner card for my computer.

Anybody know of a nice low-budget tuner? I see the ones for under $20, but I'm sure they're missing something. For example, the recognizable brand like Diamond might cost 3 or 4 times as much. Is there something I can look for in the product description to know that the device can do what I want?

thanks again
 
I didn't know Diamond was still in business. The price is probably higher because it's been sitting there in inventory for 5+ years.

For OTA, you want to be sure the tuner supports ATSC, not just analog. Preferably, if you get one that supports QAM as well you will be able to use it for unencrypted cable stations (with most providers thats the same as you can get with an antenna, but stronger signal).

For the rest of the cable channels your only serious options are either Ceton InfiniTV or SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime, unless your area has the old analog cable (in which case there are a lot of dirt cheap tuners that will get most of the stations, but there is no such thing as analog HD etc).
 
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