Watching TV on my PC

[Elcs]

It struck me last night that my TV sucks. I was trying to watch the Football on the TV (UEFA Cup), listening to the radio commentary through my radio and surfing Anandtech on my PC.

After the full 90 minutes and the intervals, my neck was sore after looking up whenever the action sounded good. I thought since I have a dual monitor setup that If i had the PC set up as a TV, I could abuse my Soundstorm/5.1 speakers and my 17" monitor for TV and use the 2nd monitor to surf as per usual.

Im just looking for advice here. A very quick browse on Google left me confused and feeling lost.

My parents have a Digital Set-Top box downstairs for the 32" widescreen in the living room. I was thinking of getting a Box for my TV to abuse the new FreeView channels if this is of any consequence. Our Digital TV supplier supplies us by digital cable and not by satellite.

I own a Sapphire 9800Pro which has the used VGA/DVI ports and I think its S-Video port as well... which doesnt fill me with much enthusiasm but I guessed it was going to cost me money anyway.

If its reasonably priced and provides decent quality, its going to be a great improvement. Decent sound and excellent placement of my PC ^^

Any suggestions, advice will be welcomed.

 

[Matthias99]

What is it this week with everyone having TV card problems, or wanting one?

Seriously, you're like the fifth person in the last week to post a thread like this. Search this forum for "TV" and you should find some info.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
What is it this week with everyone having TV card problems, or wanting one?

Seriously, you're like the fifth person in the last week to post a thread like this. Search this forum for "TV" and you should find some info.

Hmm sorry, I was too busy reading about peoples XT PE VE XT 800 problems and XGI trying to make a graphics card. Ill take a look.

 

[Matthias99]

And don't forget about 3DMark05!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111one1!!!!1!

Definitely a low S/N ratio recently in here...

 

[theblackbox]

i use a wintv pvr usb2 with my computer to record whatever comes through my cable as a pvr. if thats what you are asking. I use beyond tv with it, and i think it's a great set up, and then watch what i record after burniong it to tv.
I don't know if that is what you are asking, but that is what i am saying.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
And don't forget about 3DMark05!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111one1!!!!1!

Definitely a low S/N ratio recently in here...

OH YES!!! 3DMark05.... AMAZING and I mean AMAZING GAME. Makes Doom3 look like it was drawn by a 2 year old..... /sigh

S/N?

Searching doesnt turn up much other than AIW cards or S-Video/TV-out.

Im under the impression that Im looking for just TV-in.

EDIT: Recording isnt that important to me although it would be a nice thing. My primary goal is to watch reasonable quality TV on my PC.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Elcs

Originally posted by: Matthias99
And don't forget about 3DMark05!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111one1!!!!1!

Definitely a low S/N ratio recently in here...

OH YES!!! 3DMark05.... AMAZING and I mean AMAZING GAME. Makes Doom3 look like it was drawn by a 2 year old..... /sigh

S/N?

Signal/Noise.

Searching doesnt turn up much other than AIW cards or S-Video/TV-out.

Im under the impression that Im looking for just TV-in.

EDIT: Recording isnt that important to me although it would be a nice thing. My primary goal is to watch reasonable quality TV on my PC.

Try this thread. The links in there should have *plenty* of info for you. The basic idea is you buy a capture card, plug it into a PCI or USB port, and install some software. Then you can watch and/or record whatever's plugged into the card.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Try this thread. The links in there should have *plenty* of info for you. The basic idea is you buy a capture card, plug it into a PCI or USB port, and install some software. Then you can watch and/or record whatever's plugged into the card.

Ahhh... didnt look that far back. You mentioned over the last week and I took that a bit too literally.

Going to read reviews and I'll post back later/tomorrow.

 

[gpgofast]

You can get a cheap TV tuner card for well under $50. Money is better spent on a card with "hardware encoding" as it will tax your PC much less. I picked up my Hauppauge USBTV2 tuner for about $80.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: gpgofast
You can get a cheap TV tuner card for well under $50. Money is better spent on a card with "hardware encoding" as it will tax your PC much less. I picked up my Hauppauge USBTV2 tuner for about $80.

"Hardware Encoding" + "TV Tuner" = $80?

Sorry Im slow, just finished my 1st week of 2nd Year BA (Hons) Accounting Degree and my brain is fried.

EDIT: Im open for suggestions on good TV Tuners with or without Hardware Encoding. Im from the UK.

 

[gpgofast]

Basically, when you look at the available tuners there are two types. 1 uses the computers CPU to do the majority of the workload decoding/encoding the signal into a useable data stream inside the computer. The other type has it's own onboard processor which will handle the majority of the video conversion required and will tax your system much less. The other main advantage to a hardware encoding card is that most of the availbe software that is out there for building an HTPC(home theatre PC) requires "hardware encoding". It might not be a big deal now, but if you ever get the bug to build your own "TIVO" you will be able to use your current TV tuner card. If you are going to try and multi task, a hardware encoded card will allow viewing TV with almost zero effect on PC performance. Here are some websites to look at:

http://forums.freytechnologies.com/forums/
www.htpcnews.com
http://forums.snapstream.com/vb/index.php?
http://www.shspvr.com/forum/

 

[rbV5]

If you are going to try and multi task, a hardware encoded card will allow viewing TV with almost zero effect on PC performance

I agree with most of what you say except this. While the hardware encoder cards use little CPU for recording, watching it on your PC is another matter. My Aiw uses very little CPU, less when viewing TV on the desktop than my hardware cards+SageTV.

A hardware card will allow "recording" TV with almost zero effect on PC performance.

 

[Elcs]

Thank you gpgofast and rbV5.

The heaviest multitasking Id do when watching TV is playing Solitaire, abusing Winamp, Internet Explorer, MS Word, MS Excel and mIRC. Thats exaggerating a bit as MS Word/Excel arent used all that much thus far this semester but its a big possibility.

Recording..... If I can record whilst using the programs listed above without much hassle with a software based card then unless the price difference is small, Id rather spend my cash on a Software based one.

Viewing TV... same as above tbh although.... I am considering looking into underclocking for this. My PC is rather quiet but the difference between quiet and silent is huge. If I could underclock my Mobile Barton to say 1ghz-1.5ghz and reduce temps, I can reduce fan speeds etc. Would I be able to watch TV flawlessly at those speeds with a software/hardware based card?

I value the opinions of most Anandtech members more than I value most online reviews and plus I can ask more specific questions. When I get the time, Ill read up on those websites listed.

If anyone has any suggestions of what I can get, be my guest but as I said, Im from the UK so its a bit more difficult to dictate a price/product.

EDIT: Is this the one some of you have mentioned? Its price seems a little low for $80 considering exchange rates and the difference in price of technology.

 

[theblackbox]

snapstream is five days away from releasing their new version of Beyond TV. It'll be catching up with sage tv on some features, like multiple tuner support. I've found it to work really well for not only recording, but pausing and programming too. You can schedule online what you want it to record, and even watch remotely, from the internet or from a network. I know you don't care about recording, but thats the major benefit of sage tv and beyond tv.

Personally, spend the little extra to get a hardware encoder. The quality and performance is incredile. The only problem is that most of the software companies like happaugge makes is crap. With the third party programs, screens come out better and you get higher quality viewing.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: theblackbox
snapstream is five days away from releasing their new version of Beyond TV. It'll be catching up with sage tv on some features, like multiple tuner support. I've found it to work really well for not only recording, but pausing and programming too. You can schedule online what you want it to record, and even watch remotely, from the internet or from a network. I know you don't care about recording, but thats the major benefit of sage tv and beyond tv.

Personally, spend the little extra to get a hardware encoder. The quality and performance is incredile. The only problem is that most of the software companies like happaugge makes is crap. With the third party programs, screens come out better and you get higher quality viewing.

Ok... so hardware is best? How much am I expected to be paying for the lower end of hardware based models? Care to name a few so I can check up on prices?

 

[Elcs]

Nothing seems to be as cut and dry in this market area as some component areas are.

Hauppauge WinTV PVR-250 looks good and it looks reasonably priced although its reaching to my funding limit. Id prefer PCI over USB because most importantly its cheaper and my space is limited already so another external piece of kit is going to be taking that away from me. Although if the USB version is that much better, I might be able to gather the funds but Id probably rather have some more :beer: nights.

 

[theblackbox]

the pvr 250 is good, i am about to get two of them to put in my black box with the new beyond tv upgrade.
right now i have the usb2 pvr they make. usually you can find them fairly cheap like at newegg and happaugge always seems to have some kind of rebates going.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: Elcs
Nothing seems to be as cut and dry in this market area as some component areas are.

Hauppauge WinTV PVR-250 looks good and it looks reasonably priced although its reaching to my funding limit. Id prefer PCI over USB because most importantly its cheaper and my space is limited already so another external piece of kit is going to be taking that away from me. Although if the USB version is that much better, I might be able to gather the funds but Id probably rather have some more :beer: nights.

If you can afford it, that is an excellent TV tuner card.

 

[rbV5]

I am using dual eHome Wonder cards with SageTV and they work quite well. I got them refurbed from Newegg and they work great with Sage, but have limited support compared to the Hauppage card, quality is reputably equal (I can vouch that PQ is very good). Newegg has the OEM model for ~ $63 shipped. If you don't need FM tuner or remote, its not a bad deal.

Note: Its important to check to see if the tuner card supports your format in the UK, and I'm not so sure about eHome wonder and PAL since I use NTSC, AIW cards are specific to the format...different card for PAL than NTSC. Very important to check.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: rbV5
I am using dual eHome Wonder cards with SageTV and they work quite well. I got them refurbed from Newegg and they work great with Sage, but have limited support compared to the Hauppage card, quality is reputably equal (I can vouch that PQ is very good). Newegg has the OEM model for ~ $63 shipped. If you don't need FM tuner or remote, its not a bad deal.

Note: Its important to check to see if the tuner card supports your format in the UK, and I'm not so sure about eHome wonder and PAL since I use NTSC, AIW cards are specific to the format...different card for PAL than NTSC. Very important to check.

Yeah, that Hauppage does both PAL and NTSC apparently so Im ok there. Its a tad expensive but if I can play good quality TV through it and it records decently then it will be well worth it.

I missed whether that Hauppage was hardware or software based. Can anyone point me towards to where I can tell what it is?

No rest for the wicked students. Ive got 8 chapters left to read before I contemplate scanning the net for more information. Sorry if Im burdening you guys, your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[rbV5]

I missed whether that Hauppage was hardware or software based.

The PVR250 is a hardware MPEG encoder. Be advised that the hauppage software is crap, maybe look for a bundle like one of these Link or Link.

I'm not familiar with either vendor, but have seen pcalchemy.com in a huge Hot deal thread, but a bundle seems a better value if you know what software you want to use.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: rbV5

I missed whether that Hauppage was hardware or software based.

The PVR250 is a hardware MPEG encoder. Be advised that the hauppage software is crap, maybe look for a bundle like one of these Link or Link.

I'm not familiar with either vendor, but have seen pcalchemy.com in a huge Hot deal thread, but a bundle seems a better value if you know what software you want to use.

Thanks for the insight. Ill have to check up on this new software problem you've created for me

 

[Elcs]

rbV5.... is Hauppage software THAT bad?

I cant find BeyondTV or SageTV in the UK at Dealtime.com (a less extensive version than pricewatch.com)

Im used to using Windows so awkward software isnt a major issue.

What is wrong with Hauppage's software? buggy? unresponsive? poorly designed?