What to look for in shopping for a TV tuner

[Torn Mind]

Hello,

I would like some information on getting a TV tuner and using it to capture video. Now, my demands are not high. I am just a Redskins fan who wants to "archive" his the 16 or so games they play every season in the best darndest quality possible from the local OTA station. But I'm a complete newb to this class of products.

 

[mfenn]

HD or SD?

 

[Torn Mind]

HD or SD?

Local channel does have HD broadcasts, so HD, preferably.

 

[Raincity]

I use this one now in my HTPC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116028 It does the job recording HD with a open QAM cable connection using Win 7 media center. I never bothered installing the included Hauppauge DVR software.

 

[ViRGE]

I use this one now in my HTPC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116028 It does the job recording HD with a open QAM cable connection using Win 7 media center. I never bothered installing the included Hauppauge DVR software.

I haven't used that specific model, but that does seem to be the best way to go. A single tuner capture card capable of OTA. Run that through Win7 Media Center or MediaPortal + XBMC and you should be set.

 

[mfenn]

I use this one now in my HTPC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116028 It does the job recording HD with a open QAM cable connection using Win 7 media center. I never bothered installing the included Hauppauge DVR software.

Agree 100%. That's the one that I was going to recommend for OTA HD (ATSC).

 

[Torn Mind]

Thanks guys. Seems like 1080p isn't used for OTA, so supporting only up to 1080i is a non-issue.

Is it possible for me to capture video in the RAW or lossless format with this card?
I did see one reviewer used watchhdtv to pull it off with this card, so I think I should be in the clear.
http://computers.pricegrabber.com/t...-WinTV-HVR-1250-PCI-Express-x1/m75764512.html

And maybe I'll finally get around to making one of those DIY antennas I've seen people post up on the Internet.

On another note, are USB tuners worth a damn if I want to give a laptop TV functionality? I take it that the cheap ones suck...

 

[Binky]

USB tuners are fine but the self-powered models might have trouble on some usb ports due to insufficient power. A powered USB hub can solve that.

Best IMO is the HDhomerun. It works great, can be used on any system on your network, and it keeps additional heat out of your system. However, all good tuners do exactly the same thing (picture quality), so it's hard to go wrong with any of the top models.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks guys. Seems like 1080p isn't used for OTA, so supporting only up to 1080i is a non-issue.

Is it possible for me to capture video in the RAW or lossless format with this card?

There is no such thing as lossless ATSC transmissions. They're all in MPEG-2 format, which is an inherently lossy codec. What you're probably referring to is capturing a Transport Stream (TS), which is the unaltered MPEG-2 straight from the card.

As to whether the HVR-1250 can capture a TS file, the answer is yes. It's drivers are standard BDA (Broadcast Driver Architecture) drivers and plenty of programs can pull a TS off of that.

 

[Torn Mind]

Still haven't bought one as football season hasn't started, but is the following a good buy?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815306023

 

[Cerb]

No idea. I wouldn't buy it. It's not the hardware you really have to pay for, but the people that stand behind it. We have a tendency to parrot, "Hauppauge," much like Logitech, because of that. I can literally turn my head to the right and see the two tuners predating the Hauppauges in this computer (one day I'll throw them away, I guess ); and I have taken advantage of Hauppauge support, including getting daily driver builds until everything was working.

Recent USB tuners are fine, yes. The kinks have long been hammered out.