Whats the best TV Tuner software?

[Montek]

Whats the best TV Tuner software?

 

[ViRGE]

Vista Media Center is good. BeyondTV is good too.

 

[Slugbait]

The bundled tuner for my Compro VideoMate TV Gold+ was pretty crappy compared to the bundled tuner for my Ti200 Personal Cinema...picture wasn't nearly as good, channel switching was lethargic, etc.

But the newer tuner available at Compro's website was vastly superior to the bundled tuner.

Personally, I'm not all that impressed with MCE 2K5: the picture looks washed out compared to a straight cable connection (using a PVR-150MCE card). It's servicable, tho'

In other words, it depends on what hardware you have.

 

[watdahel]

Check out this review.

 

[TheOtherRizzo]

They're all rubbish. DScaler is okisch.

 

[ronnn]

I use gbpvr in xp. Works great for me and is free.

 

[Shooks]

Dscaler is what I use in XP, in Vista I just use Media Center

 

[Montek]

I was thinking Windows XP Media Center Edition, is it better or application is just enough?

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Montek
I was thinking Windows XP Media Center Edition, is it better or application is just enough?

If you're going to plop down the cash for a Windows Media Center, you may as well go with Vista.

 

[Montek]

I were going to download demo of XP MCE from microsoft if they got it first and see if its good, though i first asking if it worth my time?

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Montek
I were going to download demo of XP MCE from microsoft if they got it first and see if its good, though i first asking if it worth my time?

Sure, it's worth your time. I think Vista MCE is better, but XP MCE 2005 is also good.

 

[OneOfOne]

mce on vista crashes EVERY time I run it on my new dell notebook. in my opinion mce on vista like vista itself blows.

 

[leegroves86]

I use beyond TV on XP and I am impressed. It works great, picture is awesome. I've used it on OTA antennas and on my cable right now. Using a hauppage pvr 150. Beyond tv is not free but its worth it, its supported in Vista as well! PM me if you have any questions about it

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: OneOfOne
mce on vista crashes EVERY time I run it on my new dell notebook. in my opinion mce on vista like vista itself blows.

What does Dell say about this? Does it BSOD, or just quit to the desktop?

 

[ronnn]

Originally posted by: leegroves86
I use beyond TV on XP and I am impressed. It works great, picture is awesome. I've used it on OTA antennas and on my cable right now. Using a hauppage pvr 150. Beyond tv is not free but its worth it, its supported in Vista as well! PM me if you have any questions about it

Didn't know the software effected the picture. The ones I tried with my ati 650 wonder all looked the same. Maybe I should try beyond tv.

 

[coinz]

i use dscaler works great for me

 

[Borealis7]

Does anyone use these applications to view Video from the Composite (RCA) source?
I have the Pinnacle PCTV Pro USB, and when i use their software, the sounds come out fine but the video is stuttering. (satellite TV set top box connected through RCA cables)

i know its a software problem because when i use the Pinnacle Studio Demo, i am able to capute video fine.

P.S Pinnacle MediaCenter & TVCenter suck big time!

 

[Raider1284]

using dscaler as well. Works well for me and the picture quality is pretty good. Dscaler hasnt been worked on it years though it seems like. Their newest version came out in 2005 I believe.

Picture quality should be determined by your card though, if you have a good clear signal then the quality should be good. Unless im missing something here?

 

[watdahel]

Originally posted by: ronnn

Originally posted by: leegroves86
I use beyond TV on XP and I am impressed. It works great, picture is awesome. I've used it on OTA antennas and on my cable right now. Using a hauppage pvr 150. Beyond tv is not free but its worth it, its supported in Vista as well! PM me if you have any questions about it

Didn't know the software effected the picture. The ones I tried with my ati 650 wonder all looked the same. Maybe I should try beyond tv.

Read my review.

PVR softwares like Sage and BeyondTV buffer the video. That's why what you're watching slightly lags behind real time. And you also notice the lag in channel flipping. The picture quality is affected by the compression used.

Virtualdub, WinDVR, ChrisTV are the only programs I've tried that doesn't buffer the incoming video. Everything is in realtime. Channel flipping is instantaneous. Video quality is pristine and uncompressed. That's why I favor these programs because I want the sharpest picture as possible. I don't need the PVR feature.