[jamaicaska]

Hi,

Having recently stuck a 1TB HDD in my PC for media, a mate suggested I get a TV tuner card so that I can watch and record TV in Windows Media Centre.

I don't really know anything about these cards, what kinda thing am I looking for? I've seen cards ranging from £10-£100 on Computer Hardware - All - Scan.co.uk (my favourite retailer) but I'm struggling to see any advantages to paying through the nose for more expensive cards.

Ideally I want one that can pick up freeview (digital TV here in the UK)...

I genuinely know nothing about TV cards though, so can anyone give me any pointers or advice?

Thanks in advance

[eyeCpc]

That will depend on which version of Windows you are running. For Vista there are four Haugepauge models to look over at Computer Hardware - All - Multimedia / TV - Scan.co.uk

Unfortunately that site only sees Pinnacle or KWorld for XP use. The Pinnacle model listed at 202261779 - Pinnacle Studio DV v9 + PCI Capture card with 2xFireWire, Retail - Scan.co.uk saw problems in Vista while working normally in XP here despite the manufacturer's claim of Vista compatibility.

[jamaicaska]

Yeah I'm on Vista Home Premium, 32bit.

Other perhaps useful info:

e6600 @ 3GHz
4GB RAM @ 666MHz
260GTX 896MB
460W Zalman PSU
320GB HDD, for OS
1TB HDD, for media

I'm quite prepared to shop elsewhere as long as they ship to the UK, scan was simply my favourite example

That £38ish Hauppauge card; does that definitely receive a digital signal? Also, I notice it's for "low-profile" Media Centre PCs; it will fit my traditional scale desktop yes?

NB: I already have a Media Centre remote

Cheers again

[eyeCpc]

You need to post a link for one or more other vendors you can order from. The models there are mostly XP, XP MCE cards while you are running Vista.

The Hauppauge or AVerMedia brands seem to offer more Vista support on their products however. For AVerMedia the AVerTV Combo PCIe ATSC/NTSC/QAM TV Tuner Card seen at AVerMedia - AVerTV Combo PCIe (White Box), Internal PCIe Combo HD and standard TV Tuner Product, PCI TV Tuners, PCI TV Tuner, TV Tuner, TV Tuners, Media Center, Media Center Edition, MCE 2005 would be one card to consider accepting both digital and analog tv signals.

For Hauppauge the WinTV-HVR 1600 is a pci type card that supports digital tv and is Vista ready seen at WinTV-HVR-1600 Product overview

You'll have to shop around a little there since those are the manufacturer's product pages seen at the links. The setup you have there is already more then adequate for any tuner card. There are also usb tuner/capture devices available.

[EricB]

I paid 100 a few year back for the pci express ati 550 pro. then I caught a guy on ebay selling a bunch of them for 10 bucks. ati, haupage, and nvidia make good ones.

[eyeCpc]

ATI-AMD and NVidia should since they make Vista ready cards easy enough. Some prefer Hauppauge. I had to frown at Pinnacle running into problems with no display in Vista while the model could still hear sound.

The older pci not pci-e AverTV card here can't record anything but a zillion copies which are all no good when going to play back but has no display problems for viewing any incoming signal. The Scan site there only shows Hauppage, Pinnacle, and KWorld for cards being the reason I recommend browsing others places were you are to have a better selection.

[jamaicaska]

Thanks guys, it's all very useful info

I tend to shop at:

Overclockers UK
Microdirect.co.uk is the UK leading retailer of quality computer components and electronics.
computer hardware, components, systems and peripherals at the lowest prices from IT supplier Aria Technology
Cheap Laptops, Hard Drives, LCD Monitors, TVs and more at Ebuyer
Tekheads.co.uk

[eyeCpc]

You didn't mention what your maximum price was but one Compro model comes to mind right away for digital satelite as well as seeing a digital tuner, analog capture capability, and even start up and shut down your system for timed recordings. Compro VideoMate S350 PCI Digital Satellite TV Tuner w/Remote - Aria Technology

The last part is not seen on just about any other brand. The typical generally see the record, stop, play buttons as well as a remote. The Hauppauge cards run a bit higher with one model seeing both analog and digital cable tuning as well as analog composite input. Hauppauge WinTV HVR3000 - PCI Tri-Mode TV Card - Aria Technology