HDTV Tuner for my computer

[Irish_PXzyan]

Hey lads.

I am interested in buying a HDTV tuner for my desktop.
But I know nothing about how this is done!

I am looking for a USB stick as I do not have a PCI-E slot or PCI slot available.

I was checking out these here:

http://www.hdtvtunerinfo.com/comparetuners.html

But...is it complicated?? Do I just..plug it in and there! HDTV???

Cheers lads!

 

[Phxprovost]

im pretty sure they dont work anymore because of content providers encrypting the signal...though i could be wrong

 

[Irish_PXzyan]

Ah jayziz then what's the point of selling them?

 

[Cybrnook]

He's right. I just researched the whole lot for my own setup. I ended up buying a TiVo HD.

Your options are a Tivo (or similar)

Or a Cable Card adapter for your PC, then renting a cable card form your service provider. (Quite expensive for the adapter)

 

[Irish_PXzyan]

argh!!! forget it!

 

[sneekypeet]

How do you recieve the signal into the house?

See here we get like 70 channels through a coax that are unscrambled. To get pay channels it requires a converter box.

If you can just run the cable to the TV and get a signal, the same can be done on a PC.

If a converter box is a must, its is sort of fail at that point.

 

[MohawkAngel]

HAUPPAUGE are better than Asus on tv tuner card. Look for Hauppauge website and choose the card you want...simple website all specs are there and they do all updates often. I update drivers 3 times since i bougt it 3 months ago. Believe me their quality and service are amazing.
HDTV you will be lucky.
With my normal model 1250 i can receive antenna signal, over the air signal, cable coax sighnal, unscrambled for box signal....hdtv will be amazing ! They even included a power signal bar indicator in their programs.

 

[TheCrow]

I noticed you in ireland which means either Virgin Cable, Sky Satellite or Freeview.

As freeview aint HD that cancels that out.
Virgin cable do carry a few HD channels, but the only way your gonna get them is with a box from them, they don't make anything for the pc and wont.

That leave's you with satellite.

I just purchased a compro Videomate s350 which i've been using to watch bbc HD & ITV HD, it works great. Although you will need to fit a dish, etc. There are usb satellite recievers available.

But for just 2 channels its not really worth spending a fortune.

 

[Irish_PXzyan]

Ahh well.. I don't want to spend lots of cash just for TV.

I think I will stick to using Readon Player

Thing is... I kinda figured all I would need... is some kind of USB connection and maybe a small little box. But I guess that is asking too much!

There really is no simple solution is there??

 

[vbx]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116031

 

[Irish_PXzyan]

Will this work properly for me?? if so I should get this

 

[TheCrow]

It will work fine, except nothing is broadcast in HD to us yet except sky over satellite. So all you will recieve is normal SD channels.

Plus the people who are deciding how are HD will be broadcast haven't decided on what format, so you could be spending all that cash and it will never work.

I would just stick to SD for now mate, the Uk & Ireland have a long way to go before we need to start looking for HD stuff. Christ I cant pick up channel five still and I have an aerial the size of a rocket ship!

 

[Sasqui]

In the US, almost all OTA (over the air) channels have been broadcasting in HD for years, along with a simultaneous SD signal for older TV's. Now the SD part is being broadcast in digital, and the HD is still there.

So my point is if you recieve OTA HD stations all you need is a tuner. I don't pretend to know what broadcasting is like in Ireland, though!

 

[CJCerny]

In the US, almost all OTA (over the air) channels have been broadcasting in HD for years, along with a simultaneous SD signal for older TV's. Now the SD part is being broadcast in digital, and the HD is still there.

So my point is if you recieve OTA HD stations all you need is a tuner. I don't pretend to know what broadcasting is like in Ireland, though!

Right, here it in the States it works great--you jam a PCI or USB HDTV tuner in your PC, connect an antenna to it, and you get beautiful HDTV. You use the Media Center features of Vista Home Premium or Win 7 Home Premium to record and playback everything. Really simple stuff. Unfortunately, I don't know if there are any HDTV broadcasts in Ireland.

 

[vbx]

I have time warner cable. No HD broadcasting on my line. But there are some HD channels available on the TV hooked up to the set top box. Most of them are blocked out and you need to "Pay" for them.

Basically, in order for me to get HD channels, I have to hook up the set top box to my computer. I don't believe HD channels are avaiable thru the antenna. Yes, its DIGITAL, but it's not HD.

I think HD channels have the HD logo or wording somewhere on that channel.

 

[Irish_PXzyan]

Jayziz!

I just don't see myself buying a tuner for ancient SD channels!!

I want HD dammit!!

I do want to just buy it...but I think I would be disappointed with the results

If I was to go ahead and get a tuner... How many SD channels am I expected to get??

 

[Sasqui]

If I was to go ahead and get a tuner... How many SD channels am I expected to get??

Do you have a TV with antenna in your house? What you get on that will tell about SD stations.

The history of broadcast OTA channels starts back in 1941 when NTSC broadcast format was introduced. Virtually all analog TV's have an NTSC tuner built in for SD signals.

Enter the digital world. Now ATSC is the standard for OTA digital signals. This includes both SD digital and HD digital. If a monitor is listed as HDTV, it MUST have an ATSC tuner in it.

Go one step further with cable, and there is the QAM tuner, that allows viewing of unencrypted QAM signals that many cable carriers have (and don't really tell you about). I get about 10-20 QAM channels on my 40" sony LCD, with about 8 or so being 720p or 1080i

So look for a tuner that supports NTSC, ATSC and QAM.

 

[Irish_PXzyan]

I have a Samsung HDTV with 1080p support.
No idea about ATSC or anything to that effect!

At this rate there seems so much to do for some SD channels!
I really don't think it's worth it right now