TV Tuner suggestions?

[DragonQ0105]

Hi, I'm looking to get a TV Tuner, preferably one that comes bundled with software to record shows directly to DVDs (using my DVD+RW), and to have AV Signal inputs aswell as being able to plug an ariel in and watch TV.

Does anyone know where I can find one on the net (UK)? I tried EBuyer, and they have a few for under £50, but the product descriptions aren't that clear, and most have bad reviews.

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

 

[franklin97355]

Try

http://www.hauppauge.com/

 

[Frank4d]

I have a WinTV-Go-FM and a very old WinTV-PCI (must be about 8 years old). I am very happy with both.

 

[vipergg]

I'll third the haupauge answer , have had one since about 97 and have never had a problem with it . And believe it or not they are still upgrading the actual Wintv program and you can download the updates for free .

 

[edemiere]

I also have a WinTV Go! FM, but mine is only like 4-5 years old, but it's rock solid and works without a hitch.

Though, I have never tried recording with it, so as for what it can do using the record feature, I cannot speak of...

Good luck!

Cheers!

 

[augustin]

Yes. The PC really turns off. The hard-disk sounds like it's parking the heads and when the reset button is pressed the system doesn't restart! The only way to stop the CPU & VGA fan is to switch off the button back-side the case.

 

[DragonQ0105]

OK Thanks for the suggestions (I'm guesssing the last one was meant for another thread, lol).

I was kinda looking for a Stereo one (all the PCI ones seem to be Mono), and a PVR looks good for my needs, but I'm unsure of the differences between the PVR150, PVR250 and the PVR350 are. The website makes the 150 look better than the 250 which can't be right. Can anyone clear this up please?

Or would a standard USB2 one do all this stuff but cheaper?

http://www.hauppauge.com/Pages/products/data_usb2.html

 

[tf1]

Nebula Electronics Digial TV available as either PCI or USB external. Easy to use and top quality picture.


Regards: tf1

 

[wooglin]

I'll 4th (or 5th) the Hauppauge. The PVR 350 has better hardware encoding than the 250, so if you plan on doing high quality (DVD Quality) encoding, you may want to go with the 350 instead of the 250.

The 150 is USB, which relies heavily on the CPU for video encoding.

I've got the PVR-250 and it works great with a celeron 2.6GHz, and 512meg of ram. Record to the hard drive, then rip it to a CDC later. an hour of high quality video (stereo) can take anywhere from 2-4 gig of HD space.

Has inputs for composite video and cable.

 

[ceh4702]

I have seen some DVD devices that do the same thing.

Sony makes a drive that can record from camera or VCR/DVD.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=27-131-608&depa=0

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[dakota81]

Here are the differences between the Hauppauge PCI cards:

Lets start with my recommendation of the PVR-250, which gives you very good quality hardware video & audio encoding.

PVR-150 drops the onboard audio encoder, and relies on your sound card when using the component inputs. This may cause audio video sync issues.

PVR-350 adds an FM tuner.

PVR-500 adds a second tv tuner so you can watch one channel while recording another channel.

Lastly, there are 2 versions of each card, the alternate version ends with "MCE" which stands for Windows XP Media Center Edition (so if you have Windows XP Pro, do not get the MCE versions).

 

[DragonQ0105]

Well I don't need an FM Tuner, and I can't find a 150 anyway, so I guess I'll get the PVR-250. I found it for £80 somewhere, which is OK.

I was kindof hoping for around £50, but most of the cards in that price range probably have less features and Mono sound and software encoders etc.

Thanks for the suggestions.