Question about digital TV receiver video cards

from WinCustomize Forums

I am slowly shopping around for my next PC. I would like to have a TV tuner on it. I know some video cards, such as ATI's All-in-One cards, have a TV tuner in it, as do some others such as Matrox. But from what I read, I don't think they work with digital cable, or do they?

I know I could get my TV input from my settop box, but then it means I have to go upstairs in the living room to change the channel I'm going to watch on my PC. A PITA. I don't want that. I'd like to change the channel directly from the PC.

Anybody knows of a good video card that can handle digital tv?

2,323 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
All the major card manufacturers make a video card model with a tv tuner on the card. Most do support digital. If that's a digital box, then it will throw the same picture up on your PC as it does on your TV. As far as the 'box' is concerned, if you don't have it in the same room and attached only to the computer, you're going to have to go to where the box is to change it. In any case, there is no card or software that will allow you to watch one channel on the TV and another on the PC. I once set mine up with a PCI TV tuner card and an extra box and used it only for my computer. If they don't charge (and that's unlikely) for an extra box it makes for a really nice setup and doesn't detract anything from you video card



Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I have a Hauppauge WinTV-PCI card that's probably about 3 years old. I split my cable with a standard coax splitter and run one cable into my digital cable box, and the other into my tv tuner card. Using the WinTV software that came with the card, I can watch one channel on my TV and another on my PC.

However, my card cannot decode the digital portion of the signal. Therefore, channels that I can only recieve with digital cable won't work on my PC. I assume that all cable companies broadcast analog and digital signals together, like Time Warner does. When you subscribe to digital cable, you get a receiver box that can read the digital signal. The signal itself has been there all along though. So what you want to do is find a video/tv tuner card that has a digital receiver built in. Otherwise, you may only be able to watch analog cable channels on your PC.

There still may be another hurdle. Your cable company has to activate your digital cable box from their office. They can also deactivate it from there (if you haven't paid your bill, for example). This would likely mean that your digital tv tuner card would not have access to the digital cable signal without some action on your cable companies part, like leasing you a second digital cable box.

Object Desktop - Get all of our enhancement utilities in one suite
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hum... thoughts to ponder.
I found that Hauppauge now seem to have a digital receiver (WinTV-D) and $200 istn't too expensive. But your last paragraph gets me thinking, Mike. I wouldn't want to spend that money to see it doesn't work.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I split my cable with a standard coax splitter and run one cable into my digital cable box, and the other into my tv tuner card. Using the WinTV software that came with the card, I can watch one channel on my TV and another on my PC.


true..however you only get what the cable company broadcasts as 'local channels'. You will not get the 'premium' channels on your PC and it won't be digital (unless the card is digital capable). If you hook up to a TV-D card it may very well show up at the cable company as an 'extra' pull on that line...not sure what they see or don't see :not sure: I'd weigh the cost difference between getting another box and a cheap card (all the cards are about the same, chipset wise) or an expensive card and a split. It really all depends what you want to watch....


Powered by SkinBrowser!
[Message Edited]