TV tuner

[blake037374]

I have a PC and I want to buy a TV tuner pci card to go in to my pc but I dont know which one to buy that is on your list to use. I am scared that if I get one that only goes to 125 channels that it wont read my other channels that I am paying for. please advise.

[sub]

I have a PC and I want to buy a TV tuner pci card to go in to my pc but I dont know which one to buy that is on your list to use.

The most popular (and best supported) cards are probably the Hauppauge PVR150 and ATI 550 Pro, so these are a pretty good option for you.

I am scared that if I get one that only goes to 125 channels that it wont read my other channels that I am paying for. please advise.

I'm assuming your a US cable customer. These capture cards are analog capture cards, and will be able to tune any (unscrambled) analog channels transmitted on your cable network. If you're talking more than 125 channels, then you're almost certainly talking about digital cable (or at least a significant number of the channels), which cannot be tuned in with these card - you can however connect via the svideo/composite to the output of your set top box to record these extra channels.

[blake037374]

yes I do have digital cable and a US customer. is their anyway I can get away from my set top box and fly solo with my own pc? I am just not sure about this dvr stuff I stick more to my endian firewall/servers to maintain LOL


I have 1:1 natting and a central server environment. so that is why I was trying to figure out a way to see all my digital stuff then I can put it to my raid system and record whatever i want

thanks for the reply

[sub]

yes I do have digital cable and a US customer. is their anyway I can get away from my set top box and fly solo with my own pc?

Often (but not always) the US cable networks broadcast the first 99 or so channels as regular analog, which can be tuned in via the capture device without using the set top box. For all the other channel you'll need to use your set top box.

The only alternative is using the OnAir USB HDTV GT device, which allows you to tune in unencrypted digital cable channels. There is no easy way to tell which channels are unencrypted on your network until your try it though - it may just be a few channels, or all of them, and there is no guarantee they'll stay unencrypted.

[blake037374]

so their is no way i can get from under the 15/month they charge me to have the device huh? I just rather have my own so i can do what i want with it. thanks. do you think there might be some solution soon?

[fiteclub]

Does or will the OnAir GT card recognize the "broadcast flag" if it is ever used? I know that here in the US the courts have struck it down but I understand that there is an appeal to congress in the works. So if it does become active sometime in the future, will the OnAir GT become a boat anchor.

Thanks

[sub]

I dont know. I doubt anything is going changing about the current hardware. This may be more of an issue in the next generation of stuff (cable card etc).