Recommended Tv-Tuner card?

[Krule]

Hello all,

I've just recently acquired a tv-tuner card, after having replaced my ATI All In Wonder 7500 about a year ago (I went a year without tv on my pc, it was bad...). I replaced it with the Ati Tv-Wonder Pro, figuring that since I already had the remote, I didn't need any of the extra bells/whistles that came with more expensive models (And I assumed the MMC software was the same for each model)

Turns out this tuner is no good at all. The sound lags behind the video, and theres no PVR functionality at all with the software (although that is why I'm at this site, to replace the software). Also the picture quality is quite lacking.

So what do you suggest for a tuner/pvr card given the following specs:

System: AMD Xp-2500 w/ 512mb ram. Nvidia GF FX 5900
Budget: I paid 100$ for the ati, so that 100$ + another 50-100$ (Total 150-200$ CDN)
Signal: Cable tv (No hd at the moment, but I'm moving shortly and it is definatly an option, so that I can use my tuner card in 2008 when they force everyone to HD)
Display: 19" NEC Accusync monitor..when I move I'll be hooking a tv to it as well as a dual display (all be it in a seperate room)

Thanks in advance

[fhmanas]

Get Hauppauge PVR-500, it's two tuners in one card, thus you use only one pci slot, and since you don't have HD, this one does not have one, it's within the price range give or take a few $$$, on the downside, it does not come with a remote, so you have to spend extra for a remote but most important of all, it's fully supported by GBPVR, the best PVR in town.

[reboot]

You can almost get two PVR-150's for the price of one 500 (in Canada, try http://www.ncix.com).
Grab a retail version with remote, and an MCE version with FM.

[Krule]

I'm sure I can find it cheaper somewhere in canada ;p

[reboot]

http://www.pricenetwork.ca shows retail ones for $139.51, and MCE for $86.67 at ncix.com.
Total $226.18
The PVR-500 is $176.42 with no remote. The Firefly is $48.32
Total $224.74
The MCE remote you can only get if you purchase Windows MCE with a computer system.
The Harmony 880 remote is $233.61 :eek:
ncix.com will pricematch anywhere in Canada.

[Krule]

Hmm..I don't need a remote yet, I can live without one for a while (till I move) So your all suggesting the pvr-500?

[reboot]

If you want two tuners, yes, it's the only way to go.

[Krule]

Silly question on the two tuners, I have regular analog cable, if I use a dual tuner card, I am going to have to split my cable...which is already, starting from the source, split once by a two splitter (In: Source, Out: T.V. Set + Rest of House) then by a three way splitter (In: Rest of House, Out: My Tv Tuner Card, my Internet, Rest of house) then split once again in another room, and finally stops in a final room.

By the time it gets to the final room it's hit 2-2 way splitters and a 3 way splitter, and the quality is already not so great in that last room. How can I split it again without losing too much quality?

Also, does the PVR500 support HDTV?

Also, sorry for being a complete noob, but I figure it's better to ask somoene and get a definitive answer than get wishy/washy answers from various sites.

[reboot]

Don't aplolgise for being new. We all were, at one time or another
There are signal boosters you can purchase. A good bi-directional one (which you must have if you have cable internet), runs between $40 and $80 US, and will provide between 15 and 20db boost. Add to that, good (I mean really good) splitters, and you shouldn't get much signal loss at all. If you paid less than $5 for a splitter, you're probably losing between 10 and 20% of your signal, for each splitter.
The PVR-500 does the splitting internally, so you don't need two inputs for it (thus yet another splitter). The second cable input you see on the card, is only for FM radio (if you want it)
The PVR-500 is an analog tuner, for regular TV. If you have any channels with HDTV signals (that are free, not requiring a decoder/descrambler box), then consider an HD card (Divco Fusion 5 maybe). It will easily do HD, but won't do regular analog channels, so you'll still need another card for SDTV.

[Krule]

Ahh..why a coax cable for FM? Last I checked my radio was wireless :p Can the card pickup FM radio without any wires?

Ok, good to know that the splitting is internal, I was a bit confused there...thanks for that.

As for HD, now I'm torn. Do I spend about 200$ on a card today, only to have it be obsolete in a 3 years? Actually come to think of it thats some pretty silly logic as I'll prolly have an entire new cpu by then.

Now if only I could find a local store thats old this card.

1 more question...can I plug my PS/2 into this thing (I must sound like I'm 12..lol...22 year old professional I/T Specialist asking about a ps/2..hehehe)