techie talk : tv tuner card

[cl5814]

For the techies, and the non-techies alike, have you bought and used a tv tuner card lately ?
what card do you have and how pleased are you with it ?
any other info you wish to share ?

tv tuner card = record live tv on your PC so that you can burn DVD's of it; convert your videos to DVD etc.

 

[SPratt74]

For the techies, and the non-techies alike, have you bought and used a tv tuner card lately ?
what card do you have and how pleased are you with it ?
any other info you wish to share ?

tv tuner card = record live tv on your PC so that you can burn DVD's of it; convert your videos to DVD etc.

I'm trying to figure that out myself, and I'm the computer person lol!

 

[Porfirio Landeros]

As I've posted on other threads related to TV capture, I went the path of getting a standalone DVD-recorder, that hooks right into the cable (like a VCR). Then, I instantly have a DVD that I can either copy on the computer, or rip to the hard drive and edit, post to the web, etc. etc.

I like this path, because it doesn't not require a high-end computer or capture card. I can watch the show I'm recording on a normal TV (instead of a PC monitor), even back up the shows from my DVR (hitting pause to avoid commericals), and skip the PC if don't want to do any editing, menu authoring, or converting to other formats (but these options are all still there if I choose to rip).

You'll find that the cost of a DVD recorder can be cheaper than the high-end capture cards, or the cost of upgrading a computer to have USB 2.0, firewire, more RAM, etc.

I've also used it to covert all those old ballroom comp VHS tapes, and squeeze them onto just a few discs.

Anyway, those are my 2 cents.

 

[hepcat]

If you don't have a big need for it and own a digital video camera, you can rig your camera to send image/sound from your TV to your computer. You can use it to record TV programs, convert VHS->DVD, etc. However: note that you will likely need a dual layer DVD burner to be able to have enough space to burn a whole movie. The 4.7 gig DVDs can hold a couple hours, but movies now-a-days are longer and require the double-sized DVDs.

My digital video camera has a mode which allows this connection. I converted a couple dance instruction tapes to DVD so I could bring them to the studio and show them on my laptop.

-hepcat

 

[SPratt74]

As I've posted on other threads related to TV capture, I went the path of getting a standalone DVD-recorder, that hooks right into the cable (like a VCR). Then, I instantly have a DVD that I can either copy on the computer, or rip to the hard drive and edit, post to the web, etc. etc.

I like this path, because it doesn't not require a high-end computer or capture card. I can watch the show I'm recording on a normal TV (instead of a PC monitor), even back up the shows from my DVR (hitting pause to avoid commericals), and skip the PC if don't want to do any editing, menu authoring, or converting to other formats (but these options are all still there if I choose to rip).

You'll find that the cost of a DVD recorder can be cheaper than the high-end capture cards, or the cost of upgrading a computer to have USB 2.0, firewire, more RAM, etc.

I've also used it to covert all those old ballroom comp VHS tapes, and squeeze them onto just a few discs.

Anyway, those are my 2 cents.

That's a really great idea! I never thought of going that way!

 

[Joe]

I prefer the HTPC route. Are there many models of DVD recorders that have multiple tuners? I occasionally record programs that are broadcast at the same time. Also, I like the option of having shows that are broadcast in HD recorded in HD.

 

[Porfirio Landeros]

I prefer the HTPC route. Are there many models of DVD recorders that have multiple tuners? I occasionally record programs that are broadcast at the same time. Also, I like the option of having shows that are broadcast in HD recorded in HD.

I don't even use the DVD recorder's tuner, since I have an HD DVR that has 2 tuners. I got my DVD recorder a couple years ago, but now there are cheaper recorders that have component ins, that will let you back-up your HD DVR recordings in widescreen... maybe not full HD, but that's the best you can do right now w/o getting an HD-DVDR or BlueRay recorder.