TV Tuners - laptop
 

I searched this forum and found some links to TV Tuners and notebook computers. A couple of questions about them...

Can I buy a TV Tuner card for my notebook and with just that and my monitor replace a TV?

I have a decent LCD monitor now and new notebook... wouldn't this option be cheaper than purchasing a LCD TV? I don't watch much TV so thought this might be an alternative...

If I do this, how difficult is it to connect/disconnect and/or program?

Merci.

Yes, it's possible. In fact, one of the forum regulars here helped me to do so and it works great.

Here are examples of products:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/a...top-188648.php
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dual-ATSC-HDTV-N...QQcmdZViewItem
and there are a bunch more. I wonder if there are reviews of any of these.

Any recommendations for one in the $100 price range?

I paid much, much less than that.

I bought a slingbox classic recently for about $60 and now watch my home tv (actually a DirecTV Tivo DVR) almost anywhere if I have broadband available. I love it.

MisterNice

HERES A FEW WELL UNDER 100 BUCKS

http://www.provantage.com/avermedia-...s~7AVER028.htm

http://www.amazon.com/AVerMedia-AVer...s/dp/B00094OWG

I hope it works for you?

Best Regards

CPTANGO

This is something I considered. HP makes one but I don't think any of them handles digital cable inputs yet.

It would be great to have dvr capability anywhere I travelled!

Such tuners might be OK if you're satisfied with basic cable.

Jim

Anyone know of one that does NTSC and PAL (ATSC would be a plus, but not necessary)?

I replaced a TV with a TV tuner in my office. I don't watch a lot of TV there (current news, financial news, maybe check the occasional hockey game score ...!!! ) and wanted a bit more workspace.

This is the one I bought from Dell. It's about $70 now - I think it bought it during Days of Deals for about $50. The mfr website and more specs/details are here. This is the only one I am familiar with, so can't make comparisons but I am happy with this one.

What kind of signal do you have now - cable, satellite or antenna? The tuners work with all three, but my experience is with cable only. All I had to do was a quick bit of software/driver installation and then connect a standard coaxial cable to the tuner from the cable jack in the wall and then run a USB cable from the tuner to my computer. I spent maybe 10 or 15 mins configuring.

(It only took me that long because the printed instructions that came with the tuner were poorly written and I went to the mfr website to get more complete info on one small point - can't remember what that was.)

The TV tuner itself is fairly small and sits unobtrusively on my desktop next to my wireless router. The tuner came with a remote control if you want to sit back and just watch TV. I rarely watch full screen (often just want to check headlines or something while I am still using my computer for something else), but the picture quality is fairly decent either way.

I occasionally record a TV program, and it's easy to set up the recording times. I wouldn't want to try and work on the computer while it's recording, though, as it seems to s-l-o-o-w down the PC while it is recording. The recorded programs are fairly large, but most PCs have lots of storage space these days.

All in all, it was inexpensive and quite simple. The only complaint I have (and it's a very minor one) is that there is a bit of a "click" when I change channels. :)

Edited to add: You can also connect to external speakers, of course, and there are also inputs for DVD players, for example.

They don't say anyting about HDTV or ATSC--is this an analog-only tuner?
Today's products can receive digital broadcasts.

Good point, I am not sure. Something for MapleLeaf to consider, depending on his needs.

I just found this:

http://www.hdtvonpc.com/proddetail.php?prod=hop_u6010a

It looks interesting, and I'm probably going to get one. If I do, I'll report back on how it performs.

PTravel: if this tuner decodes HDTV will it also decode digital cable channels beyond expanded basic = above channel 78? The FAQ on the site are not clear on this.

If it is truly digital and user friendly I may buy several. I bought a multimedia pc but never installed it because the tv tuner was analog only.

Jim

OTA signal will only pick up the basic networks.