TV Tuner Cards: Uses and Different Types

Picking the proper Television tuner card is tougher than ever. Simplify your life with this straightforward guide!

A Media Center PC without Live Tv capability is just another personal computer that shops your music, movies and pictures. Bring it to life using the easy addition of one easy-to-install components!

Using a Tv tuner card, you are able to:

• Watch and Record Live Television
• Pause and rewind Live Television
• Browse program listings and schedule recordings days in advance
• Shop your preferred shows on your pc, then burn them to a CD or DVD

When you have two cards, you're in a position to watch 1 channel and record a different show, or record two shows simultaneously! By no means miss your favorite plan because your spouse insist on watching 'their' show.

Kinds of Tuner Cards

Internal Television tuner cards. The most common type available. These cards plug into a slot inside your PC. They don't need any added cables or connections.

Merely screw your Cable Television feed to the appropriate port on the back of the card. Many also accept other types of video inputs, and some consist of FM tuners.

For ultimate Tv high quality, select a HDTV Tv Tuner Card. Similar to normal Television tuner cards, but in a position to receive and display high-quality HDTV signals. These cards are best if your media center pc is attached to a HDTV capable Tv or perhaps a pc monitor.

Be conscious that some HDTV cards only support OTA broadcasts, which means you will have to attach an external antenna to your card -- and live in an area that has HDTV broadcasting stations.

Please note the difference between HDTV and Digital Cable. Some HDTV tuner cards will not handle Digital Cable or Satellite.

An external Tv tuner card connects to your Media Center PC by means of a USB or Firewire cable. These devices generally supply the same attributes and functions as their internal counterparts, and may be either analog or HDTV capable.

The best way to Select the Best Card

First off, you have to know your principal use for the Tv tuner card.

Interested in watching and recording non-digital Tv, cable, or satellite shows? Will you view these shows on a non-HDTV Tv? If so, then a normal analog Tv tuner will probably be proper for you.

Do you've digital cable, satellite, or HDTV? Possibly you will be doing the majority of your viewing on a big-screen HDTV or huge PC monitor. Choose a high quality HDTV tuner card.

Need to use a laptop as a media center? Maybe you do not really feel comfortable opening up your pc case to install an internal card. Grab an external USB Television tuner for simple connectivity.