TV card, need your advice.

[TimeKeeper]

I saw there are 4 TV receiver card on sale at CompUSA.

WinTV-GO PCI TV Tuner Card
ATI TV Wonder VE (NTSC) TV-tuner / Video Capture PCI Card
VOODOOtv 100 TV Card, PCI
Pinnacle Systems Studio PCTV, PCI TV Tuner Card with Video Capture.

All 4 priced at $49.99 (I don't want to spend anything more than that )

STABILITY is the most important issue to me, but I don't know anything about TV card.

Please advise...

p.s. for cable TV only.

 

[NeoMadHatter]

best choices are the Hauppaugge WinTV go or the ATI tv wonder Ve.
i have an Hauppaugge WinTV-D and like it very much. tech support ain't bad at all either if you ever need help.

 

[Tung]

ATI is good

 

[TimeKeeper]

Thanks for your reply.

Acutally I got the Pinnacle Studio PCTV about half hour after I post this morning.

Sounds funny, I actually went to each Manufactrue's website and check out their support. And I found Pinnacle has the newest driver....

Installation is no brainer.
Install the card, plug the cable in....
Run the CD, and it auto adjust, auto scan channel and configure entire system.
In less than 10 min. the cable tv is on.

Wife let the PCTV running from 6:30PM to 11:50PM, while she is on DSL web browsing, ICQ, words...etc..etc...NOT a single crashed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although, I don't know if the picture quality is comparable to other brand, but for $49......I am happy.


BTW: it has Win2k Driver, but the video capture editing software is NOT Win2K competible. Hey, it is good for watching TV anyway...

 

[Rendus]

I'd have said the Hauppauge myself (I have a WinTV Stereo). Decent support but occasionally causes bluescreen on startup in WinME.

Disturbingly of all the TV cards I've owned (PBTV3, PBTV5, Hauppauge WinTV, ATI AIW), the PBTV5 is the most stable. I leave that system on 24/7, and other than for the weekly reboot, it's running the TV tuner nonstop and it simply does not lock up.