Tv tuner that has it all?

[Lazy8s]

I did search just so you guys know and I checked Tomshardware but I can't find the cards they use so I'm posting. I'm wanting a TV tuner card. I just got a new 20.1" widescreen and I have limited room so here's what I am looking for:

HDTV tuner (I pay for HD so I might as well see it)
Record TV (pref while watching...just like TIVO)
Remote very preferable (even if it doesn't come with one I can buy one at exra cost)

Price isn't too much of an issue here. This will likely be my setup for the next 2-3 years minimum so I want to get something nice. Obviously not like $600 for one of the professional cards that hooks up 16 TVs or anything.

I looked for the 350 I saw when I searched but can't find it at newegg. I was going to try the 500 but the search showed you guys don't care for it. I consider myself tech savvy. I would like an easy to use interface but if I can't get that with the features I want I will spend the time learning what I need to.

Thanks for help in advance. Oh, also I don't mean to be hugely picky but I would prefer to stick to newegg or zipzoomfly or someone reputable. I have spent way too many hours on the phone with tigerdirect and bzboyz complaining and threatening to sue.

 

[SexyK]

You can't watch or record HD cable or sat via a consumer-level tuner card at this point. You can only watch OTA broadcasts (local channels with an antenna). Once vista rolls around there will be cablecard support and you'll be able to watch and record HD content from your cable company/sat provider.

If you are paying for HD, I would recommend waiting.

 

[Lazy8s]

what? You can't watch cable with a tvtuner card? That's rediculous. Or just not HD cable?

 

[bendixG15]

SexyK posted................You can't watch or record HD cable ........

Calm down

 

[Lazy8s]

My bad I read it as "HD, cable, or sat". Alright well any suggestions on cable cards until then or is vista really my best bet?

 

[Aikouka]

Oh, there are most certainly cards that have it all... even a nice price to go with it . There was a thread ...I think in General Hardware where someone linked cards that could receive HD input. Yeah, they cost somewhere around $1700-2000 .

A Hauppage should do you fine. I'd steer clear of ATi though... and that's from my own personal experience with their "wonderful" TV software.

 

[sumrtym]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
A Hauppage should do you fine. I'd steer clear of ATi though... and that's from my own personal experience with their "wonderful" TV software.

The ATI 650 tuner has the best picture quality of any out there. Buy SageTV, and you don't have the DRM that VISTA will slap on ya silly. I prefer to burn my shows to DVD to play on any player, and Microsoft doesn't like that.

 

[clickynext]

From my experience don't buy ATI.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: sumrtym

Originally posted by: Aikouka
A Hauppage should do you fine. I'd steer clear of ATi though... and that's from my own personal experience with their "wonderful" TV software.

The ATI 650 tuner has the best picture quality of any out there. Buy SageTV, and you don't have the DRM that VISTA will slap on ya silly. I prefer to burn my shows to DVD to play on any player, and Microsoft doesn't like that.

Even with a decent SDTV picture quality, it will still look bad on my HDTV. I wish I could get a decent HD tuner that can actually accept HD, but until then, I'll just download my TV shows so I can watch them without looking horridly distorted on my TV (DirecTV says they don't offer the local channels in my area in HD, although I know a couple of them broadcast in HD).

Also, I hate having to buy extra stuff because a product has such poor support. When spending the extra money, it makes me wonder why I even purchased the product at all when I could've just spent less and maybe received a small degredation in quality. Unfortunately, the ATI TV tuner that I have also doesn't work in MCE. Such a bummer when it was a $100 tuner .

 

[sumrtym]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
Also, I hate having to buy extra stuff because a product has such poor support. When spending the extra money, it makes me wonder why I even purchased the product at all when I could've just spent less and maybe received a small degredation in quality. Unfortunately, the ATI TV tuner that I have also doesn't work in MCE. Such a bummer when it was a $100 tuner .

What are you using? The 550 was the first card to get the highest level of certification for MCE (the generation before the 650).

No card presently records HD from a cable box. However, the 650 has not only the best quality analog picture quality, but also can receive the free over the air HDTV.

Hell, I'm using an AIW 9800 and don't have any problems with doing records with MMC, but I understand people not liking the touchy, limited, and buggy ATI software. Again, couple the 650 with SageTV, MCE, or BeyondTV if you want. I'd go SageTV for a lot of reasons though if it was me.

 

[SexyK]

I'm using the TV Wonder 650 with Beyond TV - no problems at all recording SD Cable and OTA HD. The picture quality on SD is the best I've ever seen from a PC tuner, and obviously the HD channels are phenomenal. Don't even bother with the ATI software, just straight to Beyond TV (or SageTV - though I haven't tried it, it looks nice as well).

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: SexyK
You can't watch or record HD cable or sat via a consumer-level tuner card at this point. You can only watch OTA broadcasts (local channels with an antenna). Once vista rolls around there will be cablecard support and you'll be able to watch and record HD content from your cable company/sat provider.

If you are paying for HD, I would recommend waiting.

Actually there are only 2 cards that support QAM encryption that would allow you to watch SOME Cable HD, but not all of course.

 

[sumrtym]

Well, I tend to look at it this way: Do I want a card that records the resolution of TV I've always watched that allows me to do anything I want with it, including authoring my own DVD to play in any standalone DVD player, or do I want much higher HDTV quality at increased file size with yet to be determined (but rest assured, considerable) limitations on my ability to share / view said recordings?

For me, I'll take the no restrictions which is why Vista, while looking really nice for a media center, is NOT going to be an option that I'd seriously consider. One of the reasons I like HTPC is for allowing me full options and control of my recordings without fees. I don't need Microsoft or anyone else essentially stealing all the benefits of HTPC's and being no better than a TIVO.

The one significant benefit to SageTV over BeyondTV is the built in DVD movie access and music library without having to rely on a third party extension like BeyondTV does. That's my main reason for going with them, plus the built-in ability to stream TV over the internet / allow me to set recordings over the internet if I'm not home.