guidance needed on new TV tuner card

T

timbo59

Member
Hi there,
Can someone please help me figure out which TV tuner card best suits my purposes?

My old computer recently died on me, and it had an old MSI TV tuner card on it that served me pretty well for what I wanted, which is to record the odd classic movie from TV directly to my computer, via a cable connected to the cable box, and burn it to disk. The software that came with the MSI card was perfect for my needs as well, as it allowed me to set the bit rate at just the right level to ensure that the recorded file would fit onto the disk afterwards.

I replaced the old system, but the MSI card won’t work on it because it’s not compatible with Windows 7. So I need a new TV tuner card. What I need to do is get something adequate that will work the new system. I’ve looked at the various units available from Hauppauge but can’t really figure out what I really need. Something like the 2250 seems like overkill, maybe even the 1850 model is more than what I need – I just don’t know. What I don’t understand either is the cheaper units like the 1250 which are purely for analog – how can you use them if the signal coming through these days is digital?

Could someone please point me in the right direction and explain the difference between the digital and analog cards, and if/why I might need the more expensive cards that have both analog and digital inputs?

Thanks………..Tim

Motherboard – ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe
CPU - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS
Sound - Soundblaster Audigy2 ZS
RAM - Corsair XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB)
DVD - Lite-on DVDRW LH-20A1L SCSI
HD - Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
Power - Cooler Master Real Power Pro RS-750-ACAA-A1 750W
OS – Windows 7 Ultimate (64)
 
I have an HP 1250, why do you say it is only for Analog? Please explain what you mean by digital since the Hauppage site says this works with digital and my card works with digital OTA HD TV?

I think it is the best option for the money. It does "everthing" the 1850 and 2250 do. It comes with a remove and cost about $50.

The 1850 is the real scam. It shows 2 coax inputs and says it is a dual tunner. However, one Coax is for FM radio. You have to re-scan for digital and analog just like the 1250, plus swap cables.

As far as I can tell the 2250 (the only one I have not owned) has a digial and analaog input so you can watch either one without a pain in the bum.

I only get a few OTA digital channels (13) but over 40 analog channels.

I wont pay the $120 for the 2250 since I dont care about analog TV.
 
Hi again,
okay, my mistake.

A few questions though, if you don't mind, given that you're using it.

Will the accompanying software allow me to set an appropriate bit rate to fit a recorded item onto a DVD? I used to keep a little chart next to my old computer so that I'd know what bit rate I needed for any given length of time.

Does it record in AVI, Mpeg 2, etc?

What's the quality of the final product on your TV if you use the card to record something off TV, burn it, and play it later on your TV/DVD?

Finally, does the card run as is out of the box, or does it need a third party program to access?

Thanks..........Tim
 
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I just want to add a bit of a correction to the 2250. I is a dual tuner that can run analog or digital on either tuner. So 2 digital, one of each, or 2 analog. The reason that a lot of people will run them as one of each is because you can not record analog channels with the tuner that you have denoted as the digital tuner and vice versa with the analog tuner.

I have the 2250 and I will say that I found it to be worth the money. It is so nice to be able to watch and record different channels or record two shows at the same time.

Just to answer your question about formats and integration in windows 7.

1. There is another program that you can use from the manufacturer but I used Windows Media Center that came with 7. It works great with WMC and the drivers and separate tuners were picked up right away.

2. In WMC, the format of the tv that you record is called .wtv but if you right click the video in your recorded tv folder you can convert it to a .dvr-ms file that can be played on windows media player on any machine.

Hope that helps a bit.

EDIT: you only need one coaxial cable to access both tuners. The other tuner is for FM radio.
 
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Thanks for that.

Question though - I use TMPGEnc to create DVD's (edit ads, create chapters and menus, etc) and it will only work with the likes of AVI and Mpeg files. Can I still generate those kind of files, at the bit rates I want, through either the 1250 or 2250, to use with TMPGEnc? Sorry if all this sounds a little tedious ans basic - I just want to get it right before I place an order.


Thanks, and have a great Christmas all.
 
I have been using the converter that comes with ATI Control Center but the newer version does not seem to come with it. A lot of the converters that you can find on the internet are either a trial or a pay to use. If you google Convert .wtv to... or Convert .DVR.MS to... you should get a lot of hits on what might work for your converting needs.
 
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