Digital TV cards

[Handruin]

has anyone purchased a digital TV tuning card for their PC? A buddy of mine wants to have TV on his computer and currently he has digital cable that runs through an issued cable box and then to his TV. It's a basic setup, only those two components as far as I know.

Would something like this work:

http://www2.warehouse.com/product.asp?pf_id=EX10726&prod=extended&home=home&cat=pc&blind=&view=

He also asked me if his pay stations like HBO, showtime and so on, would work. I'm guessing pay stations require the cable box, but perhaps not with digital?

Has anyone done a setup like this to their PC?

 

[James]

The AVS Forum, particularly the Home Theatre Computers topic, is where you need to do some searching. This subject is thrashed through at least twice a week there and there are some very bright people who participate. You may notice some ex-SR people around too, I see Deflier around quite often for example.

 

[Dozer]

I've got a Pinnacle Systems PCTV Vision card installed on one of my machines at home. It's pretty nice--came with a remote and a serial IR receiver, too. I've got it set up to control Winamp as well as some other applications...anyway, here's how I've run my cable:

I've got cable Internet access, so I'm splitting the cable with a standard splitter--one to my modem, one to the card. As far as digital cable is concerned, I would say you would probably have to run the digital cable box between the outlet and the TV card...dunno for sure though. I just have regular cable. But it works great! It's nice to be able to sit in the easy chair and watch TV upstairs--the PCTV also has a FM stereo tuner built in! See the pictures below:

 

[Clocker]

Looks like it would work although I'm sure you can't get pay channels you have not paid for....

http://hauppauge.lightpath.net/html/wintv-d.pdf

C

 

[Stereodude]

That card will only tune digital channels that comply with the ATSC standards for over the air broadcasts. Since the cable people use a different format that is not ATSC compliant it will not work. It will be no better than a $50 card. It will only be able to tune the analog only portion of the signal. That card only works for antenna based HDTV signals.

Stereodude

 

[Pradeep]

AFAIK "digital" cable is not HD at all, just multiple streams of mpeg2 or whatever?