Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > TV/Video Cards > Record TV on computer then transfer it to a media external harddrive?

Record TV on computer then transfer it to a media external harddrive?

Forum Graphic & Displays : TV/Video Cards - Record TV on computer then transfer it to a media external harddrive?

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yiiiiiha   01-27-2009 at 09:48:00 AM

I couldn't find a clear answer for that.

What I'm trying to do is buy a TV tuner card, record the TV shows, and then transfer the file into my media external harddrive that can play video files directly on my LCD TV.

Can anyone give me some possible way to do that?

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panicatak   01-27-2009 at 01:21:15 PM
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What software are using to view and watch TV?

If you are using Vista's Media center then the files it produces have to be converted to a format that an external media player can play.

I have a Pinnacle 3010IX and Vista Home Premium the recorded TV programs have .dvr-ms extenders.

these can be converted to AVI using Vista's in build MovieMaker App but it does result in quite large files.

But these play fine on my Sumvision Aqua media player.

Reply to panicatak
chunkymonster   01-27-2009 at 03:16:51 PM
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Most software that comes with TV tuner cards, typically, allows you to record to an .avi file. It would be worth researching the tuner card and the bundled software to determine what file types it records to. For example, the ATI all-in-wonder series allows you to record to a proprietary ATI format, .mpg, .mpg1, .mpg2, and .avi with the file type choice being made in/during the configuration settings. There is also file converters like the one that comes with the DivX player, DivX Converter.

Also, it has been my experience that while the software bundled with tuner cards is adequate, you might be better off going with a seperate software suite like MythTV, SageTV, or BeyondTV.

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 Reply to chunkymonster
ram1009   01-27-2009 at 04:35:34 PM
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chunkymonster wrote :

Most software that comes with TV tuner cards, typically, allows you to record to an .avi file. It would be worth researching the tuner card and the bundled software to determine what file types it records to. For example, the ATI all-in-wonder series allows you to record to a proprietary ATI format, .mpg, .mpg1, .mpg2, and .avi with the file type choice being made in/during the configuration settings. There is also file converters like the one that comes with the DivX player, DivX Converter.

Also, it has been my experience that while the software bundled with tuner cards is adequate, you might be better off going with a seperate software suite like MythTV, SageTV, or BeyondTV.




For what it's worth, IMHO the Divx converter is a POS. They have another program called Dr. DivX that is somewhat better but either way you will end up with a .dvx file that can only be played on a DivX compatible device. I have used Nero Digital with some sucess. You wind uo with a .mp4 file which is quite small and compatible with many players, or can be easily made compatible by the addition of a codec or two.

Reply to ram1009
festerovic   01-27-2009 at 08:00:48 PM
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I know this isn't directly answering your question, but it might be a good alternative.

A friend of mine just purchased a Happengauge (sp?) USB device, that has component inputs (for a HD cable box, PS3, Xbox, or whatever) and it also has component out, so you could feed the signal right back to the tv. This box lets you record 1080i, 720p, or 480p while choosing either Divx or H.264 codec. Those play on Xbox and Ps3, too, which I find very handy. It also has a optical cable input and output, as well as standard red-white stereo audio cables.

The box was around $250. Awesome quality. So, it has no TV tuner, but if you have DVR or the want to use your computer like a VCR, and directly encode to your favorite codec in HD, this thing works.

Reply to festerovic
shadow703793   01-28-2009 at 12:23:03 AM
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Take a look in to a HTPC. A decent HTPC can be built for less than $350.

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 Reply to shadow703793
pastit   01-28-2009 at 11:52:05 AM
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I used a very old capture card to transferd all my VHS tapes to DVD's using iuLabs for capture and ConvertX for conversion.
I believe at one time I also iuLabs for TV capture as well from a Winfast card, and it worked OK.
It may pay you to look at those programs. I have also heard VideoRedo is very good, though I have never used it.
JB

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