What should I look for in a tv tuner

[rockinthepe]

heading to uni next year and i'm looking to use my computer and monitor as a tv. looking for a tuner that will be able to receive both digital and analog cable signals. what features should i look for and what software do you suggest. any outright suggestions at tuner cards to look at are also greatly appreciated.

 

[apache_lives]

i went with the Compro E900F - full hardware decode, pcie 1x, dual hybrid (2x digital/hd channels + 2 analog signals at once) - windows update for vista and windows 7 installs them and works 100%, best tuners i have ever used, very expensive but hell they dont break or fail, and there pcie so no upgrading for a new system later etc

may be some better options out there now but like i can vouch for these suckers - briliant. I own two of them to be able to record 4 hd channels at once.

Software - your best off using Windows 7's media centre - nothing better out there, simple and perfect.

Downside - you need the software installed to use the remote - i dont use em anyhow, less crap installed to my system.

 

[Mousemonkey]

The only grumble I have with Compro is the amount of time between updates to their software and with the amount of time taken the latest one does not always work better than the version it replaces, I need to use the original software because WMC does not want to use the composite input on my E800.

 

[rockinthepe]

I took a look around the usual places i look for computer components (newegg, comp usa, frys, microcenter) and couldn't find anything from compro, do they distribute under a different name in the US? the reason i ask is i looked at their website's section on their where to buy and only found distributors in Australia and Macedonia.
Any thoughts on Hauppauge, AVerMedia, or Sabrent. these are the easiest to find.

 

[Mousemonkey]

I haven't used any of those so I can't comment.

 

[leon2006]

You can't go wrong with hauppage 2250... I had it for almost a 1.5years now. HW & SW are solid with respect to XT and Windows Vista(media center). I don't use W7 so i can't comment on its actual performance.

 

[mindless728]

You can't go wrong with hauppage 2250... I had it for almost a 1.5years now. HW & SW are solid with respect to XT and Windows Vista(media center). I don't use W7 so i can't comment on its actual performance.

it works fine with Windows 7 (i have Pro 64bit), love the card