HTPC TV tuner

[sonnik324]

Hello, I am wondering if anyone can sugest a good TV tuner card for a HTPC. I want to be able to record tv shows and watch another channel at the same time and i assume that requires a dual tuner card. any suggestions?

 

[rwpritchett]

It depends on your source. Are you pulling in over-the-air TV, digital cable, or other?

For OTA (and clear QAM cable), the best dual tuners would be the Hauppage HVR-2250, an internal card, or the SiliconDust HDHomerun Dual, a network based tuner. If you want a cheaper alternative, you could give the AVermedia A188 Duet a try. I use one myself.

If you use a digital cable with a CableCard, then you need a CableCard tuner.

If you are running satellite, then it gets complicated.

 

[Wolfshadw]

That's going to depend on your budget, system configuration, and your video source. For instance, if you're a cable/satellite TV subscriber and have more than just basic cable (that requires a set top box), then I'd recommend one of the new cablecard solutions.

Ceton Corp InfiniTV 4 - Internal PCI-Ex1 card/Four tuners. $299
Ceton Corp InfiniTV 4 - USB - External box/Four tuners. $299
SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime - External box/Three tuners. $250
Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 - External box/Two tuners $140

If you just have basic cable (no set top box required) or over the air transmissions, then (as rwpritchett states while I type this up), just a simple dual TV Tuner card like the AVerMedia A188 or any of the Hauppauge dual tuner devices.

-Wolf sends