which tuner?

I'm getting a monitor that has 1920 x 1200 resolution and i'd like to be able to receive HD signals in 2009 and cable channels which support HD. Which tuner would be the best to get?

i'm getting a 4780x2 when it come out, if that matters

thanks

I'm looking at these two. One from ASUS and one from DViCO.

Hauppauge is the biggest name in the business. I haven't found any of them to be satisfactory for *my* needs for one reason or another.

Hope you are planning to use that video card for more than TV and the like. It is massive overkill for that.

well i'll be playing a games with it. Does the video card i'm getting recieve TV signals?

dlk289 said:

I'm getting a monitor that has 1920 x 1200 resolution and i'd like to be able to receive HD signals in 2009 and cable channels which support HD. Which tuner would be the best to get?

i'm getting a 4780x2 when it come out, if that matters

thanks

Click to expand...

you'll only be able to get over-the-air HD channels, i.e. with a UHF antenna attached to whatever TV Tuner card you get, unless you buy a Dell PC that comes with one of those ATI CableCard devices

as far as does the 4870 have VIVO... you'll have to specifically look for VIVO, my ati 1950XT 512MB has VIVO on it, Component/S-Video/Composite

which tuner should i get then for the over-the-air HD channels?

If you're on cable Internet, then chances are you're getting basic cable (unless you are subscribing to a cable service, which this will be moot). If that is the case, I'd go with a SiliconDust HDHomeRun. It's a network-based tuner that can tune in ATSC via antenna, but it can also tune in unencrypted QAM via cable connection.

Your cable provide will have to have some clear QAM stations for you to pick up, but if they have them, you can count on getting at least those channels that you could pick up OTA, plus most basic cable digital equivalents. I have one and pick up around 25-30 channels.

Biggest advantage for me is my use of Vista Media Center, which supports it within the Media Center interface. I have 3 of them and will be adding another one or two in the near future (for the in-laws next door). Since it's a network device, all systems have access. Only two can tune in at a time (the HDHomeRun has two tuners built-in). This would be two systems viewing separate channels, or one system recording a channel and watching another. You can also add more than one HDHR to your network, if needed, to add additional tuners.

Quality is excellent, forums are good for troubleshooting/info, SiliconDust is extremely active with updates/firmware and it is widely supported.

Before investing in any ClearQAM tuners (internal or external), I'd *strongly* suggest you take the time to find out what channels are available in ClearQAM from your cable company. For instance, TimeWarner here in NYC only has the basic OTA channels (CBS, FOX, WB, ABC), TBS, and SpikeTV. And thats just a regular NTSC signal. I'm not really sure which of those would be available in ClearQAM, but I doubt anything else would be. Since thier recent upgrade, they have cut off all other channels completely. Because of that, I'm ditching my mediaserver (which was going to house multiple NTSC and HD Tuners) and just going with a TiVO-HD. It the only way I'll be able to get any HD channels other then whats available with a plain old roof antenna.

Mpegger said:

Before investing in any ClearQAM tuners (internal or external), I'd *strongly* suggest you take the time to find out what channels are available in ClearQAM from your cable company. For instance, TimeWarner here in NYC only has the basic OTA channels (CBS, FOX, WB, ABC), TBS, and SpikeTV. And thats just a regular NTSC signal. I'm not really sure which of those would be available in ClearQAM, but I doubt anything else would be. Since thier recent upgrade, they have cut off all other channels completely. Because of that, I'm ditching my mediaserver (which was going to house multiple NTSC and HD Tuners) and just going with a TiVO-HD. It the only way I'll be able to get any HD channels other then whats available with a plain old roof antenna.

Click to expand...

Comcast here in central IL doesn't offer ANY unencrypted channels digital/HD over the wire, it's pretty ridiculous. Even the OTA HD channels are only obtainable if you purchase an HD package, or get an OTA antenna.

I didn't realize how restricted cable channels are, so even if i get a tuner i may not even be able to view the basic cable channels. I'll have cable once i move into the dorms, but i guess i'll just hope for the best. When i do get the chance to check out my cable in the dorms i was thinking about getting
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116015
I think it will should work for my needs without having to spend a ton or money right?

That's the same one I'm looking at (upgrading from a PVR-150).

That will work fine for QAM "in the clear" cable signals and for the superior quality "Over-The-Air" (OTA) ATSC channels as well (assuming you are within ~20 miles of a large metropolitan area). If you are on the fringes of reception for ATSC, you will need a directional antenna and/or amplifiers to get stable ATSC reception. ATSC is BEAUTIFUL with true HD content, and blows Cable and DSS away for picture quality (PQ) due to it's higher bandwidth (less compression).

You can also spend a bit more and get a "Cable Card" compatible capture card, and get access to premium Cable content (assuming you have a valid subscription).