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TV on the computer - 6/24/2008 2:18:49 PM
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thedivabrat
Posts: 277
Joined: 6/15/2008
From: North and South
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I am admittedly a computer dunce so here is a question that probably is dumb but here goes. I do not have a TV so no antenna or cable or satellite-can I still use a TV tuner thingy on my computer to get live TV?
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This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. Ps 118:24
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RE: TV on the computer - 6/24/2008 2:21:14 PM
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Miss Giggles
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From: MI
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If you have a desktop or laptop you can add a tv tuner card, but you can also watch / rent movies tv from sources like amazon.com and itunes. You'd have to have high speed internet as well. You also need a large hard drive, videos and movies are huge files. So it depends on your pc.
< Message edited by Miss Giggles -- 6/24/2008 2:28:12 PM >
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RE: TV on the computer - 6/24/2008 4:33:57 PM
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stateofgrace
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Miss Giggles
You also need a large hard drive, videos and movies are huge files.
Even movies and tv shows from iTunes are large files.
A lot of TV networks also post their shows streaming on their web sites not long after the shows air (or use a third-party site like hulu.com).
_____________________________
less junk, more Jesus
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RE: TV on the computer - 6/24/2008 10:31:09 PM
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thedivabrat
Posts: 277
Joined: 6/15/2008
From: North and South
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The thing is I want to watch things like The Closer or What Not To Wear in real time- can I do that with a TV tuner card?
_____________________________
This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. Ps 118:24
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RE: TV on the computer - 6/25/2008 4:08:44 PM
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figmentPez
Posts: 2427
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: TX
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Boats
Yes, but you will need basic cable.
If you're going to get cable, I'd make sure to get a TV-tuner with QAM tuning. Here is a brief rundown of television signal formats:
NTSC: Analog broadcast and cable. Analog broadcast will stop in February 2009, and analog cable will be gradually cut down until it's almost non-existant at some point after that. My advice is to avoid tuners that are only NTSC
ATSC: Digital broadcast. Over-the-air television uses this format to broadcast in digital and HD. Many tuners support this format, but it won't tune digital cable.
QAM (clear/unencrypted) - some digital cable. Depending on your cable provider, some digital cable channels will be sent without encryption. This includes both SD and HD content. When I was borrowing my sister's HDTV with a QAM tuner, many basic cable channels were unencrypted, like the Travel channel and Food Network, but some other basic cable was not, like the Disney Channel. About a dozen HD channels were unencrypted as well (including all the local networks: ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, Fox, CW.) Some, but not all, computer tuners support this format, but Windows Media Center doesn't (yet?). The software that comes with the card will have to be used.
QAM (encrypted) - Only one computer tuner supports the cable card necessary to view encrypted QAM content, and it must be purchased with a new computer to work. For the most part, if you want to watch encrypted digital cable channels, you'll need a cable box.
S-video and composite video. The multi-pinned black cable or the yellow RCA-style jack. These are found on many computer tuners, but are not HD.
Component video. The three RCA-style jacks, red, blue and green. This is capable of carrying HD signals, but until recently only professional level capture cards had this type of input. (You'll still spend over $200 to get a consumer level card with this type of input). This is the only way to get HD video from a cable box into a computer.
quote:
I use to have an ATI but it made me want to pull my hair out so I got a cheapie ASUS a few years back. I have been happy with it.
I've been anything but happy with my Asus TV tuner (TV-FM 7133). It's drivers have never been quite right and the software that came with it was dreadful. The only good thing I can say about it is that the remote is well laid-out.
quote:
A few links for you. I have no experience with any of these.
Links 1 - 4 and 6 - 8 are analog only. They'll work until Feb 2009 for broadcast, and they'll work with cable only until the cable companies decide it's not worth supporting analog TV any more. (Cable companies can fit 3 HD channels or 10 digital SD channels into the space required for one analog station signal.) However, if this tuner is just a stop-gap measure anyway, that may not matter.
The only tuner brand I've consistently heard good things about is Hauppage. All other brands I've heard mixed reviews about. The most common complaint about ATI tuners is that they don't support Linux very well. I haven't heard many reports that they're frustrating or unreliable. What model of ATI tuner did you have trouble with Boats?
quote:
USB would be the easiest to set up.
USB would be the easiest to physically install... I'm not sure about the entire setup.
TheDivaBrat, What can you tell us about your computer? Is it a laptop or desktop? How old is it?
_____________________________
I make this challenge to all Christians:
Read Daniel 7:13-14
And tell me: Who do you say that the Son of Man is?
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RE: TV on the computer - 6/28/2008 8:01:00 AM
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thedivabrat
Posts: 277
Joined: 6/15/2008
From: North and South
Status: offline
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Thanks y'all--I finally got it figured out-with help from HP-and have a tuner ordered. No software or anything extra needed-just plug it into the computer and voila! TV--or so they tell me. Hope it goes better than the wireless printer combo install.
_____________________________
This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. Ps 118:24
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