TV Tuner, Console Games - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Gatorade Frost · 06-20-2005, 12:53 PM

Albatron K8X890 ProII Socket 939 VIA K8T890 ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory (Two sets)
Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
FG Tech BFGR68256GTOCX Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card

I'm building a computer right now (had to get the specs out of the way). I'll be using Windows XP Pro/Pro x64.

What I'm wondering, though, is on a TV tuner, that'll allow me to stream cable television into my computer, correct?

And if so, is there also a possible way to play consoles games on a monitor?

It may sound crazy, but a $150 tuner card could off set the price of a new television.

Do they have TV tuners with A/V plugs in the back? And if so, can that be used for the purpose of playing console games?

I've never used TV Tuners or ever thought about using them until I started looking for a TV for college and I realised "Hey, I could try to just use my already ripped computer."

Thanks in advance guys, you've helped my ass numerous times and I appreciate everyone here.

todd · 06-20-2005, 01:06 PM

I have a Hauppauge WinTV-GO card that I use to watch TV and play video games on. It has the video (yellow plug) for things like video games. For audio, I bought a little plug from radioshack that converts the red and white audio plugs into a single 1/8th inch (headphone size plug) that you just plug into the audio-in on your sound card. This setup works great for watching TV/playing games on your screen because it comes with great software for it that lets you record video, take still snapshots up to 1600x1200, lets you label channels, and a ton of other great stuff. The screen is a window that can be resized to however big you like, letting you do other stuff on your computer at the same time. It also goes straight from the TV tuner card (PCI) to your video card, which means it doesn't hog up any system memory at all.

The only problem is quality. I recently found out that there is no way around the low quality that you get with a TV tuner in your PC. It's because the resolution of a TV is much smaller than that of a PC. It's not HORRIBLE quality, meaning you can get used to it, but it won't take advantage of a high res monitor. If you scale the size of the window down to about 640x480 or so, it looks great. Somebody here also told me not long ago that you can get a converter that lets you plug your monitor right into it (bypassing your computer completely), but the resolution issue remains.

I was pretty pissed when I plugged in my new TV card a couple weeks ago and found out how low the quality is. But i've gotten used to it, and usually run it at about 800x600 with little to complain about. If you're going to buy a TV tuner, I definitly recommend Hauppauge: http://www.hauppauge.com/Pages/produ...ta_goplus.html It's only $50 too.

Gatorade Frost · 06-20-2005, 01:13 PM

Well, I saw two products on NewEgg that sparked my attention.

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR250MCE PCI Interface Video Recorder, TV/FM Tuner Card

KWORLD Video Magician PCI Interface Video Editing Kit

The KWORLD thing's confusing to me, though, as it says on the specs that it's -not- a TV or FM tuner, but all the comments say otherwise, so I'm not sure what to think. The pictures of the product seem to say it would support them, too.

todd · 06-20-2005, 01:47 PM

Yea that KWORLD one is confusing. I'm guessing where it says 'No' to TV tuner is a mistype. Because lower down in the specifications it says "Integrated Cable-Ready TV Tuner" and the picture of the card looks just like a TV tuner.

That one looks great, and the front video bay would be extremely useful. It's a pain in the butt having to reach behind my computer to pug in/unplug when I want to switch between my computer and TV. If you have the money to spend a more expensive one, then i'd say go for that one. From the sound of the comments, the software seems to be pretty good as well.

06-20-2005, 12:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
Gatorade Frost Rookie	TV Tuner, Console Games Albatron K8X890 ProII Socket 939 VIA K8T890 ATX AMD Motherboard AMD Athlon 64 3500+ CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory (Two sets) Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive FG Tech BFGR68256GTOCX Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card I'm building a computer right now (had to get the specs out of the way). I'll be using Windows XP Pro/Pro x64. What I'm wondering, though, is on a TV tuner, that'll allow me to stream cable television into my computer, correct? And if so, is there also a possible way to play consoles games on a monitor? It may sound crazy, but a $150 tuner card could off set the price of a new television. Do they have TV tuners with A/V plugs in the back? And if so, can that be used for the purpose of playing console games? I've never used TV Tuners or ever thought about using them until I started looking for a TV for college and I realised "Hey, I could try to just use my already ripped computer." Thanks in advance guys, you've helped my ass numerous times and I appreciate everyone here. __________________ I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well." Emo Philips

06-20-2005, 01:06 PM	#2 (permalink)
todd Addict Location: Chicago	I have a Hauppauge WinTV-GO card that I use to watch TV and play video games on. It has the video (yellow plug) for things like video games. For audio, I bought a little plug from radioshack that converts the red and white audio plugs into a single 1/8th inch (headphone size plug) that you just plug into the audio-in on your sound card. This setup works great for watching TV/playing games on your screen because it comes with great software for it that lets you record video, take still snapshots up to 1600x1200, lets you label channels, and a ton of other great stuff. The screen is a window that can be resized to however big you like, letting you do other stuff on your computer at the same time. It also goes straight from the TV tuner card (PCI) to your video card, which means it doesn't hog up any system memory at all. The only problem is quality. I recently found out that there is no way around the low quality that you get with a TV tuner in your PC. It's because the resolution of a TV is much smaller than that of a PC. It's not HORRIBLE quality, meaning you can get used to it, but it won't take advantage of a high res monitor. If you scale the size of the window down to about 640x480 or so, it looks great. Somebody here also told me not long ago that you can get a converter that lets you plug your monitor right into it (bypassing your computer completely), but the resolution issue remains. I was pretty pissed when I plugged in my new TV card a couple weeks ago and found out how low the quality is. But i've gotten used to it, and usually run it at about 800x600 with little to complain about. If you're going to buy a TV tuner, I definitly recommend Hauppauge: http://www.hauppauge.com/Pages/produ...ta_goplus.html It's only $50 too. Last edited by todd; 06-20-2005 at 01:09 PM..

06-20-2005, 01:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
Gatorade Frost Rookie	Well, I saw two products on NewEgg that sparked my attention. Hauppauge WinTV-PVR250MCE PCI Interface Video Recorder, TV/FM Tuner Card KWORLD Video Magician PCI Interface Video Editing Kit The KWORLD thing's confusing to me, though, as it says on the specs that it's -not- a TV or FM tuner, but all the comments say otherwise, so I'm not sure what to think. The pictures of the product seem to say it would support them, too. __________________ I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well." Emo Philips

06-20-2005, 01:47 PM	#4 (permalink)
todd Addict Location: Chicago	Yea that KWORLD one is confusing. I'm guessing where it says 'No' to TV tuner is a mistype. Because lower down in the specifications it says "Integrated Cable-Ready TV Tuner" and the picture of the card looks just like a TV tuner. That one looks great, and the front video bay would be extremely useful. It's a pain in the butt having to reach behind my computer to pug in/unplug when I want to switch between my computer and TV. If you have the money to spend a more expensive one, then i'd say go for that one. From the sound of the comments, the software seems to be pretty good as well.