Do TV Tuner cards really work in W7 HTPC build

tjpearson

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Hello everyone,
Need help in deciding is it going to be worth all the trouble of installing a TV Tuner card to have the ability to record live and future event TV programmes.
I read mixed reviews on every card I find but would appreciate some others feedback who have done this with positive trustworthy performance results.
My thoughts are that I would expect more success with W7 considering Windows Media Centre is still supported to some degree with this operating system, although plan to use Kodi plugin with Media Portal software to set and record programming.
I live in the North West of England as aware location can have an effect.
tj
 

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If you can find on with 7 drivers then it should function. That will be a bigger factor than media center. However if your cable requires a box then it likely won't work because that means that the signal is encrypted. Years ago I used a tv tuner while in college and at the time quality wasn't as good as a tv. I suspect that's still the case because TVs and monitors really aren't interchangeable. Sure a monitor can be used in place of a tv but for a decrease in quality. As for your area, I can't make any comments.
 

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Thanks for this,
No it isn't cable just free to air aerial transmission and signal should be strong.
tj
 

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Windows 7 Professional 64 bitIntel i5 6600Corsair DDR4 Dual 16gigIntel graphics HD/4K
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Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
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Intel i5 6600
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MSI Tomahawk z260
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Corsair DDR4 Dual 16gig
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Intel graphics HD/4K
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Creative Sound Blaster ZXR
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AOC
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1080 HD monitor & 2nd HD output to Sony Bravia
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Check out 'Hauppauge' tuners do work either with media center or their own program. Also has a schedule program to record.
Used for the last nine years with no troubles.
Art.
 

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There still has to be drivers for the device.
 

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    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
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    Alienware 25 AW2521HF & Viewsonic
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    1920 x1080 & 1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD blue 1 tb & 500 gb.
    Browser
    FF of course.
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    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    Dell Poweredge T140
    OS
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 750 GB
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
Thanks for all the replies

Thanks for all the replies and I'm going to give it a bash, I will update after crimbo with the results to help others.
Cheers
tj
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Professional 64 bitIntel i5 6600Corsair DDR4 Dual 16gigIntel graphics HD/4K
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
RebBuild (self build Media Centre)
OS
Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
CPU
Intel i5 6600
Motherboard
MSI Tomahawk z260
Memory
Corsair DDR4 Dual 16gig
Graphics Card(s)
Intel graphics HD/4K
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster ZXR
Monitor(s) Displays
AOC
Screen Resolution
1080 HD monitor & 2nd HD output to Sony Bravia
Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 3tb
PSU
EVGA 750G2L Gold
Case
Silverstone Gardia GD08
Cooling
Stock fans
Keyboard
Logitech diNovo Edge
Mouse
Mad Cats R.A.T 5
Internet Speed
26mb
Antivirus
Bitdefender
Browser
Opera
Other Info
Backup via two Seagate Barracuda 2tb drives enclosed in Icy Box USB3
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