TV tuner - Is it worth having?

[customBUILDER]

Sorry if this is a repeat or in the wrong section.

I'm currently thinking about getting a TV tuner in my PC. The pc is in my "game room" (spare room i call my game room lol). I was thinking about using the pc mainly for gaming but would like to use it for media streaming and possibly TV if it is worth it.

I only have freeview in my home as im not a believer of paying for extra channels for which most i wont watch.

Is it worth me getting a tuner or should i just bring an arial to my TV and use the TV's freeview. PS im using an LG 42" HDTV as my monitor.

 

[seavixen32]

I currently use Windows Media Center to watch TV on my computer, which comes in handy when the boss wants to watch her favourite programs on our main TV.

Providing you have access to a TV aerial and a co-axial lead to hook up your TV tuner to it you'll have all you need.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/Set-up-a-TV-signal-in-Windows-Media-Center

 

[Arc]

If you like to watch TV on your monitor, TV tuners are good enough ! Matching with your needs and budget, you may opt for an an external one, or an internal one.

Most probably, the external tuners doesnt have the TV capturing facility.

 

[customBUILDER]

Do u get any additional channels or would it just be normal freeview channels, if the later then i might as well just bring an aerial to my TV/monitor. I already have an aerial and booster/splitter set up in the home so i would just be a case of drilling into the game room and connecting. This will also save on additional costs of the TV tuner.

On the other hand i wouldn't be able to record etc unless i purchased a recorder.

 

[seavixen32]

If you are on Freeview you'll get all the normal channels as well as any others that are available and you're able to tune in to.

I use Freeview and get my signal from the BBC's Sandy Heath transmitter and can get 91 channels - TV, Radio and a few others.

 

[customBUILDER]

Hmm on my TV i recieve my signal from sutton coldfield and currently get 100+ with TV, radio etc

 

[kegobeer]

Hmm on my TV i recieve my signal from sutton coldfield and currently get 100+ with TV, radio etc

A tuner can receive all unencrypted channels that your cable provider supplies, ie: all channels that show up on a TV without a cable box. My provider encrypts all channels over 99, which means my tuner will not receive any digital channels, but they send analog channels and also the local TV digital/HD feeds. That means I can watch only the analog channels and OTA digital/HD channels (local channels that broadcast OTA) in Windows Media Center. However, not all tuners are equal. Some tuners only pull in digital channels, some pull in analog and digital, etc etc etc. If your cable provider still sends analog channels, you'll need a tuner that is good for analog; if all the channels are digital, you only need a digital tuner. My provider still sends analog, so I need a tuner that does both analog and digital.

 

[seavixen32]

Here in the UK, the terrestial analog transmitters have been switched off so the only TV tuner required now is for the Freeview digital TV channels including some HD channels.

Of course, a lot more channels are available through cable and satellite TV providers, for which a decoder is required.

 

[customBUILDER]

Ok thanks, i think ill get a TV tuner so i can at least record without having to get additional hardware. Thanks for all your help.

 

[seavixen32]

You're very welcome.

Just post back if you need further help.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
Wth services like Netflix, Sky Go desktop, BBC Iplayer, other services (UK ITV, channel 4, Channel 5 etc,) to say nothing of zillions of stations from Germany (unencrypted --although you probably need to speak German) and other countries I doubt whether having a TV tuner card is worth while anymore.

Almost all the decent monitors I've seen these days have Digital Terrestrial receivers ("Freeview" in the UK) so just switch the monitor to TV.

If you want to watch TV "in a Window" then assuming your internet is fast enough (these days it should be) then just use one of the many Internet TV streaming services such as Sky Go etc).

On slow "Capped" internet services then maybe a TV tuner card can be worthwhile-- but I'd imagine for most people it's not worth bothering any more with this type of hardware.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[seavixen32]

You make a valid point Jimbo, but I'm on a slow internet service, which means that streaming is out of the question for me.

To tell you the truth, my TV tuner card is invaluable. I have a decent graphics card with a good sound system so the TV on my computer gets a fair amount of use.

If I try to use BBC iPlayer or Sky Go, they freeze constantly. There is talk of us getting a fibre-optic service, but I think hell will freeze over first.

 

[customBUILDER]

We have fibre optic in our area but i dont agree with paying such a high price for a service that i will only watch a hand full of channels from, which i record at my parents and watch when i go for dinner on sundays.

The only major advantage i can see is the ability to record, where if i wanted to do that currently id have to buy another recordable box at a much higher price than a TV tuner and software.

 

[Stu2009]

I may be late in responding...Yes a good TV tuner is a great way to watch TV. You can watch HDTV recordings(using a HDMI output video card) on your schedule and limited to the number of recordings you can save by your HDD size. As I am "older" I watch many of older TV shows and recording "my" shows is great. Skip though the ads, I can not afford cable and do not want a long contract with satellite. there is just too much local terrestrial TV. I find myself deleting programs I have not had time to watch. Just enjoy!...just wish netflix worked within wmc...way too much TV