Technical > PC Hardware Discussion/Reviews > [Parts Check] TV tuner

[Parts Check] TV tuner

I would go with the Hauppauge. But that opinion is based on my experience with their internal cards versus internal all-in-wonder cards. I would also consider the Hauppauge still-in-production/supported status. I have been rather upset with ATI, particularly since the AMD merger, when it comes to supporting older devices.

reply to jchambers28
Hauppauge

If your provider requires any kind of box to receive any channels then you'll need the cablecard.. if not, according to missingremote.com it can still be used without it and get whatever you would get directly plugging a cable into a TV.
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Moe, I need your advice… See I've got this friend named Joey Joe-Joe... Junior... Shabadoo..

I am wanting to use them with a cable card. I want it to be as easy setup as possible.

Well you definitely don't want to get the one from eBay, other than it doesn't appear to support cablecard. You'll get a warranty and support from Hauppauge.
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Moe, I need your advice… See I've got this friend named Joey Joe-Joe... Junior... Shabadoo..

reply to jchambers28
The ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable tuner pictured in your link looks like the first commercially available CableCard model provided by ATI:

»www.engadget.com/2007/01/11/atis···ands-on/

So I don’t doubt that it is CableCard capable but its an older model and single stream. In other words you would only receive one channel (to watch or record) at a time. If you wanted multiple channels for background recording and the like you would need another ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable tuner and another CableCard rental (up to four). Or you would need a newer model with M-Card rental

With the Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 model you’ll receive two streams with an M-Card CableCard rental. So for example, you’ll be able to record one show in the background and watch another show on a different channel.

I have the Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 but I have yet to set it up. I think it’s a far better choice given the alternative. Ceton (quad tuner) or Silicondust (tri tuner) would be my ideal choice but the Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 is the most cost effective new CableCard tuner M-Card capable model (AKA cheapest, as far as I know).

reply to jchambers28
I am currently using 2 of the ATI TV Wonder external Digital Cable tuners and one of the internal Ceton 4 cable card tuner. giving me a total of 6 tuners on this machine. If I was just starting again I would go with the Ceton tuners or the Silicon Dust tuners as my first choice.

Great example,…..

If you had a single CableCard tuner capable of 6 streams and only one CableCard rental was required you would pay the monthly rental fee for the single CableCard. In my case the rental fee is one dollar and fifty cents (~$1.50).

I believe Ceton has a six tuner version or was working on one. Silicondust has a six tuner version (the HDHomeRun Prime 6CC) but it uses two CableCards which would cost 2x the rental fee (for a total of ~$3.00 per month in my case).

Six ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable tuner with 6 CableCard rental would be 6x the rental fee (for a total of ~$9 per month in my case).

Same functionality with very different monthly rates given the configuration.

BTW, I was under the impression that only 4 of a kind tuner configurations were supported in Media Center. Six tuner configurations are presumably attained by OEMS using a special Microsoft provided expansion pack (OEMS only) or a hack (DIY).

You are correct. Media center will only support 4? tuners but there is a 3rd party software TunerSalad, I believe, that will increase the limit of tuners »www.hack7mc.com/2010/08/increasi···lad.html

reply to jchambers28

reply to jchambers28
Ceton officially drops the InfiniTV 4 price to $199

quote:

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A device that was selling for around $600 on eBay just two years ago, is now officially priced at $199 -- the second $100 price drop in the past eight months -- and is available immediately from some of your favorite online retailers. That means both the USB and PCIe versions of the CableCARD tuner that can record four HD channels at once, cost a mere $50 per tuner. While this makes it the cheapest per-tuner CableCARD tuner ever available, the dual tuner Hauppauge WinTV DCR-2650 at $149 retail ($112 street) still requires the lowest total entry cost into the PC CableCARD tuner market. We've come a long way since ATI offered a single tuner for $299, but the still-pricey cards make it easy to understand understand why TV manufacturers and other set-top box makers, like Boxee, can't hide the price of a CableCARD tuner in the cost of their products.

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That has me wanting it. I need to get me a replacement PSU first.

reply to jchambers28
Ceton or silicondust HD prime are the 2 Cablecard tuners. I use the silicondust HD prime myself. It's a network tuner so don't need to tie it to a specific system. but allows flexibility. They make a 3 and 6 tuner model. It does tuner pooling. so it will share and use up to 6 for recordings.

Ceton I haven't used. but heard good things about them

Very true. The prices have come down a long way since they were first launched. I am tired of paying cox $20 a month for a DVR with limited recording space. This is a good entry level unit. I will get one of the other units once the priced drop even further. I needed something to get me off of paying $20 amoth for a cox DVR.

When the ATI DCT was launched I don't believe you could buy one without a qualifying OEM Media Center system. Total cost was about ~$1000+ just to start and that was single stream. So the cost of entry has definitely dropped significantly

I ordered the hauppauge tv tuner yesterday Fedex has it it should be here ant my home shortly. I am going to the cox store to pick up a cable card today. I am excited to finally get rid of watching analog cable and make the move to HD.

reply to Octavean
I forgot they released one.

Personally I don't like/trust the USB ones.

I like the HD Prime just for the flexibity and it sits in my wiring closet in the basement. Media center PC is 2 floors up in bedroom, only needing a Ethernet cable.

The Ceton InfiniTV 4 Quad-tuner comes in both PCIe x1 and USB models so the like or dislike of USB wont necessarily be relevant for most buyers,…as they have a choice here. The Ceton has also been on the market longer and is likely more prevalent, proven and popular because of it. The price drop down to ~$200 for a quad is also likely to elevate its favor among many as well.

The benefits of the Ethernet interface also come with caveat. Stressing your network can effect performance. For example, I have a gigabit Ethernet network with four SiliconDust HDHomeRun units (8 Clear QAM streams) and multiple large file transfers can cause problems with recordings. A PCIe or USB based CableCard tuner wouldn’t be prone to such problems.