Computer TV Tuner Buying Guide

Watching a movie with your laptop is very convenient and neat to do. It is simple; you just need a TV tuner and a TV signal. There are several types of TV tuners out in the market. The latest versions of the Windows operating (Most Vista and Windows 7 OS's) system come with features that allow you to watch TV on your computer. We are not talking abouot Internet TV here, rather we are talking about watching cable or receiving your local TV stations. There are different types of TV tuner cards available on the market, which is why one has to know what they are looking for before hitting the electronics store.

TV tuners enable one to watch live TV on their computer. It can also go beyond just watching. Many tv tuner cards allow you to record live TV. There are many different manufacturers of TV tuners. Before we go into some of the best manufacturers of TV tuners, there are two basic types of TV tuners. The internal TV tuner which is installed inside the PC and the external one which is connected to the computer via the USB port.

Some of the best TV tuners available on the market are the Visionplus VisionDTV, the Nebula, the Avermedia Avertv DVB-T USB2, the Twinhan Magic Box, and the Terratec Cinergy 400 TV. Also, some big computer firms like HP manufacturer TV tuners as well.

Some important features of a good PC TV tuner include design (aesthetics), size, and quality of the software program that comes with the card. These are some of the things consumers consider while shopping for a TV tuner. Another thing they look out for is durability. This can be found by searching for reviews online. Also, if you have a version of Windows that comes with Windows Media Center, you may not need to worry about the included software too much since you can use the built in Windows software. In fact, Windows Media Center is excellent and it would be tough for another 3rd party software to beat it out. You will also want to consider ease of install and flexibility. A USB card will be easier to install and much easier to move from computer to computer than an internal card. However, you may sacrifice on some quality if you choose the USB card. We personally tried a USB card, however, and had no problem recording HD programming. Last, if you want to record in HD, make sure you get a TV Tuner card that can do this since not all cards can handle HD.

Nebula Digitv provides one of the best choices. The picture and sound quality are superb. Some people prefer a PC TV tuner that does not require wideband aerial. Analogue TV tuners give better picture quality if you use them with an internal antenna.

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-By Dominic

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