Nerds, assemble, help needed!

DirtyDreamDesigner

Venerable Relic of the Wastes
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So. I'm thinking of buying a TV card for my PC so that I may watch TV. On my PC.

Anyway, do you have any advice for me? 'tho I'm knowledgable about computers, I've never had any contact with TV cards.

Also, I have a cable modem and plan on using the same cable (split, of course) for the TV card. Will that cause any loss of quality of signal? Interference? Etc?
 
DirtyDreamDesigner said:
So. I'm thinking of buying a TV card for my PC so that I may watch TV. On my PC.

Anyway, do you have any advice for me? 'tho I'm knowledgable about computers, I've never had any contact with TV cards.
Just get one. Almost all will suffice for just watching TV.
You might want to think about getting one with an extra output, so you can have the card send out the signal to a TV if you may ever want to do that.

DirtyDreamDesigner said:
Also, I have a cable modem and plan on using the same cable (split, of course) for the TV card. Will that cause any loss of quality of signal? Interference? Etc?
It shouldn't. The cable modem splitter supposedly works in an almost lossless way for the analog TV signal. If you're not noticing any loss of quality on your TV now, you shouldn't notice any loss of quality on the TV card.
 
I won't buy a TV, it's almost 7 times as expensive, plus it can't capture images nor record the program to avi or mpg (a handy feature I hope to have for recording... documentaries :look:).

Also, I think I'll get a PCI one, since for some reason USB ones seem strange to me (how can the quality of signal match the one from a PCI card which has twice the bandwidth?) Plus they're more expensive.
 
DirtyDreamDesigner said:
I won't buy a TV, it's almost 7 times as expensive, plus it can't capture images nor record the program to avi or mpg (a handy feature I hope to have for recording... documentaries :look:).
A TV image does look better on a TV, though. Besides, better to be prepared than...not.
Also, I think I'll get a PCI one, since for some reason USB ones seem strange to me (how can the quality of signal match the one from a PCI card which has twice the bandwidth?) Plus they're more expensive.
It all goes over the same Bus anyway, so that bandwidth won't make much of a difference.
Other than that, a TV stream doesn't require that much bandwidth anyway.
A PCI one is handier, though, mainly because it'll be inside the case instead of dangling outside it somewhere.
 
*whips out the June issue of Bug*

Get Leadtek Winfast TV2000XP Expert. An awesome card for just under €50. If you also want to be able to receive DVB-T signal, then get Leadtek DTV2000 H.
 
You're welcome, but let me clarify something I neglected to mention: DTV2000 is a hybrid card, which means it supports both analog and digital signal. It's a good choice if you plan to start watching digital TV in near future and don't feel like paying for a separate card. Otherwise, TV2000XP should be more than adequate (and it likely beats DTV2000 in quality of analog video).
 
I figured that out. Unfortunately, I've been phoning around town and nobody has them in stock. The HGSpot tards have a similar Leadtek one but it's crappier and more expensive.

Maybe I'll just have to buy a simpler, albeit cheaper one. :(
 
DirtyDreamDesigner said:
I won't buy a TV, it's almost 7 times as expensive, plus it can't capture images nor record the program to avi or mpg (a handy feature I hope to have for recording... documentaries :look:).

Oh, now I understand! 8)
 
Ripping And Mixing

Ripping And Mixing




Since the socket seven days, have always managed to maintain some behind the tech wave crest -- bargain -- ATI All In Wonder card on a functioning PC.

Would not have recommended ATI's back then because of the infuriating difficulty when installing their drivers on Win 95 and 98 OS'es. Had to be one stubborn square headed MF to a out last the ordeal.

Use to time record selected TV cartoon shows for some minor relations. In that part of town, my antennae had better reception in the daytime of these important broadcasts anyway.

Then, cable was an overpriced luxury.
Now, it's an overpriced necessity.

Right, ... and I can sell you options on a future bridge to nowhere in Alaska ...



Instead of zapping the commercials, use to mix in game trailers and intro's.

So of course, all the FO intro's were included.

Got the 'age appropriate' lecture when the youngest saw the abandoned teddy bear in FOT's intro. He INSTANTLY got that everyone INCLUDING the children died in that fictional apocalypse. Guess to that young intelligence, the bear had as iconic a visual impact as the runaway baby carriage in BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN. Don't worry, it was all character building, last year I had to struggle to win one out of three when networking Warhammer 40k RTS's against him.

What do I recall?
Ol' uncle 4too gave 'em some Tomb Raider leaping and shooting, and perhaps, the high lights of rat killing and scorpion dodging in FO1 from V 13 to V 15.

The surprising favorite was a furious replay of a level from Warhammer 40k - Chaos Gate.
Shear luck or accident, the point of view camera was fast, obliquely dramatic, and on the fly . The canned opposing character taunts fresh enough, they couldn't tell it was turn based.

They called it "'The Battling Blue Robots"' (both sides in heavy battle armor). They watched it again and again, as only kids can.

DDD, enjoy the temporal paradox of timed recording. When archiving, ripp-'em and mix-'em to dance out a theme like a crafted, customized music cassette.





4too
 
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