Video Capture and TV Tuner Cards

Today's computers are versatile enough to support an entire media center. With modern sound and graphics capabilities, playing video games and listening to music is standard practice on most PCs. Every aspect of entertainment can now be brought to your home computer, including television viewing and recording. Most cards also come with remote control devices that allow you to switch channels, record shows and perform other functions. For the true media professional, video editing cards take the entire process to a new level. Many graphics cards and even some monitors include TV tuners already.

Internal Cards

Internal video capture/TV tuner cards will minimize clutter and maximize efficiency. Generally, internal cards are slightly less expensive than their external counterparts.

ATI TV Wonder Elite	Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150	ADS Tech Instant TV and FM
The TV Wonder Elite is ATI's newest and most advanced video capture/TV tuner card. The card boasts improved time-shift recording and a user-friendly interface. The TV Wonder Elite also optimizes signal reception. An FM tuner is included.	The Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150 provides all of the basic features of other more expensive WinTV models. It encodes video to MPEG and allows more manual reception tuning. PC World dubbed the card a best buy.	The ADS Tech Instant TV and FM card is relatively inexpenive considering its features. This card allows users to set a qaulity level for video capture. Sadly, video editing and scheduled recording are not possible with this card. An FM tuner is included.

External Cards

External video capture/TV tuner cards may be bulkier and cost a bit more than internal cards, but are just as capable (on a USB 2.0 connection) and portable. For laptop owners, this is your only option.

ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0	AVerMedia UltraTV USB	Hauppauge WinTV Usb 2.0
Like its PCI counterpart, The ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0 provides high quality time-shift recording and a user-friendly interface. Unfortutely, unlike its PCI counterpart, the TV Wonder USB 2.0 comes with neither a remote control nor video editing software.	The AVerMedia UltraTV is smaller than its counterparts, making it ideal for travel. The card allows users to record one channel while watching another, something that usually can only be accomplished with two cards.	The Hauppauge WinTv USB 2.0 is physically larger than its competition, but is easy to setup and includes video editing and burning software. The WinTV also has an FM tuner and allows users to manually fine tune reception.

New Product Alert! Artec T14A USB TV Tuner The new Artec T14A USB TV Tuner  utilizes the ATSC standard to bring HD television to your computer. It catches HDTV broadcasts in the US, Canada, Taiwan, South Korea and Argentina. When combined with a laptop, this lightweight devices lets users watch HDTV essentially anywhere. The T14A retails for $90.

DVR Capabilities Combination video capture/TV tuner cards give users not only a television on their monitor, but also a Tivo in their hard drive. Newer models feature easy-to-use time-shift abilities (though their ability to successfully perform that feature has been debateable). Video capture/TV tuner cards allow users to schedule recording sessions ahead of time. Some even allow users to record one channel while watching another, though this feature is rare. Most models allow users to save their recorded media into DVD-compatible formats. Some tuners come with editing software that allows you to cut through those nasty commercials on future views. HDTV Cards There are now cards that bring high-definition television to your home PC. These tuners are relatively new and the value of such a card is strictly dependent on your interest in high definition television programming. Even in urban environments, the quality of your PC HD experience depends less on the card itself and more on your television reception. HDTV cards  tend to use a lot of bandwith and PC memory, so running other programs while scoping the game might not be optimal. The technology is advancing though, and so there will be plenty of updates as HDTV cards continue to evolve.