TV Cards?
- Thread starter Tilda
- Start date
Hi Tilda
If you don't have an aerial in your room, you either need to stretch a cable from an existing source, or look at wireless TV systems. Something like the Slingbox may be okay, but it depends on your needs.
If you do have a aeriel, then it's pretty easy. All you need is a TV tuner, which usually come in internal (PCI) or external (USB, ExpressCard, PCMCIA etc.) flavors. Some of these come bundled with a tiny aeriel, but usually the reception is really poor. You may be able to get away with buying a bigger internal aeriel, but it depends on the reception in your area.
Things to look out for include: software (some is good, some is dire, so check the manufacturer's website), digital support (make sure the TV tuner supports digital TV), remote control etc.
Personally I have used AverMedia's products in the past. They provide great features (analogue, digital, HD, radio etc.) and the software, whilst ugly, is at least updated quite regularly and works on most platforms. I still have one of their USB devices sitting here unused and almost as-new (but sans-box). If you have £20 spare just let me know and I'll post it you.
Kind regards
If you don't have an aerial in your room, you either need to stretch a cable from an existing source, or look at wireless TV systems. Something like the Slingbox may be okay, but it depends on your needs.
If you do have a aeriel, then it's pretty easy. All you need is a TV tuner, which usually come in internal (PCI) or external (USB, ExpressCard, PCMCIA etc.) flavors. Some of these come bundled with a tiny aeriel, but usually the reception is really poor. You may be able to get away with buying a bigger internal aeriel, but it depends on the reception in your area.
Things to look out for include: software (some is good, some is dire, so check the manufacturer's website), digital support (make sure the TV tuner supports digital TV), remote control etc.
Personally I have used AverMedia's products in the past. They provide great features (analogue, digital, HD, radio etc.) and the software, whilst ugly, is at least updated quite regularly and works on most platforms. I still have one of their USB devices sitting here unused and almost as-new (but sans-box). If you have £20 spare just let me know and I'll post it you.
Kind regards
Bob007
Prince Among Men
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2003
- Messages
- 585
Ya need a TV turner card, USB or Internal 1.
Options range, but if you just after watching free view stuff then a USB DVB-T or something similar will do the trick.
Only things you have to watch out for it the "T" in DVB-T, atm theres 4(maybe more) TV formats, T=Terrestrial, S=Satilite, C=Cable. S2=Sat HD and you can get cards/usb sticks that will do 1 or all. Other then that, they pretty much plug and play now. Pop em in, add some drivers and scan away. sort ya channels and sit back
Also most come with a crappy ariel. might want to grab a better 1 or use houses roof 1 if you have 1 avail.
Finaly all should do digi radio as its transmited on sat, cable and terrestrial signals. So a bonus of loads of digi radio stations to.
Some linkages.
Afterdawn
Ebuyer
Dabs
Options range, but if you just after watching free view stuff then a USB DVB-T or something similar will do the trick.
Only things you have to watch out for it the "T" in DVB-T, atm theres 4(maybe more) TV formats, T=Terrestrial, S=Satilite, C=Cable. S2=Sat HD and you can get cards/usb sticks that will do 1 or all. Other then that, they pretty much plug and play now. Pop em in, add some drivers and scan away. sort ya channels and sit back
Also most come with a crappy ariel. might want to grab a better 1 or use houses roof 1 if you have 1 avail.
Finaly all should do digi radio as its transmited on sat, cable and terrestrial signals. So a bonus of loads of digi radio stations to.
Some linkages.
Afterdawn
Ebuyer
Dabs
DaGaffer
Down With That Sorta Thing
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2003
- Messages
- 18,499
Slingbox?
To highjack this slightly, anyone got any experience of using Slingbox? My Ma's finally got broadband in Cyprus and I was thinking of getting a Slingbox so she could stream episodes of Corrie etc off my PVR. I'm just suspicious of the quality of these types of thing; I had a go with the Sony TVanywhere thing and it was shite.
To highjack this slightly, anyone got any experience of using Slingbox? My Ma's finally got broadband in Cyprus and I was thinking of getting a Slingbox so she could stream episodes of Corrie etc off my PVR. I'm just suspicious of the quality of these types of thing; I had a go with the Sony TVanywhere thing and it was shite.
Bob007
Prince Among Men
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2003
- Messages
- 585
Never used it myself, I'd imagine you'd likely have upload speed issues if ya in the UK.
If you are then get sky, have sky ? sweet, but how does that help.....
You can have a multiroom subscription and ship the "spare" box to ya mam. Sounds a bit mental i know, but after scanning about the web a bit it seems a popular thing, some places even charging £100 a year a for it + sky subs.
All you do is have a scaty dish installed at ya mams home in cyprus. ship out ya spare box and card and sortted. She can receive all the same channels you do including the much coverted soaps (spit).
Companies like Astro Sat catter for expats, Might be worth looking into.
If you are then get sky, have sky ? sweet, but how does that help.....
You can have a multiroom subscription and ship the "spare" box to ya mam. Sounds a bit mental i know, but after scanning about the web a bit it seems a popular thing, some places even charging £100 a year a for it + sky subs.
All you do is have a scaty dish installed at ya mams home in cyprus. ship out ya spare box and card and sortted. She can receive all the same channels you do including the much coverted soaps (spit).
Companies like Astro Sat catter for expats, Might be worth looking into.
DaGaffer
Down With That Sorta Thing
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2003
- Messages
- 18,499
I'm pretty sure you're right about upload issues, so I was thinking about hooking up Slingbox to a PC-VCR like Applian At-large, so she could use the slingbox to pick and choose what she wanted off my telly/stb (I've got 3 freeview tuners available), but record it to eliminate buffering problems.
I kind of knew about the Sky multi-room thing, but unfortunately that's not an easy option; a few years back the BBC and ITV switched Astra satellites to a much smaller footprint. This means you need something like a 4M dish to pick it up in Cyprus, and unfortunately, when my parents had their house built, they designed it with a roof alcove for the satellite dish (to hide it) that isn't big enough to expand to 4M without structural work (3M max); hence the interest in using broadband instead.
I kind of knew about the Sky multi-room thing, but unfortunately that's not an easy option; a few years back the BBC and ITV switched Astra satellites to a much smaller footprint. This means you need something like a 4M dish to pick it up in Cyprus, and unfortunately, when my parents had their house built, they designed it with a roof alcove for the satellite dish (to hide it) that isn't big enough to expand to 4M without structural work (3M max); hence the interest in using broadband instead.