What TV Tuner Card?

cobhpirate1980

Can somebody recommend a TV tuner card? I have SKY at home and my pc is in another room from the sky box.

zilog_jones

I have a Pinnacle PCTV Stereo - think it was about €80 but it doesn't seem to be for sale any more. Anything with Philips chips are generally good, but product descriptions don't always say what chips they use.

Thing is I don't know what you expect to be able to do with a tuner card and Sky - the only feasable way of sending the video to your PC from the satellite receiver is by analogue means - either by a co-ax RF cable, which will mean a shítty picture and no stereo sound, or one of those wireless "video sender" things, which will still mean the video is converted to analogue composite or s-video, which still won't be great (nowhere as good as on your TV if you have it set up right using a SCART cable).

The only digital satellite (DVB-S) tuner cards available for PCs (that I know of anyway) can only receive the free channels (basically the BBCs, CNN and about 140 channels of shíte), as Sky use a proprietry encryption system. And even then you'll have to get an extra LNB for your dish and get the cable from that LNB to go to your PC (which depending on location may require drilling holes in walls and similar pain).

SouperComputer

what exactly do you want to do with your setup?

You will be using SVideo to input the signal to your PC. Negligable loss of quality, even on a projector.

cobhpirate1980

Whats my best option in your opinion?

SouperComputer

cobhpirate1980 wrote:

Whats my best option in your opinion?

Eghhhh. I dont know!

What exactly do you want to do?

Just Watch sky on the PC?
Use the PC as an entertainment system that contols the digiboxes (like a pimped Sky+)

cobhpirate1980

Basically to watch some tele on my computer upstairs in my office.

subway

with rabbit ear antennas? or from the skt box?

cobhpirate1980

Either really. As long as I can get some tv. The reception in our area with rabbits ears isnt great though.