Thanks. I'll go with Hauppague. Next question is, combo, dual, analog,
digital? I'm guessing digital as I have digital HD cable with
Cablevision, or Optimum IO. But what are dual and combo? I have no
rooftop antenna hookup so I don't need that. Any recommendayions as to
which of these cards? Is that $59 "hybrid" model alright? I won't get
HD as I need an HD box from my cable comjpany for that. I have a 24"
Cell U-2410 monitor. Thanks.
The Hauppauge HVR series boards are hybrid, which means that they work
with both digital and analog inputs. In the U.S., you need a digital
receiver to get over-the-air broadcasts (using your own antenna). If
you have basic cable (without a converter box), most stations are
analog, except for "clear QAM" stations, which are digital. These
sources are connected to the TV board via an RF (75 ohm) antenna jack.
The HVR boards have two of these, one for digital and one for analog.
Some have a third RF jack for FM radio.
If you have a cable converter box or satellite receiver, these convert
a digital signal to an analog output. You connect these to the TV
board by using a composite, component, or S-video cable. The Hauppauge
boards have an auxiliary input for composite or S-video.
Dual boards, such as the Hauppauge HVR-2250, have two receivers on
board, so that you can watch one channel while recording another.
In my setup, I have an amplified rooftop antenna that feeds into the
RF (75 ohm) jack on the TV board. I also have a satellite receiver
that connects to the board via the auxiliary composite input. When I
let Windows Media Center scan for channels, first it showed that I had
"one ATSC tuner" and "one set-top box." Then it used an online
database to set up all my local free-to-air channels and my satellite
channels. One remote can control the whole thing.
