As the one-stop home entertainment hub, computers are touching new-highs with TV Tuners/cards. TV cards, as they are popularly called, are computer components which let the computer receive television signals, decode them and display them on the monitor. Some may also let you record the television programs. The sheer convenience of a computer that can also double up as a television set and a FM radio, along with providing an output for camcorders, vcrs and CD / DVD players is hard to beat. A TV card ensures that your computer does all this and more, such as record programs, burn CD / dvds etc.
TV cards can be this versatile, as they convert analog signals to digital signals for the computer monitor by using receivers to receive the analog and digital signals, a tuner and a decoder to have the analog-to-digital conversion. The net result is a full scale digital television experience at far less than the cost of a hi-fi digital television set. TV cards are extremely useful to people with a space constraint as it eliminates the need to maintain a separate television.
While choosing TV cards it is important to keep in context your location, as TV cards are made to be compatible to certain region specific formats and radio frequency. Also, determine your computer’s Operating System and its compatibility with the TV card before choosing.
TV cards come with various technical specifications and features which influence your viewing experience. Some of the core aspects are explored in the following lines:
TV cards are basically of two types – analog and digital. Now-a-days most of the TV cards are digital, i.e. silicon
based TV cards. The earlier analog TV cards had poor image resolution compared to the digital TV cards which give better
picture quality. Also today, most of the broadcasting is digital and hence there is little point opting for an analog TV
card. There are two types of digital broadcasting – Standard Definition and High Definition. Standard definition
(SD) broadcast is very popular and offers decent image quality at a resolution of 576 lines x 720 pixels. High Definition
(HD) is fast becoming the norm for tomorrow and it offers superior image quality and clarity with an amazing resolution of
1920 lines x 1080 pixels. DVB-S or Digital Video Broadcasting is the standard for broadcast to digital television. The
Audio Video encoding and decoding format is usually MPEG-2.
2.2 - Internal / External
One of the main decisions to make while choosing a TV card is whether you want an internal one or an external one. The
internal cards fit on the PCI slots available on the motherboard, while the external cards use USB cables to connect to
the computer. The external cards are more expensive than the internal cards. However, they are preferable because the
internal TV cards do come with all the extra cabling that you may require to connect the various devices and to access
radio. Also internal cards may not come with added features such as remote control access. The external TV card is the
preferred choice for laptops and is more portable than the internal TV cards. External TV cards offer better image quality
than internal TV cards, as they come equipped with added filters for cleaner images. Usually external TV cards come with
additional bundled software, so you may wish to opt for them. However, if your intended usage is only basic
viewing/recording, you would not have much need of additional features. In such cases, the internal TV cards make for a
cost-effective choice as they provide a comparable viewing experience at a lower cost.
2.3 - Interface
Interface refers to the way in which the TV tuner card communicates with the computer. PCI, Firewire, USB 1.1 and USB
2.0 are the interfaces. PCI refers to Peripheral Component Interconnect expansion and the PCI slots are present on the
motherboard. The TV cards fit into the PCI slots and can have a data transfer rate of 133MB per second. The USB interface
may be USB 1.1 or USB 2.0. USB 1.1 is however inadequate as the data transfer rate is less; 11 mbps. USB 2.0 and Firewire
are the best options as they have very good bandwidths of 400Mbps and 480Mbps respectively.
2.4 - Analog & Digital Video Formats
An important factor to look for while buying a TV card is the analog and digital inputs and output that are available.
Choose these depending upon compatibility with the broadcast and the devices you want to use such as VCR, camcorder, etc.
S-Video and Composite Video are popular analog audio / video input and output standards, while MPEG-2 is the most popular
digital format. MPEG-1 may also be available. Consider the compatibility with your computer before making the choice and
ensure that the software support for receiving and recording the formats is adequate.
2.5 - Software
There is usually the necessary software and the drivers for the tuners bundled with the TV card. However, it is advisable
to check these carefully before buying as some of the lower-end cards may not offer software bundling and you may need to
use third-party software.
2.6 - Connections
When choosing the TV card, ensure that there are connections for S-Video and Composite input and output. This is very
important when you want to use devices such as; VCRs, camcorders, etc. SCART is 21-pin connector that is used to connect
various devices such as; camcorders, VCRs, CD/DVD players, gaming devices, etc to the television and it can be used to
avoid compatibility issues.
2.7 - Time Shifting
A key feature of TV cards is its ability to pause a program being broadcast and let you view it later, as the TV card
receives the signal and thus records the program to the hard disk when paused. So you can simply continue watching later.
You can also record the programs you want to the hard disk and then transfer them to CDs or DVDs.
If you are keen on listening to the radio, many TV cards come with the digital radio feature. You can listen to the FM
radio as the TV card can also accept radio broadcast.
3.2 - Remote Control
Most TV cards, except for some lower-end ones come with a remote control and infra-red connection and this is very
convenient if you intend to use the computer as a television over longer periods. This is usually a given fact with an
external TV card.
3.3 - FM Radio
Check out the signal standard of your broadcast such as digital, NTSC, PAL and SECAM. Ensure your TV card’s
compatibility with the broadcast.
3.4 - Price
TV cards today have become quite popular as low-cost, space saving alternatives to television sets. Also with the advent of
Electronic Programming Guides that let you schedule viewing and recording of broadcast programs, its convenience has only
increased. With Prices that range from less than $50 to more than $150 these days it's a great cheap alternative. The lower-end models usually allow for viewing and recording. With increased price, features such as scheduling, remote control, HD broadcast viewing and user friendly interfaces are more common.
