TV tuner for laptop?! No, thanks.
I really mean this. Why I have to buy this additional equipment?
Simply, you can watch TV on laptop with various free and paid software solutions.
Live TV via internet or TV tuners for around $50 and go up to $150?!
But, after purchasing some software for watching web TV channels on your computer, you will probably want to expand your laptop screen to your TV set. So, in that case and only in that case we can start talking about TV tuners.
In addition you can read more about TV tuners and cards in article
from Tech Connect Magazine
When buying an external tuner, it is advisable to look for the number and range of channels supported. Older models may only allow you to watch a small set of your shows, or not allow you to record the incoming stream. External tuners start at around $50 and go up to $150. Like their internal counterparts, the more expensive models feature extra software, cabling and often ship with a remote control.
Installation, as we mentioned above is pretty easy, plug the tuner into a USB port, then a TV signal cable (antenna, cable or satellite) and install the software on the CD included with the tuner. Occasionally you will have to answer a couple questions during setup concerning the type of TV signal you are using and where you are located to help with the programming guide. You can use Windows Media Center to watch TV (change channels, volume, etc.) and as your DVR interface (setting programs to record and watching recorded programs). Here are a few tuners you might want to consider, from the ATI Theater that retails at around $50 to the 1192 WinTV HVR-1950 which retails at $129,00.
The Instant Computer HDTV Receiver
This USB digital TV tuner instantly receives and records high-definition television broadcasts. It plugs into a USB port on a computer and connects to an included antenna with a 4′ 11″ cord, while it uses the same ATSC tuner found in full-sized HDTVs and supports up to 1920 x 1080 resolution. A remote control is present, and the included software allows you to schedule and record content into MPEG4 files. Works with Windows 7, Vista, and XP SP2 (not compatible with 64-bit systems). As expected digital broadcasts with a weak signal will result in no picture. The Instand Computer HDTV Receiver retails at $80,00.
Diamond TVW750USB ATI Theater HD 750 USB TV Tuner
The ATI Theater USB TV tuner that comes from Diamond is one of the most popular choices on the market basically because of its connectivity with ATSC, DVB-T broadcasts, the support for Clear-QAM digital TV as well as the built in video conversion utility which lets you convert recorded HDTV content into AVI, MPEG, WMV and even MPEG4. One minus point of this device is the inability to play a digital and analog channel simultaneously as a dual hybrid tuner is lacking. Picture quality is excellent due to the image enhancement technology that works on it and the built-in 12 bit video and audio encoder. To top it all, this USB tuner costs only $52,00 after discounts.
Hauppauge 1192 WinTV HVR-1950 External USB HDTV Tuner
The 1192 WinTV HVR-1950 from Hauppauge, the leader in TV Tuners for the PC, is one of the few tuners that comes along with a remote control and just like ATI’s and Diamond’s tuner it will also record everything for you. The Hauppauge 1192 allows you to watch high definition channels over the air with an antenna, clear QAM channels, analog cable channels and listen to FM radio too. An on-board MPEG-2 encoder allows the PC to run at full speed while recording analog cable TV directly to the hard drive. With the added remote control accessory, the cost of this device is $129.
KWorld PlusTV Hybrid 330
With the $60 Hybrid 330 USB device from Kworld you can enjoy watching and recording HDTV (ATSC) and Analog TV (NTSC) on your desktop or laptop. Furthermore the ATSC 300U comes with a multi-function TotalMedia application and includes an Infrared Remote Control, while a Time-Shifting program is present to let Pause Live TV and resume playback from where you left off.
Source: http://www.tcmagazine.com
What do you think?
TV tuner for laptop vs live TV streaming
If you want to consider more solutions to watch live international TV channels, check out our latest post about TV on laptop software. With this software solution you can watch more than 3500 TV channels.
