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Internal vs. External TV tuner - which is better
I want to be able to watch and record tv and also transfer video tape to dvd using a pc. I have both a desktop (Dimension 4550) and an laptop (Inspiron 8600).
Would it be better to buy and install a TV tuner in the desktop, or buy an external USB or FireWire tuner for the laptop?
Here is my thought process:
Internal - card in desktop
Pros:
- better performance (I am assuming a fixed internal card performs better than an external device)
- always connected
Cons:
- need to carry and setup video device near the desktop
External - USB or firewire device
Pros:
- can be easily moved to multiple computers including the desktop
- can be located next to video devices for easy hookup
Cons:
- performance (I am assuming a fixed internal card performs better than an external device)
Your thoughts?
Also, what is the best website to find reviews and opinions on the best tuner cards and video capture software?
Once I am able to capture video, the next step is to create a media server that can stream video to the family room TV, either wirelessly or through the laptop. Where can I find a beginners guide to setting up a pc based home media center?
Thanks!
Howard
mattcowger
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July 18th, 2004 17:00
The best currently on the market is the Hauppauge PVR-USB - it has hardware MPEG2 encoding, and is a pretty awesome piece of kit. There is no other external USB card with the same quality or features. The internal equivalent is the Hauppauge PVR-250.
As to creating a media server, I personally think the best software is Snapsream's BeyondTV. It records TV in beautful quality, and recompresses the giant MPG2 files dwon to DivX at night.
Send me a Private Message if you want more info.