Getting TV on your computer

You'll still need a Tv License

Eusebius submitted this idea :

My desktop PC came with a card which has two freeview (or analogue TV) inputs, plus two satellite inputs (for free to air). You can watch one and have it record another. There are plenty of free to air channels on Astra 19.2

The above works very well, but I never use it.

So far as broadband goes, I doubt many have the bandwidth to watch it live and with the quality you expect from a TV.

You can get a USB dongle (£20-£30) which can provide free view from a TV antenna and these are supposed to be quite good.

I take the point about broadband being potentially not fast enough, but TV is coming onto broadband nevertheless, so that must be an option.

andy

ioamateur.co.uk

It happens that Eusebius formulated :

Yes.

Don't forget that the connection between the box and computer is USB - so the length of this cable is limited to 5 metres.

Well try it. Zattoo

Freeview TV card. Mine came with software that allows you to record stuff too - including radio.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Eusebius saying something like:

My own setup is...

1. A TV analogue tuner card - but that will be getting replaced with a digital external USB tuner sometime.

1. A Technisat Skystar2 satellite tuner card which gets me all the Freesat channels and any other free sat channels I have a dish pointed at.

Can't say better than that! This really works, within a small window. It's a good start!

I'm getting glitch free reception on the small panel, but my computer/ broadband can't cope with the larger screen version. So back to the drawing board.

Great call - thanks!

andy

If you forget to switch off your screensaver and don't change your power saving options, your viewing will be interrupted by curses and regular bouts of moderate exercise as you jump up to move the mouse to stop the screen going blank / screensaver

This is not necessarily a bad thing and can be incorporated into your daily exercise plan.

Since you have a G5, get Elgato's EyeTV. They have a wide range of receivers including Freesat, Hybrid (Analogue/DVB) and Diversity (dual tuner DVB). This isn't anything really unusual, you can get similar hardware for PCs. What is unusual is the EyeTV software which gives you a personal video recorder that's better than any of the dedicated PVR boxes, and infinitely better than the rubbish given away with Hauppage tuners.

The "Diversity" model is here, you can also find the rest of the products from this page.

If you feel that you would like a wider choice of hardware than the Elgato offering, you can use most USB sticks and receivers with the EyeTV software. I'm currently using a Hauppage USB stick with mine and have tested a range of different devices such as MobiDTV, Cinergy, Avid. They have all worked well, and the EyeTV software has always been a joy to use.

The software supports the DVB Proram Guide, but also comes with a free tvtv subscription. A neat feature is that it will transfer recorded programmes into iTunes[1] and when it does it also transfers the program information from the programming guide.

Very recently purchased a USB twin tuner from Maplin, their cheapest I think. It works perfectly, and integrates well into Windows Media Centre. I think I paid about £27 plus p&p.

At 480x288 pixels it isn't what you would call HD. Or even SD.

Then there is media center built into Vista premium and above and Myth TV which is GPL and free. Both as good as or better than EyeTV.

I've got a satellite setup with rotator so I get dozens of the things - and can't really say I watch anything other than what you can get on FreeView - apart from BBC and ITV HD. It's quite fun to see what's up there, though.

I don't think you ever will get the data rate needed for FreeView quality down the average ADSL line.

It looks like you have gone the USB route.

I have about half a dozen invites to a private UK TV file sharing site. (thebox.bz) I am happy to send these out to anyone here, first come first served.

However before you email me, note that you will need the following: