I hope this is the right place to post this? I need some advice, we have one large tv, sometimes i would like to watch a hockey game or a football game or nascar. But the wife and kids have the tv sowed up. I have the computer in my bedroom, so should i buy a tv tuner card for the computer or a small tv that can double as a moniter . what do you people think is the best way to go???
TV - can be used without the PC in case you need to surf while watching the game Tuner card, a little cheaper and uses existing resources (laptop monitor) If you can afford it and have the space, I'd vote for a dedicated TV because you'd have a more permanent setup. I have not been happy with the quality of using a TV tuner with my PC and only use it as a last resort.
Unless you only want to watch local broadcast TV, you would have to get a cablecard compatable tuner, and I think the only one currently available to end users is the ATI unit that costs $250-$300...for that kind of money, you can get a nice TV with DVI input to double as a monitor. That said, the TV tuner would give you the ability to record TV like a DVR...so the question is: Would you rather spend $300 on a nice big screen to watch stuff live, -or- would you rather spend $300 to watch stuff on your current screen, but with the ability to record it when you are away, and watch it later. Oh, and before you answer, the second option will require you to rent a cablecard from your cable company; these can run anywhere from $1-$10 a month.
Any decent tuner card will be able to play tv in it's own window & let you surf at the same time,quality of image on tuner will surly come down to signal strength & amount of tv's already connected to aerial if there is one or whatever method,you need to decide whether single tuner or dual is what you want,the latter will require a fair bit of cpu & ram to run when recording two channels
Okay, Guys Thanks for the sugestions. I desided on a 22" tv 1080p Lots of screen for pc and great picture with my outside 40ft. tower with a rotor. I can always count on afterdawn for help!
