TV tuner performance?

I've searched around the forums for relevant topics but not much has come up.

Can the HEL80 users who also got the TV tuner option give a brief run-down on how well it performs?

Does it deserve the extra price over much cheaper PCMCIA or USB counterparts?

 

It is OK. The remote works great also. Picture quality is normal for a TV signal.

One good stuff is that it is compatible with Windows MCE 2005 and Vista Ultimate's Media Center.

 

Paladin44 from powernotebooks has intimated that the benefit is more in portability and integratedness than in image quality. I remember him saying quality was about normal for that sort of device.

 

The picture quality will be about the same whether it is built in, USB or PCMCIA.

The biggest advantage, just as 133t_c0w says, is that you don't have an external device to carry around and mess with. The external ones, with one exception, come with a big box that you hook your cable and an AC Adapter into, and then run a USB cable (and sometimes an audio cable) into your laptop. The exception is the new Hauppauge WinTV that is a very small device that you could put in your pocket (about the size of a large thumb drive). It does not require its own AC Adapter. However it is more expensive than the built in one on the HEL80, so if you are getting the HEL80 the internal TV Tuner is still the best choice.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I'm convinced, and I'm definately going with the TV tuner option once I order my HEL80

 

I'm also thinking about maybe getting the tv-tuner when/if I order my HEL80, if I order locally (in Finland, from here , it would only add ~67 euros. I could probably get an usb tuner cheaper somewhere, but I probably wouldn't bother, so why not splurge on a little extra if it's nicely built in?

BTW, the remote? Can you make it do other stuff? Like teach it to control an ancient version of winamp (< v3)? Check your mail? Do batch-jobs of photo-resizing? Shut down the laptop? Make coffee?

 

Just placed my order through MilestonePC. I'm gonna go pick it up later today.

I can't wait!

 

Sadly, No, No, No, No, No and No (Tea maybe, but certainly not coffee )

 

My main question is how the video capture would be from an rca source with the internal? Any dropped frames with this internal device (vs usb or an expresscard type).. or problems capturing video to the single internal drive (vs having dual drives or an external drive for that)?

I'd be capturing at 720x480 30fps (dvd quality).. I'm assuming the internal would be the best choice if it meets these specs.

 

RCA cables don't carry 720x480
They will do 480i. (640x480 but it is interlaced)

 

Ah yes thats right..

So is 480i considered how many lines of resolution..

Confused as the one cam I'm considering for RC aerial video says "480 lines of resolution", but the receiver would plug into the capture card via RCA, the only jack the receiver has..

 

One thing you may want to consider when choosing your tuner pertains to its audio capabilities. I'm using the built-in tuner, and although the documentation says it should receive in STEREO, all my analogue channels are coming in MONO only, even though the broadcasts are in STEREO.

Is anybody out there using the built-in tuner managing to receive stereo audio on analogue channels?

 

Joost is coming watch for it

From the makers of Skype and KaZaa they again will change the way we receive things

 

Yeah.. the folks at Google are good..

I have the beta and it works pretty well.. like a giant internet tv tuner from the internet .. programming is limitted at this point though.

 

so if you have the tv tuner you have to hook the tv cable up to your computer? is there a way to go wireless? i'd be interested in getting it if it was wireless, or maybe someone should come up with a device so we can get satellite on our machines

 

Hi kind of offtopic but related too...I'm really considering buying an Compal IFL90 but I cant decide if I want a TV tuner...I've got bell satellite and I'm not even sure how this system works...Can someone explain to me if this would work for me?

 

Is it internal, or an expresscard or something? Is there a dongle for a cable/antenna input?

 

For HEL80, it is an internal card. You'll also get the short cable which converts a seemingly proprietary port on the card into the cable/antenna input.