Vista x64 / Win7 x64 + 4gigs ram = Which TV tuner (Shaw Digital : Vancouver)

[KylSp]

Phew, what a title! I'm having trouble to find the TV tuner card that would suit me best. The long and short of things is I have a basic shaw digital cable box and want to run the output from it into my PC so I can watch the standard def channels on my secondary monitor and ditch the old 32" Television that's on the other side of the room.

In the past I have tried the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 in my rig and had nothing but problems. I am hesitant to use them again as I had to return the thing after it would not play nicely with Vista 64 and my 4gigs of ram. I'm not sure if that was all related to the card being PCI instead of PCI-e, (the 4gigs I read after the fact is the main problem those cards seemed to have).

So the question is, does anyone currently in the Vancouver area, running Vistax64 or beta Win7x64 bit edition with 4gigs of ram, know of a tuner that would work with Media Center?. I don't really need a remote / IR blaster combo as I can just use the shaw remote and change the digital box myself (with the PC set to channel 3, etc). Thanks for any help that may come, long time lurker to these great forums.

[Perineum]

Ooookay....

To my knowledge tuning into digital cable is not going to work. From what I understand, all digital signals are compressed/encoded in such a way that only their digital box can unscramble it. That being said, if there is a coaxial output on the digital box then I guess it would somewhat work but you would not be able to change channels unless you did it manually on the digital box. The real power of MS MCE2005 is the ability for it to tune in and record programs by itself. By going through the digital box it just allows you to display tv on your monitor. Maybe that's all you want but like I said the real power of MCE2005 / Vista is when it can control everything by itself.

If you got a dual or single tuner card and plugged it directly into the wall bypassing the digital box then you're going to be fine. You said you are only going to watch standard def channels anyway, so don't even go through the digital box..... then it can change channels and tune in and record things like it should be able to.

My media center runs MS MCE2005 and it's worked more or less flawlessly. I use a Hauppauge dual tuner PVR-500.

I have NEVER been able to set up the Media Center in Vista. It has never worked for me. Massive amounts of googling resulted in many many complaints about Vista's MC. I have not tried Windows7 yet. I think MS screwed the pooch when it came to Vista's MC and I hope they've fixed it in Win7. Hardware that "just worked" so well in MS MCE2005 just won't work in Vista, period.

However, maybe there is a tuner card out there that the people doing Vista's MC used when doing testing. I find it ridiculous that it wasn't one of Hauppauge's offerings, but whatever.

[KylSp]

Yeah all I want is to watch TV on my monitor, but not via the monitor inputs (want it windowed, etc) I know you can't get the digital channels with the tuner card alone as they are scrambled, i'm going to be running the cable from the output of the shaw terminal and right into the card (it's not HD channels, just the standard shaw channel 3-47 etc).

I basically just care about being able to ditch the crappy TV across the room and pipe my non high-def channels into a tuner, which will basically be a glorified pass-through. Having to use the shaw remote does not bother me in the slightest, as I am again watching this while being at the computer itself, not halfway across the room.

[Perineum]

Okay, I understand....

Only problem is that Vista MC doesn't appear to work. I'd LOVE to hear from someone that actually got it working....

I could probably do a test with Windows 7

But to answer your original question, I've only used Hauppauge's offerings and either they don't work with Vista's MC or Vista's MC is hopelessly broken.

[JD]

I believe if you have a compatible tuner card for Vista, it should work fine. Though I've never bothered to run TV through my HTPC.

This is a mere $15 if you can grab it (daily special): NCIX.com - Buy Powercolor TV Wonder 550 PCI-E TV Tuner Card Retail Box - T55E-P02 In Canada.

[Supergrover]

Originally Posted by Perineum

Okay, I understand....

Only problem is that Vista MC doesn't appear to work. I'd LOVE to hear from someone that actually got it working....

I could probably do a test with Windows 7

But to answer your original question, I've only used Hauppauge's offerings and either they don't work with Vista's MC or Vista's MC is hopelessly broken.

I have a kworld analog
Newegg.ca - KWORLD PlusTV Analog PCIExpress Pro PVRTV-PE360-A PCI-Express x1 Interface - TV Tuners & Video Devices ( paid $17 shipped so ya) and run MC in vista, it works fine. BUT I only use MC to record, watching the programs I use Zoom.

[atomicburn]

I am using Vista Ultimate x64 w/ Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1800 PCI-E, running my eastlink cable tv threw the tuner works in media center for me. I can record, and playback with no problems.

I recorded all the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey games on CBC for this years playoffs!

Welcome Home Lord Stanley!

[Perineum]

Originally Posted by Supergrover

I have a kworld analog
Newegg.ca - KWORLD PlusTV Analog PCIExpress Pro PVRTV-PE360-A PCI-Express x1 Interface - TV Tuners & Video Devices ( paid $17 shipped so ya) and run MC in vista, it works fine. BUT I only use MC to record, watching the programs I use Zoom.

I couldn't even tune in using PVR 150-and PVR-500. Sometimes it would then it would freeze for 30 seconds, and then play another frame.

I now have an ATI tuner card of some sort here... hmmmm

Originally Posted by atomicburn

I am using Vista Ultimate x64 w/ Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1800 PCI-E, running my eastlink cable tv threw the tuner works in media center for me. I can record, and playback with no problems.

Thanks for letting me know... I don't know what the hell they did in Vista's MC but I'm guessing only the new Hauppauge hardware works now?

Hmm, wonder if I'm barking up the wrong tree. Wonder if Hauppauge did something naughty in the hardware to "tweak" their cards for better results in MCE2005 or something and fubared it for Vista in the process?