Tv cards for laptops
 

Any recommendations? Are they any good? All the adverts I see give the impression the picture will be crystal clear in all areas but the few people I know who have used them say they are virtually useless unless connected to a proper TV aerial. Whats the score with regards to TV licensing (not that I would buy an extra one though!)
I'm mainly just looking to use my laptop in lieu of a portable TV in various areas.

Thanks:)

I've used Hauppauge in every media pc build I've done - four & counting so far, through XP, Vista & Windows sorry, er 7 and I've been very happy with the performance of each one.

Having said that, I've always used the tv through media centre as opposed to the Hauppauge software, which is awful. The main issue you will have though is the aerial - if you intend to use one of the little portable aerials you can buy to plug in to the other side of a tv card, don't get your hopes up for anything like a decent picture or even any at all.

x213a

No idea what the situation is where you are, but we were able t get a perfect picture on a laptop here in Belgium using a PC Card digital receiver (can't remember the make, it was on niece's laptop) using the stubby little antenna that came with the card, no need to connect it to a regular antenna.

Of course, if you can get a better antenna it will always work better but then you have the hassle of aligning it so it all depends on where you are and what the signal is like.

Oh, and as far as I can remember TV Licensing will not be an issue as your existing one will cover you for using the laptop as a portable TV on the move. It's when you use it permanently at somewhere other than your home that they get a bit sniffy.

You can get nearly all the channels on line now....Far better quality than those tiny portable aerials give....

I use the Hauppauge Nova TD USB tuner and it works a treat. The twin tuner system works well with both aerials being used in poor signal areas. My daughter has the single tuner version for her laptop at university - with good speakers her laptop is a complete entertainment system - ideal for the limited space in a hall of residence room. She has used it with the One For All SV9360 Amplified aerial which improved the performance on the weaker channels.
The twin tuner version includes a remote control whereas the single tuner one does not so the bit extra for the twin tuner is well worth it.
Good luck

Cheers everybody,

Think i'll give one of the Hauppauge models a shot:ok:

Remember that to watch one channel while recording another I.e. 1970's video recorder technology, you will need a dual tuner.

Assuming that you can get online that is!