[mythtv-users] "Best" analog tuner card (looking to add another to BE)?

[Nick Morrott]

On 13/09/2008, Bobby Gill <bobbygill at rogers.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 10:59 AM, Nick Morrott <knowledgejunkie at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 12/09/2008, Bobby Gill <bobbygill at rogers.com> wrote:
> > > I currently have a PVR-150 MCE w/remote, has worked great so far, no
> > > complaints. I am planning on adding another tuner card to the backend
> and am
> > > wondering if just getting another 150 is the way to go or if dishing out
> a
> > > bit extra (I don't mind) on a better one is the right choice. I don't
> have
> > > HD, just regular ol' analog in the house.
> >
> > If you're happy with the picture quality from the PVR-150, and the
> > price, get another :). Also, perhaps look at the PVR-500 if you want 2
> > more analog cable tuners on a single card, whilst they are still
> > available.

> Right, like I said 150 is fine but I'm just wondering if it is *worth* any
> extra coin to get a higher model?

If you are using analog cable, I would say not.

> And is the 500 basically two 150s in one, and that's it or an improvement in
> any other respects?

Two tuners on one PCI card. Should cost less than two PVR-150s. It
really depends on whether you need more than 2 tuners, and whether you
are thinking of moving over to digital OTA (ATSC) and unencrypted
digital cable channels you may receive in the future.

> Looking here:
> http://www.hauppauge.com/site/compare/compare_pvr.html  I
> can see there's no significant differences between the 150-350, so I'm
> wondering what the point of having a 350 is unless I need FM stereo which I
> have zero interest/need for in the card.

The prime reason to get a PVR-350 in lieu of the PVR-150 (and general
consensus nowadays is that it isn't a valid reason any more - see
previous threads) is the addition of the MPEG-2 decoder on the card. I
have one, used the decoder in years past to great effect, and still
use the card as a regular MPEG-2 capture card. If you're using
VGA/DVI/TV-out from your graphics card, you can skip the PVR-350.

> Oh and also looking here:
> http://www.hauppauge.com/site/compare/compare_hvr-internal.html
>  I like the idea of dual tuners, one analog and one digital so that should I
> go HD in the future I'm already set. Same "worth the dough?" question for
> these :)

If you can get the programming you are interested in via digital over
the air (OTA) broadcast and also via analog cable, I'd choose digital
OTA every time. Some hybrid cards may not let you use the analog and
digital portions of the card simultaneously, others will. Linux
support for the newer hybrid card is more recent than that for the
popular dedicated PVR and DVB/ATSC cards, but still quite solid (check
the linux-dvb list and wiki). Getting digital OTA is definitely worth
it, if you are going to use it in the future. How far into the future
that will be may well determine whether you get another PVR-150 card
as a stopgap now, or opt for a hybrid card.

-- 
Nick Morrott

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