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You need a digital TV tuner card PCi card and associated software, also two or more hard drives are best using one to record onto.
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Hardware is easy, as cheddar suggests. The quality of software however is appaling, and using the EPG to set recording times (ala sky +) is a nightmare.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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rf - What makes using the EPG so difficult ?
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Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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Basically the software that comes with the card, is rubbish and does not use the EPG. This means you then have to go and decide what third party software to use that will use the EPG, even then most of them work on a HTTP based stream, some of which insist on a subscription.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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yep a PC salesman tried to talk me into one of these the other day ' oh, and you'll need this half terrabyte external hard drive to go with it...' I left it - no freeview where I live.
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The short answer is Yes. You can certainly buy all sorts of freeview receivers (some are tiny) for PC's although I don't know how well they work. You will still need an external aerial unless you're in a very good reception area. Software such as Showshifter will handle the scheduling part of it, but unless you have a particular reason to record on the PC, I can't help thinking that a dedicated hard disc PVR might not be a better solution. We have a Thomson one that simply works, and downloads program schedules every night even when it's on standby - I like playing with computers, but I doubt that one could emulate the functionality of the PVR anything like as smoothly.
Others' mileage may differ, of course...
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I have a Twinhan Freeview PCI TV D+A (Digital + Analogue) card, but you can buy the USB stick kinds (not as efficient normally unless provided with a good signal).
Apart from being able to watch/listen to all the Freeview TV and radio stations, the software allows all the normal PVR functions including being able to pause a programme whilst still recording it (if, for instance, the door bell or phone needs answering). The TV "screen" can be sized to fit in a corner and a simple mouse click brings up a full screen size display.
However, I much prefer to use the TV card with Showshifter as J Bonington Jagworth mentions - however, this is no longer available as the company folded.
Even though I'm watching TV on an analogue 21in monitor - I also have a proper TV and set top box in the same room, but it's behind me! - the picture quality is even better than a standard TV due to the non-interlaced display.
My TV card (Twinhan model 3054) is no longer available, but there are new ones as well as those from other manufacturers.
You do, obviously, need to supply the card with a TV aerial signal; I do this via a second aerial amplifier, which also feeds the TV in the room. The first aerial amplifier feeds the main room TV and the second aerial amplifier.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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since I posted my original message, aldi have announced a medion md8824 - 1,6Ghz, 2meg memory 320gig hd, with the bells and whistles to record freeview - I only have the details on email, can't post a link at the moment, but what do the team think in terms of value for money ?
--
Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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Its on their website as "coming soon"
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depends how much money....
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www.woolworths.co.uk/web/jsp/product/index.jsp?pid...3
Not sure if this is the same model but Medion is pretty sound, my old man has one and works well.
Sorry the poster pasted the wrong link in - now amended - the idiot - PU
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Good free software that can get it's TV listings from the likes of Radio Times is GB-PVR. Needs a bit of setting up especially the automated download of the listings. But it's a very good application. Good interface etc.
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GB-PVR is an "ok" application, prone to failing to get its listings, and loads an awful lot of memory and thread hungry stuff. Its better than the stuff that comes with the cards tho
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I've setup a windows scheduled job to run XMLTVConsole to get the listings for me daily. GB-PVR then updates from that.
I agree about PVR's though. I've got the V+ service from Virgin so use that to record upto two channel whilst watching a third. You can even archive to DVD whilst doing all of that!
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Medion is not actually a manufacturer, but a distributor. It rebadges specialist manufacturers' products under its own name and that of Tevion, selling them through partners such as Aldi in Europe and the US.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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£399.99, next thursday
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Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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Comments are
It has a good CPU (dual core duo) but at 1.8Ghz not the quickest, it has a good video card, one of the few that will support Vista Aero interface properly (because it has DX10 HW support). Dont forget it has no screen. Good spec PC at a good price.
Dont expect the bells and whistles from the TV tuner tho, tradionally this has been a weak spot with Medion PC's and support under Vista is know to be iffy.
Buying a PC as a primary device as Digital TV PVR is NOT a good idea, its only ok as a nice to have feature when buying a new PC. You want a Digital PVR then buy one of those. Far better at the job.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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The PVR thing is just incidental, but I thought that if i'm replacing the pc, I may as well consider it from the beginning - it is as likely to be used to record stuff from Radio 7 as anything else.
Absolute speed is probably not relevant for the applications it will be used for, especially as sqlserver will remain on the old pc, not be migrated onto the new one.
the question now is will my replacement credit card arrive before thursday morning, or will the Post Office screw me up for the third time this year ?
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Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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At least its an honest machine. I am appalled by the number of makers currently shipping PC's loaded with Windows Vista home premium, that can not actaually use the "premium" bit of Vista.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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go on then, enlighten me as to what the 'premium' bit actually is
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Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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The premium bit has the fancy interface, called "aero" Unless you have a DX10 supported card it can not do full transparency. In effect, the fancy bit you see down at dixons on demos with the windows spining round in a 3d transparent way? Cant do that without DX10 in hardware.
The demos you see in Dixons, are for the most part, an animation of what it could do if you had the right hardware
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Thank you sir. Tugs forelock, tries to look knowleadgable and goes to post another question.
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Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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TVM, IIRC "aero" does not rely on DX10 though it needs DX9 and a reasonably powerful graphics processor. That being said the Vista compatbility tool had no problem with our old ATi X300 128mb card which while very stable was not exactly the most powerful graphics card extant, since gone kaput BTW.
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Ched, to get all the features of Aero, you need DX10 - Fact. Yes aero will work, but not all of it.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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you need DX10 - Fact. >>
MS say:
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with:
WDDM Driver
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
32 bits per pixel
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Sorry cheddar what part of "to get all the features" are you failing to grasp? did you vista fitnesss tool give you a full score on your dx9? no it didnt.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Sorry cheddar what part of "to get all the features" are you failing to grasp?>>
Just not sure whether a VW driving Renault loving bloke on a motoring website is a better source of info re Vista Aero than Mr Gate's own published info.
;-)
Eitherway it makes sense going for DX10 graphics now, one reason got an 8600GTS instead of 7900GS in my new PC and have another 8600GTS to fit to the old PC who's X300 went U/S and is running in GMA currently.
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"Mr Gate's own published info."
You believe that..? :-)
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"Mr Gate's own published info." You believe that..? :-)
in any other business, they would be liable to claims under sale of goods act; for product not as described and not of merchantable qulaity etc. etc.
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WRT 'Mr Gates's info', I assume you're aware of the difficulties surrounding Vista, which seem to have stemmed from a certain lack of readiness...
www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/26/windows_vista_dri.../
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WRT 'Mr Gates's info' I assume you're aware of the difficulties surrounding Vista which seem to have stemmed from a certain lack of readiness...>>
If that is for me JBJ I have three XP Pro machines one only bought last month, the point is however what graphics spec Vista aero requires and not whether Vista has issues or not.
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"If that is for me JBJ"
Well it was, but I was simply using the Vista debacle to illustrate the unreliability of statements issuing from Redmond (which I'm sure you knew anyway)...
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It's still early days but Mr Gates's monopolistic business practices had better improve quick smart or else Windows users will start demanding a quality product at a decent price:
blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/more-big-name-p...l
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"more-big-name"
Interesting link. I use Linux and I like the look of Ubuntu, so have tried to install the two most recent versions. However, each time the installation trips up over my boot loader (I also use Windows, unfortunately) and won't go any further. I'm sure it's tweakable, but I'd have more confidence if it just worked, which is why I am currently running PC Linux, which does.
BTW, has anyone yet successfully bought a Dell machine with Linux installed, since they promised to make it an option?
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BTW has anyone yet successfully bought a Dell machine with Linux installed since they promised to make it an option?
It's US only right now, but it's promised for Europe soon. Dell is also pressuring companies such as ATI to produce Linux drivers, which won't hurt. I expect HP and Lenovo to follow.
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J
I don't want to defend Bill but a large number of other companies have dragged their feet and I wonder if someone at Microsoft decided that the only way to get them to move was to push Vista out into the marketplace? So if you want to sell to new buyers who will have Vista on their shiny new pcs, you'd bettter get your fingers out guys. I'm running a dual boot pc XP / Vista and Zonealarm have only just in the last few weeks released a Vista version of my security software. That's pathetic. And it's well down on features cf the XP version. You can't blame Bill for Canon not bothering to revise drivers for my scanner and my motherboard is supposed to be Vista compatible but they haven't come up with sound drivers. None of that is down to Bill, that's the rest of the world dragging it's feet and milking XP rather than making an effort.
JH
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J I don't want to defend Bill >>
I dont mind defending Bill, when you are on top you will get knocked, could anyone do any better in their position, I dont know. MS products work for me as long as I approach them in an intelligent fashion.
and my motherboard is supposed to be Vista compatible but they haven't come up with sound drivers.
There are problems with hardware sound acceleration because MS have removed the HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) from Vista. Creative now have a way around it called Alchemy.
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"could anyone do any better in their position, I dont know."
Nor do I, of course. Bill G is a smart guy who got lucky, thanks to IBM, who wanted an operating system for their PC. I'd love to visit a parallel unverse where IBM's first choice, Digital Research, got the job. The story goes that DR's boss, Gary Kildall (an even smarter guy, but less lucky) was having a flying lesson the day IBM came to call and they weren't in a mood to wait. One expensive flying lesson!
My main beef about MS is their arrogance. They pinch (or buy) everyone else's ideas and then claim to innovate. They make mediocre software and railroad it onto almost every PC, only to sell stuff you need to make it useful, such as Office, at the same price now that they charged when they had 1000 times fewer customers. In those days, it came with a thick manual, too!
I could go on...
www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html
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Sorry cheddar what part of "to get all the features" are you failing to grasp?>>
>Just not sure whether a VW driving Renault loving bloke on a motoring website is a better >source of info re Vista Aero than Mr Gate's own published info.
How about a renault loving VW driving, IT suport technician of 35 years standing, currently a customer support manager in charge of a vista readiness program? And I am telling you you dont get ALL the feature of Vista Aero Glass unless you have the DX10 shader model in hardware. Now answer the question, what was your Visa readiness score under Dx9?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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renault loving VW driving ....... in charge of ........ vista readiness program? >>
Aha, that explains a lot ;-)
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Went along to the Microsoft site and downloaded a programme to check my computer and peripheral computability - mine scored quite highly, is it reliable ?
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whats highly?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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If you're serious about the Medion PC at Aldi then don't worry about the credit card arriving in time because Aldi do not accept credit cards.
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because Aldi do not accept credit cards.
They do however accept debit cards.
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I have a Medion PC that was bought from Aldi a couple of years ago. The software that goes with the digital TV card is made by Cyberlink. It's very poorly designed and has no EPG. It does, however, make very high quality MPEG video recordings that are virtually indistinguishable from commercial DVDs. I know because I've compared an off-air recording side by side with a DVD of the same thing.
I did install a program called Showshifter that has superior reception (don't know why different software should be different in this respect but it is) and does include an EPG. However, the company that made it is defunct so there haven't been any updates for over a year.
The latest Aldi PC has Vista Home Premium which has Media Center (sic) built in. This gives a much slicker interface but I understand it's by no means perfect.
Incidentally, the BBC iPlayer has been launched today. I've tried it and found it to be remarkably like Channel 4's 4OD. With these programs, there's less need to record off air because you can download programmes after they've been shown. The main disadvantage is that both programs need Windows XP (not Vista or any non-Windows OS) and the DRM makes programmes only watchable for a limited period.
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