'' wrote:

| Does this mean that you can get a card with a Video In that does not
| come with a tuner?
|
| Do any cards have a TV tuner? I would not want to have to change
| channels from the converter box. I was just planning to connect a
| splitter to my cable modem and my computer. I kind of get the
| impression that it might be better to select a video card for games and
| put in a separate tuner card for watching TV.
|
| There are so many choices for video cards my head starts spinning when
| I try to compare them.

_____

Please be clear on the difference between
VIDEO IN
and
RF IN.

RF IN Television signals from an antenna, cable service, or satellite
dish are RF and us an 'F' connector. These signals must go through a tuner
or converter box before they can be displayed. Television sets have tuners
built in.

VIDEO IN Video signals are selected (tuned in) and decoded from a
television RF signal by a television set, tuner, or converter box.

A video card (display adapter card) can have a [VIDEO IN] connector. That
means you can hook up a VCR or DVD [VIDEO OUT] to the card and see the
television image on your monitor, perhaps even in a window. If your TV set
has a [VIDEO OUT] connector, you can also connect this to your video card.
(The audio also needs to be connected.) Most cable or satellite convertor
boxes also have [VIDEO OUT] and [AUDIO OUT] connectors. If you have a video
card installed in your computer, and it has a [VIDEO IN] connector, then it
can display Video signals on your monitor.

A TV tuner card is separate card, and has an [RF IN] that can be connected
to an antenna, to a cable connection (without requiring a converter box), or
to a convertor box or the RF output of any television device.

I'd say you are correct when you write
"I kind of get the impression that it might be better to select a video card
for games and put in a separate tuner card for watching TV."

BUT the convenience of use and the programs you watch will affect your
choice.

IF you use a convertor box to receive premium programming, you will need to
use the convertor box to tune to the premium channel.

IF you use a Tuner card, then a splitter is all you need to distribute the
TV RF signal to your Tuner card and other TV tuners.

IF you use [VIDEO IN] on a video card, then you will need a switch to change
the signal between devices.

IF you don't view preminum programing and don't have a satellite connection,
then the TV Tuner makes sense because you can select channels from your
computer.

IF you want to record televison programming, then a video card with VIDEO IN
will likely give better quality images.

A TV tuner card does not need very much muscle to display a tv programming
through your computer.

Recording TV programming requires either special added hardware on the video
card or a powerful computer that can do the work with software.

Also keep in mind HD TV. Some TV Tuner cards (ATI makes one) can tune in
and display HD TV through your computer.

You really need to read up on the choices to decide how view TV on your
computer. Ease of use, scheduling recordings, ...

The selection of a card for gaming is easier - at $300 US, a card based on
the nVidia 6600GT is probably doable. On the other hand, if your CPU is a 2
GHz Pentium 4, then performance may CPU limited with an nVidia 6600GT.

Your money, your tastes, your decision.

Phil Weldon




wrote in message
oups.com...

300 what? US dollars, AUS dollars, NZ dollars, Canadian doallars, euros,
pounds? And a 2G cpu is a 2 GHz CPU?

300 US



To watch TV on your computer monitor,

* you need either [Video In] connector on your video card and a separate
TV
that has a [Video Out] connector (plus an [Audio Out] connector on the TV
to
connect to the [Audio In] connector on your audio card or motherboard)

OR

* a TV Tuner installed in your computer.

If you install a TV Tuner in your computer, then you don't need a [Video
In]
connector on your video card and don't need a TV, just connect the
antenna

Watching premium cable or satellite programming has to be done by
connecting
the video and audio out from the converter box to the [Video In]
connector a
video card and the [Audio In] on your audio card or the on-board [Audio
In]
connector.


Does this mean that you can get a card with a Video In that does not
come with a tuner?

Do any cards have a TV tuner? I would not want to have to change
channels from the converter box. I was just planning to connect a
splitter to my cable modem and my computer. I kind of get the
impression that it might be better to select a video card for games and
put in a separate tuner card for watching TV.

There are so many choices for video cards my head starts spinning when
I try to compare them.

Thanks