Hey everyone. Having spent the last hour or so reading over different topics and not seeing exactly what I was looking for I figured I'd register and just ask.

I would like to use my, soon to be built, HTPC to also be a PVR. I'm just not sure what TV tuner card would be best to use.

I'm currently planning on using Telus as my service provider and am going to get their HDTV package.

What do you think would be the best TV tuner card to get?

Thanks

I think the best choice of TV tuner card is not so much related to your TV service provider, but perhaps it has more to do with your choice of PVR software. I recommend looking at all of your options for PVR software (Meedios, SageTV, BeyondTV, MythTV, MediaPortal, Windows Media Center) and pick the card with the broadest support. That way you will have maximum flexibility should you decide you want to try different PVR software.

From the looks of things I'd be looking at MeediOS or just sticking with Windows Media Centre since it's included in my OS. But I'm not opposed to going the open source route either. But there probably isn't a need to pay for the software if I already have it, or can get the open source version. Wouldn't you think?

if you want to record HD, you only have 1 choice, the HD-PVR from Hauppauge

for SD recording, there's a ton of viable cards, everything from Hauppauge pvr-150's to Avermedia cards, to Vista View, etc etc

Telus TV is IP TV - not QAM, ATSC, or NTSC. As such, you would not be tuning to a channel in the traditional sense as one would with a tuner card like a PVR-150 or HVR-1600. You would almost certainly need an IR blaster to tell the Telus box what channel to change to, and some form of analog capture card/device to record the analog signal from the box. The HD-PVR from Hauppauge mentioned above would work for HD. A PVR-150 would work for SD, as also mentioned above (though you are NOT using its NTSC tuning capabilities).

If you want to record HD, you will need to spend about $250 on a HD-PVR and you would need a PVR system that supports that device - not all did up to a while ago; maybe most do now.

FWIW, when I was looking for a HD provider to go with my MythTV setup, I rejected Telus TV for a number of reasons:
1) Only supports 2 boxes
2) Only one of the 2 boxes is HD, the other is SD
3) No official means for digital capture. There was an unofficial, ad-hoc mechanism at http://technical.thebarters.com/2007/06/, but that's password protected now.

I eventually went with Shaw which supports an unlimited number of HD boxes and gives me the ability to digitally record shows via firewire. Additionally, since analog cable is still supported, I can watch analog channels without the need for a box. A tradeoff is that the HD PQ is almost certainly lower with Shaw as compared to Telus TV and even Bell ExpressVU.

So the shaw digital box has a firewire port on it that you can use to connect to your PC to then record TV shows? Could you detail your setup in more specifically? Are you able to watch one show and record another for example?

Thanks a tonne for the info thus far.

Frampton Please read the following post on Recording HD:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=14099

The options are quite limited with each service provider. The recording to an HTPC is also often quite problematical, whether using firewire or the Hauppauge component card. Also with firewire there can be limitations on what you can record and those limitations can change at any time. There are links there outlining both.

In order to record one thing and watch another live programme you need two tuners (with service providers this usually means two STBs or their own two tuner PVR) - whether you use the analogue tuner inside the TV (limited) or use two separate STBs, etc... It is possible to watch a prerecorded programme and record one live programme with one tuner (STB).

So the shaw digital box has a firewire port on it that you can use to connect to your PC to then record TV shows? Could you detail your setup in more specifically? Are you able to watch one show and record another for example?

Thanks a tonne for the info thus far.

I use MythTV for my PVR software. If you are not reasonably experienced with Linux and do not like to get your hands "dirty", I unfortunately have to advise you to look elsewhere for something else. Having said that, with the right software, all you need is firewire capability in your PC. You hook up your firewire port to the Shaw box (in my case a DCT-6200) and you are set (hardware-wise). [I also have a HVR-1600 and a HVR-1800 for pulling in OTA HD from CBC, Global, and CTV - OTA HD is noticeably better quality than Shaw HD, so those cards are my first choice for recording]

The DCT-6200 is a single tuner box, so you cannot record and use *it* for viewing at the same time. Shaw does make a dual tuner PVR version that should allow this. Since that box is already a PVR, you would have to decide whether it's worth it to you to go to the trouble of setting up a PC PVR instead of just using the Shaw box as is.

Having said that, even with the single tuner DCT-6200, I can watch an already recorded show while a new recording is going on. Since I very rarely watch live TV (I like to skip commercials), this works for me. In addition, the time-shifted eastern channels (I'm in Vancouver) makes it *somewhat* like having 2 tuners - at least for those channels: NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX.

The DCT-6200 is not cheap. However, you can often find them on sale at Best Buy or Future Shop for $50 off. Additionally, FS sells refurbished DCT-6200s for $50 less than the new ones (same 3 year warranty as a new one!) and sometimes the refurbished ones go on sale for $50 off - making a savings of $100 compared to a regular priced new DCT-6200.

So we're looking at just recording in SD then? The only way to record in HD would be to purchase a box from the respective service provider then?

read post #4

you can record HD with the hauppauge HD-PVR