New HTPC - Which TV Tuner?

A

asmielia

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 10, 2003
Messages
337
Hi,
I just put together my very first HTPC comprised entirely of old components. The specs are:
P4 2.4 Ghz
2x256mb DDR400
Abit IS7 mb
ATI Radeon 9700pro
16xDVD-ROM
30 GB Quantum HD
Old school ATI TV Wonder

All running MCE 2005 and being plugged into a 5 year old 26" TV. I don't have a remote for the PC right now, nor do I have a wireless keyboard or mouse. When I plugged in my tuner last night, I realized that ATI's TV app is really hard to function considering the low res of my TV. The video quality was alright. I would compare it to VCR quality. I was disappointed to find out that MCE didn't recognize the tuner so I wouldn't be able to watch/record through MCE.

So my question is: What should I do? I do plan on buying an HDTV (probably DLP rear projection) within a few months, and when I do so will be getting an HDTV STB from my cable provider (Rogers). Ideally, I'd be able to record HDTV broadcasts although from what I've been reading, that will be very difficult. First, I'd need MCE 2006 whenever that's out, then I'd need an HDTV tuner that supports cable card which isn't out yet either, and also, I'd need Rogers to support cable cards. Is that correct?

Sooo, the best tuner for the buck right now seems like the ATI TV Wonder Elite, or the equivalent Sapphire version. But, all I'd be getting for my $100 (CDN) is a tuner supported by MCE and slightly better picture quality. The remote apparently doesn't work with MCE very well, so I'd need to dish out another $40 for the MS remote or get a 3rd party program to use with the ATI/Sapphire remote.

I'm not sure what to do here guys? The system needs to be usable by my girlfriend who's not super technically inclined. ATI's TV software is therefore out of the question. Ideally, I'd like to be able to record HD eventually but if it's not likely to be possible, forget it.

Thanks,
Adrian
 
Hauppauge have a PVR150MCE retail edition which comes with a mce-compatible remote control. I'm not sure how much CN$ it is, but it's about US$100. You probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the 150 and the ati card.

You're assumptions about HDTV and cablecard are all correct.

 
Ok, thanks a lot for the info guys.

Anyone have any experience with using the ATI remote in MCE with 3rd party software? What about the Hauppage remote in MCE?

I think I might just buy the Hauppage as OEM and then buy the Microsoft remote to go with it.

Also, WRT HDTV technologies, I was thinking of getting a 46" or 50" DLP rear projection from Samsung. The couch is about 8' away from the TV. What do you guys think of that setup in terms of quality of SD and HD broadcasts?

Adrian
 
Like many people here... I use a Win-PVR-150 with Sage right now and it works great for SD. Because I bought the kit for like $79, I have the Hauppage remote that comes with the 150. All I can say... it is utter garbage. Blech. For some reason, the IR driver loses connection and I have to restart basically every time I want to sit down and use the remote. Functionality is pretty crummy as well. After living with it for like 6 months, I've finally broken down and ordered a USB-UIRT. I don't know anything about the ATI remote, but stay as far away from the 150's remote as you can.

I don't have an HD set right now, so I haven't spent much time looking at HD tuners until I responded above. After writing my answer above, curiousity got to me as to why you would need a second tuner and I went to read about it a bit more. After reading all that is that IMO HD on a PVR right now is not quite ready for prime time. Maybe things will get better as cable cards penetrate the market. *shrugs*
 
This is the PVR150 I mentioned. It comes with an MCE remote and blaster, but is lacking the FM tuner of the oem 150-MCE. It should work out a bit cheaper than the oem + separate remote.

If you really wanted to use the ati or standard hauppauge remote with MCE, girder or HIP should both make it work. You'll be lacking the green button though.

 
asmielia said:
I think I might just buy the Hauppage as OEM and then buy the Microsoft remote to go with it.
Click to expand...
AFAIK the ATI and the Hauppauge remote aren't MCE compatible, yeah I would go with the OEM tuner and MCE remote deal.

Also this is what I would suggest.
MCE- Best tuner would be one based on ATI's 550 Pro chipset.
NonMCE- Hauppauge PVR150 all the way.
 
Alright, after more research, I think I'm set on the Sapphire 550. It's only $90 (CDN) with a remote. It's the same price for the Hauppage OEM without a remote.

So, anyone have any experience with the Sapphire remote? Should I drop another $40 to get the official MS remote? Seems like a waste to me, but then again, the Sapphire remote is dog ugly.
 
The 550 cards come with one of two kinds of remotes, the one that is compatible with MCE and one that isn't. I'm not sure what remote Sapphire bundles but I know Powercolors remote works with MCE.

What I've heard about the remotes bundled was that they're okay for basic use but the layout isn't that great and they're a bit limited in function. Personally I would just get the MCE remote.
 
I would recommend that you take a look at Meedio and junk MCE. It's a lot more flexible and customizable than MCE will ever dream about being. It also allows you to get out of the trap of having to look for specific equipment that's compatible with MCE. I'm 99% positive that it'll work right out of the box with the equipment you have listed. :cool:

I'm running right now and love it!
 
I'm not opposed to other HTPC products, I just don't know anything about them. Everyone says that other options are more customizable. I guess I'm looking for 3 things in the software, since I'm not the only one using the system:
1. Ease of use
2. Functionality
3. Good looking UI
 
asmielia said:
I'm not opposed to other HTPC products, I just don't know anything about them. Everyone says that other options are more customizable. I guess I'm looking for 3 things in the software, since I'm not the only one using the system:
1. Ease of use
2. Functionality
3. Good looking UI
Click to expand...

MCE wins pretty much hands down on 1 & 3. I love meedio, but it's not as pretty as MCE and it can take a while to get set up just to your liking, but that's probably because it's so powerful.

For a 'no brainer' build, mce is unfortunately the only way to go. It's also the cheapest option if you need to buy a copy of windows anyway.

 
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