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RSS feedsOnce limited to simply showing the action at the Wimbledon tennis championships in a window, today's TV tuners can turn your PC into a fully fledged personal video system.
You can watch Ricky Gervais while tapping away in Microsoft Office, record programmes directly to your hard disk and even pause and restart live TV if the phone rings during the cricket.
As always, though, some tuners are better than others and there are plenty of choices available to make it harder to find the right one for you.
Do you choose an analogue model that can also capture footage from your video or camcorder, or go for entirely digital technology compatible with Freeview or digital satellite?
Then there are those that come with built-in radio facilities, remote controls and integrated media burning software, allowing you to easily create your own library of Video CD or DVD material.
To see just what's on offer, we've rounded-up six of the latest options, from plug-and-play USB boxes to PCI add-ons and standalone devices.
GTA Black Gold Digital TV
The first of two digital tuner cards in this round-up, Black Gold is an internal card that comes with an infrared sensor and remote control. Usefully, it also supports hardware mpeg2 encoding and has an S-Video socket for connecting a video or camcorder. As with Hauppauge's Nova-t, the card provides access to terrestrial free-to-air TV channels on the Freeview system.
Although we expected installation to be more complicated than with USB offerings, it's paramount that you install the Black Gold software before plugging in the PCI card.
Put the card in first and at best it won't work, at worst you could have to re-install Windows. A small sticker provides a warning, but this needs to be spelled out in big letters on the packaging and on screen. You also need an Internet connection to enable the software.
This aside, things start to improve. Channel tuning is just a matter of following on-screen prompts, while a Media Player-style interface makes the bundled TV application more intuitive than most.
The software supports recording in a variety of video and audio formats, but GTA doesn't offer digital teletext, interactive services or Now and Next information on this version.
It provides timeshifting and is compatible with the net-based subscription electronic programme guide (EPG) Digiguide. You can download a 30-day trial, but manually scheduling recordings is straightforward.
Tests with both outdoor and indoor aerials were impressive, with much better performance than we expected on the latter. We'd have to say some channels didn't seem as crisp as with the Nova-t, but overall presentation was first class. GTA also provides a separate DVB radio player.
While it lacks polish in some areas, the Black Gold Digital TV is good value at £99. The hardware mpeg2 encoding for analogue video is also a major benefit.
Price: £99
Contact: www.gta-ltd.co.uk
Hauppauge WinTV USB Nova-t
The second digital tuner here, the WinTV Nova-t brings the Freeview digital terrestrial service to your PC. You can tune in to free-to-view channels including BBC3 and 4, CBeebies, ITV2 and even a crystal-clear Channel 5.
Despite being a simple plug-and-play USB2 device, the Nova-t took a surprisingly long time to install on our system. Moreover, the Teletext application must be installed separately after the main software.
Eventually we were up and running and it only took a minute to select our TV region and set up the channels. The tuner picks up paid-for channels as well as free ones, but there's no way to subscribe to these at the moment.
Hauppauge's software provides everything you'd expect including instant and scheduled recording, timeshifting and Freeview's Now and Next information. You can't click on the latter to record an upcoming programme but the software supports a full EPG function that should come to life when Freeview decides to broadcast one. By the time you read this it should also come bundled with Showshifter, which supports a subscription-based online EPG.
In general it's all easy to use, but the timeshifting controls could be a little more precise and the icons aren't as intuitive as Pinnacle's. A real remote control rather than a virtual one would also be a huge plus.
One thing we weren't prepared for was the picture quality. With an outdoor aerial in line with the Crystal Palace transmitter, reception was superb, with crisp images and sparkling sound. While some of the analogue systems here offer good images, the Nova-t blew them away. The unit can also pick up a variety of DVB radio stations.
Being a purely digital product the Nova-t offers an RF aerial input only, lacking the video capture facilities found on more common analogue models.
While you can buy a dedicated Freeview box for around half the price, the added functions and image quality make the Nova-t tempting.
Price: £109
Contact: www.hauppage.co.uk
Hauppauge WinTV PCI-FM
As its name suggests, this low-cost PCI-FM card offers both an analogue TV tuner and FM radio capabilities. At £69.99 it's cheaper than all but Pinnacle's PCTV Stereo, but, unfortunately, it's easy to see why.
While we all try not to go on first impressions, a messy external audio link lead, poorly printed documentation and conflicting installation instructions didn't help. It didn't take long to get things going, though, and we were up and watching quite quickly.
Unlike the Nova-t, the software for the PCI-FM is split into several applications rather than one or two well-integrated packages. There are two programs to watch and record TV. The main Win2000 software is awkward and confusing, relying too much on flashy design rather than providing a clear interface.
It does come with a SoftPVR utility but this just allows for one-touch mpeg1 recording - there's no timeshifting and half the functions aren't implemented.
The PCI-FM does support cable stations, scheduled recording, snapshots and Teletext, and has a handy remote - bizarre when you consider the more expensive USB Nova-t doesn't. The scheduler also works with the paid-for online TVTV EPG in Europe, but we couldn't get this to work on our system.
Picture quality was fine with a good outdoor aerial, though it lacked the sparkle of others, while the radio worked perfectly with a spot of fine tuning. The radio app is easy to use but, strangely, while the scheduler can record FM signals, there's no record function in the program.
Given the great experience we had with the Nova-t, the PCI-FM was something of a letdown.
Price: £69.99
Contact: www.hauppage.co.uk
Trust Combi TV-PC POP View
Taking a different approach from the other products here, Trust's latest gadget is neither a USB or PCI device. Instead, the oddly named Combi TV-PC POP View is a standalone unit that plugs directly into your display.
The Combi connects to your monitor via a VGA lead and doesn't require any software or drivers to work. In fact, you don't even need a PC to use it. Just stick in an aerial, plug in some speakers, connect the box to your monitor and tune in.
Alternatively, you can route your PC through the box and use its picture-in-picture facilities to view TV in a window. S-Video and composite inputs let you connect other devices, such as DVD player or games console, and the picture from all three sources can be scaled from 640 x 480 to 1,024 x 768.
There's not that much more to say about the Combi. On-screen menus make selecting and adjusting items such as colour and contrast easy, while a remote control means you don't even have to touch the box once it's set up. That said, not everything went to plan in our tests.
Trust supplied us with a European model, which refused to give us pictures and sound simultaneously. Although both the UK and Europe use the Pal TV system, it would appear that there are slight differences. We either a got a good picture accompanied by white noise or clear sound with no image.
The easiest tuner to set up, the Combi is a hassle-free free way to get TV on your PC. Just make sure you get the UK version.
Price: £89
Contact: www.trust.com
Pinnacle PCTV Deluxe
A smart blue and white box that won't spoil even the tidiest desk, Pinnacle's top-of-the-range analogue tuner is compatible with terrestrial and cable TV. The most exciting thing is the inclusion of realtime mpeg2 encoding hardware, allowing for instant 'DVD quality' recordings.
Connection via USB means the Deluxe works with both desktop and notebook PCs, but you'll need a USB2 interface to achieve the best results. Getting things running is as easy as installing the software and plugging the tuner into the mains and the relevant port.
Scanning for channels is quick, but it would have been useful to see station names automatically assigned to standard channels, such as BBC1.
Pinnacle's Vision software features adjustable timeshifting options and facilities for both instant and scheduled recordings. Sadly, scheduling must be done manually as an EPG function is currently only supported in the US. Teletext can be accessed through the web in a separate application, with search options, but of course you'll need to be online.
While there was a slight lag when changing channels, in tests the picture quality was excellent on both live TV and recordings using an outdoor rooftop aerial. You can also record from a VCR or camcorder by using the S-Video, composite and audio inputs at the front of the unit.
Files are stored as mpeg but can be converted into a variety of formats and Pinnacle even includes integrated DVD/CD burning facilities.
The Deluxe package comes with a remote control, which works well but includes redundant buttons used on other products in the range. While it is the most expensive option on test, the PCTV Deluxe is a great little tuner.
Price: £150
Contact: www.pinnaclesys.com
Pinnacle PCTV Stereo
The cheapest tuner at just under £50, the PCTV Stereo sits at the entry-level end of Pinnacle's range. Still, price is no guarantee of performance and we were pleasantly surprised by this tiny PCI card.
Installation is easy, although, as with the WinTV PCI-FM, the card uses a clumsy external lead to provide audio playback through your soundcard. Messier still is the sensor for the supplied remote control, which needs a free 9pin legacy serial port to work. As well as an aerial input, the card has composite, S-Video and audio connectors.
The Stereo comes with the same Vision and Webtext software as the Deluxe, providing easy-to-use recording, manual scheduling and timeshifting facilities. You can also capture individual stills in standard bmp format.
All captured files are neatly organised in the Gallery, while integrated burning software is provided to create your own movie discs. Strangely, the version of Vision bundled with this card also managed to name channels automatically.
One particularly interesting feature is the video capture formats. According to the packaging, the software supports mpeg1 recording but can be upgraded to mpeg2 at additional cost. Despite this, we managed to select and use the mpeg2 functions from the start without any problems. However, the burning software only supports VCD and SVCD until you upgrade.
The Stereo is compatible with cable and terrestrial broadcasts, and gave the same high-quality picture as the Deluxe when used with a good outdoor aerial. Software encoding means the quality of recording is subject to the host PC's processor speed, but all-in-all we were impressed with its performance.
Whether you're looking for a TV tuner to keep up with your favourite programmes at work, or simply want to record video on your PC, the PCTV Stereo is great value for money.
Price: £49.99
Contact: www.pinnaclesys.com
Our verdict
Most of the devices perform well, so choosing the winners boils down to ease of use, features and value for money.
Despite the arrival of Windows XP, PCI cards are still more hassle to install than USB counterparts. If you're looking for a simple plug-and-go solution, and let's face it most of us are, USB is definitely the way to go. However, you need to use a USB2 connection for the best results.
While the Hauppauge Nova-t offers the best picture quality from a USB device, thanks to its compatibility with Freeview, it can't compete with the features of the Pinnacle PCTV Deluxe.
Pinnacle's software is easier to use and provides integrated DVD burning, while hardware mpeg2 encoding lets you capture high-quality sequences from a video, camcorder and DVD player as well as TV.
We'd like to see an EPG available in the UK, but once you add a remote control it's easy to see why this deserves a Recommended award. The Nova-t comes a close second, though.
Pinnacle also wins in the value for money stakes with the entry-level PCTV Stereo. This provides everything most people need at just £50. The Black Gold from GTA also deserves an honourable mention for combining digital and analogue recording - we can't wait to see the next version.
See also:
Get the best picture you can from your flat-panel monitor by getting to grips with its sockets and going digital. We explain how 19 Aug 2004
All Peripheral Devices
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