Best USB TV Tuner
How To Choose The Best USB TV Tuner
A USB TV tuner can be a helpful, convenient tool if purchased correctly. Selecting the
best USB TV tuner for your needs from the myriad of different models available can seem daunting
at first. Apart from an available USB 2.0 port, what else is needed? This guide will help you choose the best USB
TV tuner for your situation.
When Selecting The Best TV Tuner, You Need To Determine Its
Purpose
The first thing to consider in finding the best USB TV tuner is to consider what you
would like it to do. The majority of people who buy a USB TV tuner do so in order to get a DVR-like experience from
their computer. If, on the other hand, you do not wish to record shows but simply want to pick up live local TV and
radio channels for entertainment when travelling with your laptop, then your needs will be a little simpler.
Wireless Or Wired USB TV Tuner?
Having first considered the intended purpose for your USB TV tuner, it is time to move on to
some specifics that you have to consider when looking for the best USB TV tuner. The first consideration is whether
the model should be wireless or wired (from the TV or set-top box to the USB TV tuner). Wireless offers convenience
and portability and is a must if the computer is in a different physical location from the TV. Note that wireless
USB TV tuners usually require an antenna. On the other hand, a wired model is often the only option if you wish to
transfer encoded signal such as digital cable or satellite from the set-top box to the computer.
USB TV Tuner With Recording Capability?
Another consideration in finding the best USB TV tuner is its recording capability. If the
ability to record shows is important, it is ideal to choose a tuner model which can record one show while watching
another. This will ensure that the recording option is always available, even when the tuner is being used to watch
live TV.
USB TV Tuner With Set-Top Box Command Capability?
If recording of cable TV is desired, then the best USB TV tuner is a model which is capable of
electronically changing the channel on the set-top box (usually via an infrared command). The reason the set-top
box command capability is necessary is that there is no other way to change the channel when recording shows,
except manually. A tuner without set-top box command requires the user to manually change the channel on the
set-top box before each recording. This is even more of a problem if wishing to record a series of cable TV shows,
as the channel would need to be changed manually in between times. Therefore it is worth the higher price tag to
get a USB TV tuner which can change the channel on the set-top box, if recording of cable TV is a desired
feature.
Select A USB TV Tuner That Is Compatible With Your
Computer
Last but certainly not least, the best USB TV tuner will need to be compatible with the computer's operating
system and memory. All too often, the best TV tuner is perceived as the one with the highest requirements. In
reality, the best USB TV tuner is the one whose requirements fit within your computer's specifications. A USB TV
tuner which has very high requirements can actually be a liability on a computer that isn't well-equipped for
them. This arises when the screen pictures passed to the computer are done at too high a resolution for the
computer's memory to handle, resulting in jerkiness of movement and pausing. This becomes even more of a problem
if other applications are running on the computer at the same time. On the other hand, a USB TV tuner whose
requirements are too much at the low end of what your computer can handle will not result in any problems with
handling and displaying the picture - but will result in a much poorer screen resolution than is ideal.
The best USB TV tuner is therefore the one which does not overburden your
computer's capabilities, but is not at the lower end of the system's specifications either.
Digital TV Tuner
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