Laptop TV Tuner
What Is A Laptop TV Tuner?
A laptop TV tuner allows the viewer to watch TV on the laptop screen. This is
made possible by the laptop TV tuner which delivers TV signals to the laptop.
Two Main Types Of Laptop TV Tuner
The two main types of laptop TV tuner are the USB TV tuner and the Express Card TV tuner (the
latter will only work if the laptop has an Express Card slot). If the TV tuner is also to be used on a computer
other than the laptop, then a USB laptop TV tuner is best. It is important to be aware that most USB TV tuners
require, or perform best with, a USB 2.0 port (but not a USB hub). An antenna is needed for best performance if
receiving over-the-air digital or analog TV signals; whereas to receive cable or satellite TV, a wire connection
needs to be plugged in from the set-top box to the TV tuner.
It is also important to note that a laptop TV tuner will be powered by the port, therefore it
will use the laptop battery (unless the laptop is plugged into an outlet). This is typically only an extra 15 - 20
minutes of battery drain per one and half hours of battery life (exact values will depend on both laptop and tuner
model).
Most Laptop TV Tuner Has Recording Capability
Most models of TV tuner will allow recording, providing a DVR-like experience. Furthermore,
unlike a DVR (whose recordings cannot be transferred elsewhere), portability of recordings is an added bonus of the
laptop TV tuner. These recordings can be burned onto CD or DVD or alternatively transferred to another device, such
as an iPhone or iPod.
The installation of a TV tuner is very simple as far as the hardware is concerned: a USB TV
tuner will simply plug into the USB port. Driver and software installation comes with easy or automated options for
most models of TV tuner. However, it may take an additional short time to get these configured correctly to detect
the available channels. Once configured, it can take up to a minute to detect all the available channels, so it is
important to give the software sufficient time to function the first time it is set up. Any missing channels (that
are otherwise normally available to the user) may be added manually in many models of TV tuner.
Storage Solutions Needed When Recording Shows With Laptop TV
Tuner
Laptop owners should note that recorded shows take up a lot of hard drive space - from about 2
to 5 GB per hour. This is not typically a problem if there are only a few shows stored at any one time on the
laptop. However, for those who are buying a laptop USB TV tuner in order to record and archive an entire season of a show,
additional storage space will need to be considered. One solution is to burn these onto DVD; most laptops come
bundled with CD-burning software but in any case most models of TV tuner also come with software provided for
that task. Alternatively, an external hard drive may be purchased for storage. This has the advantage of fast,
seamless transfer, unlike burning to CD.
If the laptop is used mainly in one location, an external hard drive is probably the best means
of storing archived shows from the TV tuner. Conversely, if the laptop is used in many different locations, burning
to CD may be the better archiving solution even if it takes more time.
Through the capabilities provided by the laptop TV tuner, you can now enjoy your favorite TV shows easily.
PC TV Tuner
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