A TV Tuner Card allows your computer to receive television signals so you can watch them on TV screen software (eg: DVBDream, ProgDVB, AltDVB, Skynet, Skygrabber,TSreade…). If you have satellite TV service, you can watch satellite TV on computer with a TV Tuner Card. A Tuner Card can be installed internally or externally, but it will still come with video ports that you can connect your satellite receiver to.
Watching satellite TV on your computer is simply a matter of installing the satellite TV card and connecting a receiver box to it. And the picture quality depends on the signal receiving from the TV Tuner Card.
How to set up a TV Tuner Card
1. Choose a TV Tuner Card that will work with your computer. There are two basic types: a PCI/PCI-E (PCI Express, it’s a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI bus standards.) card that is internally installed and an external Tuner Card with a USB plug. Get a card that receives HD satellite signals (though a basic analog Tuner Card can still work).
2. Install the card to your computer. For a PCI/PCI-E card, open your computer case and insert the card into an available PCI/PCI-E slot, which is located near the motherboard’s base. For an external card, just plug it into a USB port.
3. Connect your satellite receiver box to the computer through the Tuner Card. The card will have an RF coaxial and/or RCA composite ports. Disconnect the receiver box’s output from your TV and connect it to the card with a coaxial or RCA cable.
4. Turn the computer on. You will likely get a pop-up for the new hardware you installed. Insert the CD-ROM that came with the card and run the enclosed software. This will install the drivers needed for your operating system to run the card.
5. Start up the TV Tuner program, which you installed in the CD software’s last step. If your satellite TV antenna is working and the cable is properly connected, the satellite TV broadcast will appear on the program’s screen.
You know how to set up TV Tuner Card, the next you can choose suitable card for yourself:
Pick a suitable TV Tuner Card:
(Note: Some of TV Tuner Cards are single tuner, but some are dual tuner, with the dual tuner card, your watching will be more convenient. It enables you to watch channel from one transponder/satellite while recording another channel from another transponder/satellite.)
Here’re four cards for you to choose:
TBS8921 PCI DVB-S2 TV Tuner Card
Main Features:
- 1.DVB-S2/S Transponders Receiving
2.Transponders blind scan (both for DVB-S2 and DVB-S)
3.Broadband Internet via Satellite*
4.High-speed Data download via Satellite*
5.Windows 7 Media Center compatible
6.Linux S2API drivers compatible with MythTV, VDR, XBMC, DVBLast, VLC, etc.
7.Supported by DVBDream, DVBViewer, DVBlogic, ProgDVB, AltDVB, Skynet, TSreader…
Price: $86.99
TBS6921 PCI-E DVB-S2 TV Tuner Card
Main Features:
- 1.DVB-S2/S Transponders Receiving
2.Transponders blind scan
3.Broadband Internet via Satellite*
4.High-speed Data download via Satellite*
5. Linux MythTV, VDR, XBMC and Windows 7 Media Center compatible
6.Supported by DVBDream, DVBViewer, DVBlogic, ProgDVB, Skynet, TSreader…
Price: $108.99
TBS6981 PCI-E DVB-S2 Dual Tuner TV card
Main Features:
- Watch Satellite TV & listen to Radio on PC
- Dual Channels DVB-S2/S HD/SD TV Receiving Synchronously
- Broadband Internet via Satellite
- High-speed Data download via Satellite
- Real Time and Scheduled Program Recording(PVR)
- Time Shifting to Pause Live TV
- Supported by DVBDream, ProgDVB, AltDVB, Skynet, Skygrabber,TSreader…
Price: $138.99
Main Features:
- DVB-S2/S HD/SD TV Receiving
- Broadband Internet via Satellite
- Transponders blind scan (both for DVB-S2 and DVB-S)
- High-speed Data download via Satellite
- Real Time and Scheduled Program Recording(PVR)
- Windows 7 Media Center compatible
- Supported by DVBDream, ProgDVB, AltDVB, Skynet, Skygrabber,TSreader…
Price: $98.99
You may like:
1.Guide for how to use TBS 6981 PCI-E Dual Tuner Card
2.How to watch satellite TV on your computer?
3.How to watch HDTV programs with HDTV Tuner Card?
4.How to watch and record satellite TV channels at the same time?