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How to solve the TV problem

So I currently have a desktop here on campus, and a large 23" TV at home. Instead of trying to make a place for the television, I am considering allowing my computer to view television and also allow an RCA input so I can hook up my Nintendo Wii. I looked at Tiger Direct's website and found in intreguing item, though I only have Vista Basic. This would most likely pose a problem trying to run this PCI device. Here is a photo of the item I'm looking at:
(The image is clickable to the Tiger Direct listing)
This certain one is for Windows XP media Center. I need to keep searching for one that will work for my computer. My dad said I should look around at www.hauppauge.com I will make an effort to look there.

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Comments (5)

Be sure to check and see if there's any lag time with the card. Some TV tuner cards inherently have a certain amount of lag time as they convert the signal to a digital format. Even a half second of delay will destroy your gaming experience. Be careful, and read up on the reviews.

I have a Hauppauge TV Tuner in my system (I think it's the PVR-150). The graphic quality isn't too bad. I would recommend getting one of the HD ones that are out now, since a monitor has a higher resolution than a TV and makes the picture look pretty bad. As for playing your Wii, I would recommend a VGA Box. I have the XCM 1080p Box that I got from playasia.com (it's like $70). It will output from 480p - 1080p and comes with Component cables for the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360.

Kenton, I would highly recommend you buying that TV tuner card. I have a USB TV tuner made by Hauppauge! which works fairly well. I use Windows Media Center to watch and even RECORD television. It is very useful to have instead of bringing a big heavy TV. I have an Acer 22" widescreen monitor on my desk, you've probably seen it. So basically, I have a 22" TV.

One of the most important things I looked at when selecting a PC was a TV tuner. Combined with a monitor that can run in HD input, there's no reason to ever buy a TV. Plus, recording shows is infinitely better than watching commercials.

That card should work fine for recording TV, but I'd say skip it for playing your Wii. Instead just look at a simple dongle that converts component or composite to VGA. That would solve the lag problem, and if you use component cables, make everything look nicer.

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