RecordingTV to disc (1 Viewer)

[Lew]

I've read quite a few posts and beginner areas but I am still confused.What I want to do is simply record tv to a hard disk and then play it back. I have a PIII 800Mhz with 256MB ram & 2 x 60GB discs, XP pro. Australian TV PAL B I think
What is better a tv tuner card with a video card with TV out or a capture card with TV in/out.
What sort of image quality could I expect to get, it is only playing back on a 68cm tv no fancy sound... so its not at all a home theater system I just want to build a digital video recorder. So in simple terms:
what capture card should I get?
what software should I get?

Thanks in advance

 

[Chris Bardon]

Well, I have an ATI TV Wonder, which is nice because it means that I can have another primary graphics adapter. The difference is that the AIW boards have everything, but they take a hit in 3d performance. That being said though, the AIW Radeon 8500 DV is the best one on the market if you can afford it (even comes with a remote control).

As for software though, be warned. ATI makes great hardware, but their software is terrible. I've had nothing but problems with their TV software-it crashes my machine, and the scheduler doesn't like to work about half of the time. Theoretically it should work, but in reality it falls short.

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

Also, keep in mind that the AIW doesn't work if you want to use Dscaler to linedouble/scale TV. Dscaler really is a remarkable piece of software and a reason in itself to get a separate TV card and a graphics card with a TV out if you need that.

Of course, the biggest benefit from dscaler you get if using the PC with a front projection system.