PC Peripherals External/Internal Tv-Tuner for Laptop/Desktop

Blugene

Adept
hi friends,

My existing card,a 3 yr old compro videomate pvr is almost dying now showing signs of end of life(comp fails to boot/suddenly reboots when its plugged in, switching slots make it unrecognizable etc.) it has served me well over the last 2-3 yrs and reception quality was good with video input sourced from digital cable(set-top box). I missed watching tv on laptop though whenever pc was down for some reason or the other.

So, with this background i am in need of a new tv tuner card that i can use with either my desktop/laptop with input source as set-top box i.e. RCA input..so it has to be an external one...if only there are no good external ones available i'll consider internal ones...pc/alptop config are as follows.

pc:
amd x2 3600+(1.9Ghz)
2gb ddr2 667
Amd 690g onboard gfx
250gb sata2
xp pro sp3

laptop:
core2duo 1.8ghz
2gb ddr2 667
120gb sata hdd
128mb nvidia gfx card
windows vista basic sp1

I did a bit of searching to shortlist a few external ones excluding the unbranded/cheap ones like intex,gadmei,tech-com etc.

External
1) pixelview play tv 415 usb - 2200/-
2) pinnacle pctv 50e- maybe arnd 2.5k
3) hauppauge wintv usb2 - not sure if available in india
4) hauppauge wintv hvr 950q(video adapter included-other models like 900 etc. may not be having video adpters to accept RCA input from set-top box) - not sure if available in india - may be very expensive
5) Compro Video-mate action - rs. 4.5k - available online(sify)
6) Pinacle ultimate stick USB or something like that - no idea abt this
7) compro videomate u series(2800F,890F,890,900,300,U3) etc. - no idea abt availability in india and price

Internal
1) hauppauge winTV PVR 150 - hw based - price?
2) leadtek winfast 2000xp global -sw based -2.2-2.3k
3) pinnacle pc tv stereo - price ?
4) leadtek DT1800H hybrid -3700-online (techshop.in)
5) win TV pvr 1250 - price?
6) leadtek Vc100 XP - 1500
7) pixel view play tv pro - 1500

i'd appreciate if you could share ur exp with any of the listed cards/any other that you consider to be worth considering. It'd also help a lot if i cna get info abt availability(mumbai-lamington road) and latest prices.

thanx
 
I tried the AverMedia Volar AX for a few days and found it to be quite good. It bundles an adapter for composite connectivity so it can be used with a STB. It works under both XP and Vista. Its extremely compact and being a USB tv tuner you can use it with your laptop as well as your desktop.

Here's the link : AVerMedia MPD-Global - AVerTV Volar AX
 
seems to be a good one. could you upload some images(if you are using the unit now) with STB input...

and where did u buy/get it from and price info pl
 
I dont have it now. But you could download its pdf manual from AverMedia's site and see the pics for yourself.

The tuner was lent to me by Mnemonic Systems from Borivali about a couple of months back. Price quoted was around Rs. 4,000/-
 
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