Recording Tv with my PC

[Mendoza]

I know this isnt specifically a game questions but figured it was wroth trying.

I'm going to get a new hdtv next month and want to use my old 26 LCD hdtv as a monitor.

My computer has an HDMI out so the connection is super easy.

What i was wondering was, could i use windows media center or another program to record tv to my hard drive without having to get another tuner.

The tv has a qam tuner so i can get digital straight through the coax, and since i have cable in my room already i can just use a cable splitter i think to get signal to the tv..

Any help would be appreciated.

[myktek]

ask me anything you would like.

I work for a software company that is a competitor to Media Center, so I know almost everything about them.

[Mendoza]

ask me anything you would like.

I work for a software company that is a competitor to Media Center, so I know almost everything about them.

Alright then.

Is the basic set up i described going to work, or is there other equipment i will need?

[thelolotov]

ask me anything you would like.

I work for a software company that is a competitor to Media Center, so I know almost everything about them.

Alright then.

Is the basic set up i described going to work, or is there other equipment i will need?

From what I understand, you have no TV tuner for the PC, or a capture card, there's no way around needing one of the two.

[Mendoza]

So i need a separate tuner for the pc?

The tuner in the tv doesn't matter then?

[Niode]

So i need a separate tuner for the pc?

The tuner in the tv doesn't matter then?

Of course you do.

[Mendoza]

Well i wasn't sure so that's why i asked.

Thanks for clearing that up.

[myktek]

as ya'll discussed already, you will need a tuner no matter what for the computer.

[Mendoza]

Would you suggest a pci tuner or a usb tuner?

[bdlou]

Not knowing anything about your configuration, and assuming you're running Windows Vista or Windows 7, you can choose from any number of USB or PCI tuners that support Clear QAM if you only intend on tuning unencrypted channels direct from the cable line.

Here is a gigantic list of officially supported tuner cards for Windows 7:
http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Produc ... 6&f=86win7

That being said, depending on how your place is configured, you might want to consider the SiliconDust HDHomeRun dual network tuner. It sits on your network and when configured properly, allows any Media Center PC to tune or record from it when there are tuners available. I used to have two of these in my setup. They were great!:
http://www.silicondust.com/

That being said, if you're paying for cable TV and your provider supports CableCard, if you really want to be able to tune the channels you pay for, the Ceton InfiniTV 4 is the only way to go, though they are on serious backorder right now:
http://www.cetoncorp.com/

Hope this helps