TV Tuner Card

TV tuner card is computer components, make TV signals received by computer. Most TV tuner also available as video capture card, let them record to a hard disk TV programs.

TV tuner, can be in different interface number: as PCI bus PCI Express (the expansion card PCIe) bus, PCMCIA, mini PCI Express, Express or PCMCIA USB device also exist (hdhomerun) and (HAVA). In addition, such as TV tuner double some video card, especially all the ATI function of a series of miracles. This card including tuner and an analog to digital converter (collectively referred to as analog front) and demodulation and interface logic. Some very cheap CARDS lack of system demodulation of the CPU processor and chip, like a Winmodem, dependent.

There are currently 4 tuner card on the market:

Analog TV tuner

Cheap video output analog TV card original streaming video, real-time looked right, but need some ideal form of compression, if it wants to be recorded. Expensive models are encoded signal JPEG or MPEG, reducing the burden of the CPU. Also has a lot of card analog input (composite video or S - video) and many also offer FM FM radio.

Digital TV tuner

Digital TV is broadcasting as mpeg-2, flow, so no encoder is necessary, instead, digital card can provide the whole MPEG transmission flow or extract audio and video) personal (basic flow.

Hybrid tuner

A hybrid tuner have a tuner, can be configured as an analog tuner or digital tuner. Switching between the system is fairly easy to, but not immediately. Card can not only be an digital tuner or until reconfigured analog tuner.

Combination tuner

This is similar to a hybrid tuner, besides two card separate tuner. People could watch simulation digital recording, and vice versa. Which allow the operation, as analog tuner and a digital tuner simultaneously. In two separate card is the advantage of cost and computer expansion slots to use. Due to many parts of the world, from analog signals converts digital radio, the increasing popularity of these tuner.

Like simulating card, mix and Combo tuner can tuner card to the special chip to execute code, or put this task to the CPU. This' hardware encoding 'TV card is generally regarded as quality is higher. Small USB tuner stick is becoming more common, in 2006 and 2007 is expected to grow by popular. These small tuner generally have no hardware encoding, due to the scale and thermal restrictions.

Although most TV tuner confined to the radio frequencies, the use of video formats in sold, many TV tuner in use computer use digital signal processor, so the firmware update is often all necessary change the video format support. Many more new TV tuner's flash memory large enough to hold the video format decoding the variety of different firmware, makes it possible to use in many countries, without flash the firmware tuner. But from a simulation, can generally flash card format, to another similarities, generally impossible due from a digital flash card format, another in the decoding logic differences in the necessary.

Many TV tuner can be used as FM radio, this is because exist radio and TV and FM radio similarities. FM radio spectrum close to (or even inside), through VHF terrestrial television broadcasting use. And many around the world use FM audio system of TV broadcast. Therefore, listening to FM radio station, is a simple configuration existing hardware.