Re: USB HDTV tuners for PCs?

I chose the AutumnWave OnAir GT for use with my laptop and I'm very
pleased with it. Runs off USB power (no separate power lump), does
8VSB and clear QAM, fits easily in my laptop bag. Hardware and
supplied software seem solid.

Scheduling records with the original app was the pits, but they have
since added support for TitanTV scheduling. That requires an Internet
connection when you set the schedule, but it's a lot better than the
EPG from most stations. Not as good as the independently-produced
support for downloadable schedules for the MyHD and Fusion products,
but that may disappear soon anyway.

Like all USB digital tuners, it expects the CPU and maybe the video
system to do all the work of decoding and displaying MPEG2. That
pretty well maxes out my 1.7 GHz laptop. For a PC with PCI slots I'd
rather have a card with its own hardware decoding and display (which I
do, and it hardly taxes the computer at all). I might use a USB tuner
as a second tuner for record only. In that case I might favor the
OnAir Creator, which does require external power but which has a
hardware encoder for NTSC analog. But I don't do much with NTSC any
more. Amazing how fast a whole rack of video equipment became
obsolete.

One important selling point is that the company has a knowledgeable
tech who is active in the AutumnWave thread on AVS Forum. Questions
get answered, and good suggestions get back to people who can
implement them.

Del Mibbler
.

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