External TV tuners are a set-top box for a personal computer that provides reception of television channels from an internal or external antenna (or from satellite or cable TV).
Types of TV tuners
Such devices are divided into three types. The first type is internal devices. They are a device that is inserted into the slot on the motherboard of a personal computer. TV shows can only be watched if the PC is turned on. In addition, to ensure the operation of the device requires the installation of drivers and special software. The second type is external TV tuners. Connect to a computer via a USB port. External TV tuners are most often used in conjunction with laptops. To ensure operability, as well as with built-in devices, installation of drivers and special software is required. Only work when the computer is on. The third type is hardware external TV tuners without USB. They are connected "in the gap" between the monitor and the video card of a personal computer. Such devices can work without a PC. To ensure the operability of the device, speakers and a monitor are required.
Advantages and disadvantages of external devices
External digital TV tuner belongs to the middle price category. In functionality, such devices resemble internal receivers. The quality of television reception is not always good. They can “freeze” when connected to a computer via a USB port version 1.1. They have a function for receiving an FM radio channel. They can record programs at a set time or by command. In addition, these devices can be used as a video capture card. The advantages of this device include the fact that it is connected without disassembling the system unit of the computer. It is inconvenient to use it together with a portable PC, since the device takes up extra space. In this case, it is best to purchase a specialized external TV tuner for the PCMCIA series laptop.
Hardware External TV Tuners
Such devices belong to devices of the highest price category. They can be used with any monitors, whether tube or TFT, and turn into a full-fledged TV, independent of the PC. The image quality of such devices is the best. Watching TV shows is carried out without turning on the computer, and with the PC running, you can use the picture-in-picture mode, that is, watch TV and work on the PC. In addition, hardware external tuners can be programmed to turn on and off at a given time. The disadvantages of the device include the inability to record broadcast programs. And not all models even have a video output that could be connected to a computer. True, there are models of hardware tuners that support the video capture function with the subsequent transmission of the signal via the USB port in mpeg4 format, but the price of such devices is too high.
And finally ...
There are some models of TV tuners that can receive satellite TV. However, when buying such equipment, one should not forget that for its operation, at least a satellite dish is also required .