How to Compare Digital TV Tuners
Digital TV tuners describes any technology or accessory that allows digital television signals to be transmitted to a computer. You can compare these tuners by a range of factors and features.
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Interface
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Tuners can be compared by the method through which the technologies interact, the interface. One category is PCI bus expansion technology, or using a PCI slot in the computer. Another uses the USB port, such as ExpressCard interface TV tuners found mostly on laptops. Tuners can also be completely external, or part of an analog-to-digital converter box.
Specialized Tuners
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Some digital TV tuners are known as hybrids because they can transmit both digital and analog signals. Most digital TV tuners also function as digital recording devices. If you want this feature, it is an important part of the comparison.
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Encoding
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Digital tuners also differ by how they handle encoding. Some perform this function using the card itself, which is capable of hardware encoding. Others outsource this task to the computer's processing unit.
Other Criteria
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Other factors in comparing digital TV tuners include the image quality they provide; whether the purchase includes a remote; if the tuner is also capable of playing FM radio; and what audio/visual cables the set-up requires.
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