I have a TV Tuner, do I still need the HD Receiver?

[m_l_lee]

Dear all, this is my first posting. I hope anyone who has the answer can enlighten this lost soul.

Here's what I'm trying to do: I want to watch DirectTV HD programming (football mainly) on my new 24-inches LCD monitor. I did some research and found out that I need a TV Tuner.

So, I bought a TV Tuner (AverTV Hybrid Volar Max) from Amazon.com.

Now that it's time to call Direct TV to upgrade my normal Direct TV package to HD package. I was told that I need a new HD-capable Satellite Dish, a new HD receiver, and a HD capable TV to view the HD programmings.

Now, since I plan to watch the shows on my LCD monitor, so I don't need a HDTV. But I'm sure I'll need a new HD Dish.

My question is, do I need to get the HD receiver?
Do I connect the signal from the Dish directly to my TV Tuner (via coaxial)?
If so, there really is no need for a HD receiver, is that right?

I'm a little confuse and unsure.
Please help.

thanks.

James

 

[Twoboxer]

What follows relates solely to DirecTV HD.

You need the correct dish and an HD receiver to utilize DirecTV HD (or any other) programming. The HD receiver contains a decoder (encryption and control) and satellite's equivalent of a "tuner". That box will output audio and video based on what channel you tune to, or what recording you are playing.

In any case, that output is not on any "channel" and CANNOT be input to a tuner.

You will use either an HDMI cable (audio + video) or composite video (3 wires) plus audio (2 wires). Those get plugged directly into your monitor (except perhaps the audio cables if you have another sound system/speakers).

Your computer is not involved, and cannot be involved atm.

 

[Crashman]

None of the above. You don't need a TV tuner in your PC to watch Direct TV, any analog video input device would do. In fact, some tuner cards don't have any analog "auxiliary input" function, so you'd be out of luck chosing the wrong tuner.

But you're still kind of "out of luck" since HD TV tuners only do HDTV from the tuner itself. As in, Cable HDTV (Clear QAM) or over-the-air HDTV (ATSC or DVB-T). The "auxialiary input" is still either Composite or S-Video, which is analog and low-definition.

With what you have, you can probably view your DirectTV box at around 480i, with analog anomolies such as bleeding and noise further reducing the quality.

 

[m_l_lee]

Wow!! Seems like I got it all wrong. Good thing I ask!
So, if I want to watch and record HDTV on my computer, I'll have to part with Direct TV and subscribe to Cable service like Cox, am I right?

Thanks again.

 

[baddad]

If you go cable then the tuner for your computer has to be HDTV capable.

 

[Twoboxer]

The tuner you have purchased from Amazon seems to be HD compatible up to 1080i/720p which is the maximum resolution of all broadcast TV whether OTA, satellite, or cable. So far so good.

But . . . if you were to attach the coax cable from your cable company to your tuner, you would be able to tune in ONLY unscrambled channels for which the cable company did not require some sort of set top box. More and more frequently the ONLY channels available (if any) are those included in the "Basic Cable" package . . . ie, your local network channels and some shopping channels. And sometimes not even those. Because their general direction is to require a set top box for EVERYTHING so you cannot record on your own . . . except if your tuner is equipped with a "cable card" decoder . . . but that's another long story. Suffice to say you cannot get one to install yourself.

So, check with your cable company before you bite. You are unlikely to be any better off with cable than with satellite.

I have 5 DirecTV DVRs at two locations, and it is far easier to record using those. You can program them from anywhere using your browser. They are connected via HD (component cables + audio) to a primary HD display. Secondary outputs are modulated (composite video + audio are converted back to an old-fashioned analog TV channel) for distribution to other non-HD TVs in the house. Finally, I use a Slingbox at each location for streaming to any PCs that want to tune in from wherever they connect to a high speed ISP. Philadelphia to Prague is my personal distance record. At the moment that's about the best that can be done.

 

[m_l_lee]

Thanks guys for replying.