Need help with tv tuner

[jonnyboyC]

So in a week I'm moving into my new dorm and I've recently built a new rig back in June. Right now i have a really nice monitor and speakers and I was thinking about a tv tuner instead of possibly buying a separate tv. I just know that my room will have cable that I could hook up too. I'm not planning on using an antenna
I guess what i'm really wondering is if the cable signal is passed through my computer and out the video card output and sound output?

Ohh and recommendation on a card would be very much appreciated =]

 

[nukemaster]

Most new cards record the TV signal to your hard drive with a hardware encoder then your computer(and video card if it supports it) decodes the actual video/audio for watching. There are cards that work all in software, but i do not recommend them.

Please note, watching TV on a computer while cool, can cause some issues with gaming and watching TV. many games want to run full screen and take more video power. This will vary with the hardware you use.

If you are getting digital cable or satellite, you may also want to see about just connecting that to your screen if it has the inputs.

For a tuner, i have seen very good reviews for the TV Wonder 650 USB.

http://techgage.com/article/ati_tv_wonder_hd_600_pci_hd_650_combo_usb/
Seems good with analog and digital(over the air HD) signals

I also like hauppauge cards, but if you have Vista-64 forget it, they have bad drives for that. Unless something has changed they only support with less then 4 gigs of memory.

 

[jonnyboyC]

i probably should have put at least some of the spec for my pc when I did this. But I think i would have to go thru the video card because my monitor is only vga or dvi so unfortunately no built in speakers. and i've got a gtx 275 and i'm currently on windows 7 7100 build. I think for the most part I won't be gaming and watching tv at the same time. I just want this as an alternative to just buying a stand alone tv

 

[nukemaster]

It will work for that, Just remember with the high resolution of today's computer screens standard def TV looks more fuzzy, if you are not too close, it should be ok.

That review should give you an idea of picture quality on good tuners.