External TV tuners: description, purpose, advantages and disadvantages of the device

External TV tuners are a prefix to a personal computer, providing reception from the internal or external antenna (or from satellite or cable TV) of television channels.

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 of the motherboard of the personal computer. TV shows can only be viewed 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 the computer via a USB port. External TV tuners are most often used together with laptops. To ensure efficiency, as well as with embedded devices, you need to install drivers and special software. Work only when the computer is turned 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 the personal computer. Such devices can work without a PC. To ensure the functionality of the device requires speakers and a monitor.

Advantages and disadvantages of external devices

An external digital TV tuner belongs to the middle price category. In terms of functionality, such devices resemble internal receivers. The quality of receiving a television signal is not always good. Can "hang" when connected to a computer via USB-port version 1.1. Have a function for receiving an FM radio channel. Can record programs at the set time or by command. In addition, these devices can be used as a video capture card. The advantages of the device under consideration include the fact that it is connected without disassembling the computer's system unit. Use it together with a portable PC is inconvenient, since the device takes up unnecessary space. In this case, it is best to purchase a specialized external TV tuner for a laptop PCMCIA series.

Hardware external TV tuners

Such devices belong to the devices of the highest price category. They can be used with any monitor, be it a tube or TFT, and turn it into a full-fledged TV, independent of the PC. The image quality of such devices is the best. TV is viewed without turning on the computer, and when the PC is running, you can use the picture-in-picture mode, that is, watch TV and work on a PC. In addition, the hardware external tuners can be programmed to turn on and off at the specified time. The disadvantages of the device include the inability to record recorded broadcasts. 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 a signal via a USB port in the 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, we should not forget that for its work, at least one more satellite dish is needed .