TV Tuner Cards

TV Tuner card helps to see the Television programs in a Computer or Laptop. TV tuner card is basically a video capture circuit allowing the user to see the TV programs in PC monitor and to record the same in hard disk.TV tuner cards may be the PC1 expansion bus card that can be inserted into the expansion slot of the mother board or PCI Express card (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) which is the modern development to replace the older PCI bus standards.

Types of TV Tuner cards

Four different types of TV tuner cards are available now. These are:

1. Analog TV Tuner cards

These provide a raw video stream for real time viewing but require the video compression for recording the data. These encode the video signals to Motion JPEG or MPEG formats.

2. Hybrid TV tuner cards

This can be manipulated as both analog and digital tuners. Switching between the analog and digital systems requires configuration of the hybrid tuner card.

3. Combo cards (Combination Cards)

This card is similar to a hybrid card containing an analog and a digital card. The advantage of the card is that, while watching the analogue signals, the user can record the digital signals or vice versa.

4. External TV tuner cards

These cards can be used externally without inserting into the PC and is portable so that it can be used for Mobile TV.

Steps to connect External TV tuner card

1. Remove the speaker jack of PC speaker and insert the audio jack of tuner card into the audio in (Green socket) of PC.

2. The other end of the audio cable should be inserted into the Audio Out socket of Tuner card

3. Connect the display cable to the Monitor socket of PC and connect the other end to the Tuner card VGA –Out socket

4. Plug the adapter to the tuner card and plug it to the AC outlet

5. Connect Antenna or Set top box out to the tuner card

6. Power and see the display in the monitor like TV signals.

7. Using the remote, select the setup as in TV and select channels

8. It is possible to use the desktop as usual after turning of the TV mode.

Error Messages

Here are some common problems with TV tuner card when using Widows Media Centre to watch programs in computer.

Tuner card not installed

1. Make sure that the external tuner card is installed.

2. Update driver

3. Configure. Start-Task-Settings-Click TV- Click set up TV signal

Tuner card not found

1. Make sure that the external tuner card is installed in the PC.

2. Update driver

3. Configure. Start-Task-Settings-Click TV- Click set up TV signal

Tuner in use

1. Close all programs and use Widows media centre

Tuner Error

1. Tune to different channel and restart Windows media centre and Computer

Video error

1. Close all programs that are using the decoder and then restart Windows media centre

Video error – Video decoder malfunctions

1. Restart media centre and then restart computer

Audio error

1. Make sure that the sound card is installed

2. Enable audio card in Device manager

TV Suddenly stops

The reason may be – Some TV tuner devices have an FM radio input as well as an input for a TV signal. Some of these devices cannot receive an FM radio signal and a TV signal simultaneously. For example, if the tuner is in use for FM radio when Windows Media Center is scheduled to start a TV recording, a warning might appear saying that the FM radio session will be stopped when the TV recording starts. If you don’t make a selection, Windows Media Center will automatically stop FM radio and begin recording the TV program as scheduled.

Media centre is not changing channels

If the TV signal is received through a set-top box and Windows Media Center cannot change channels or it changes channels incorrectly, check the following:

1. The infrared remote control cable, also known as an IR blaster, might not be connected. If it is connected, it might be positioned incorrectly on the front of the set-top box. If the IR blaster is not connected or positioned correctly, Windows Media Center cannot send a signal to the set-top box to change a channel.

2. If channels consistently change incorrectly, the IR control codes might not have been configured correctly during TV signal setup. To reconfigure your TV signal, use start – Tasks,- settings, click TV, and then click Set Up TV Signal.