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HTPC TV Tuner advice

post #1 of 37
2/11/12 at 8:39pm
Thread Starter 
I'm debating on which TV tuner to get for my HTPC.

I'm debating between the HD Homerun which is about $100 or the
AVerMedia AVerTVHD Duet which is $65.

Thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?

AverMedia

HDHomerun
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post #2 of 37
2/12/12 at 4:10am
I have the duet and it works great for ota. Not so for comcast. No channels found in media center with comcast.
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post #3 of 37
2/12/12 at 6:36am
I'd encourage you to look at CableCARD tuners. They bring your entire lineup into your HTPC, and you also don't have to worry about channel mappings
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post #4 of 37
2/12/12 at 7:06am
I have used the Hauppauge 2250 for a couple of years without any complaints. In fact, I just bought a second one for the new HTPC I put in my bedroom. I don't use it with cable since I no longer subscribe to cable; but it did work with basic Brighthouse cable. I do have to let you know, though, that if I subscribed to premium cable or had a cable company with encrypted basic cable channels, then I would definitely suggest a cable card tuner.
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post #5 of 37
2/12/12 at 7:36am
I have both. The AverMedia has slightly better reception according to WMC but I have also very occasionally run into and issue where WMC gives me a no tuner found warning, maybe once every other month. I have had the HDHomeRun since Christmas and have seen no issues yet.
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post #6 of 37
2/12/12 at 7:39am
You never specified what you need the tuner for, but based on your selections I'm guessing you're only interested in OTA reception and recording. Any of the models mentioned are excellent choices. If you're short on PCI slots then you might also want to consider the HP USB tuner. It's a topnotch ATSC/QAM tuner and usually comes with a WMC remote. I've used all four models mentioned with very good results.

OTOH, if you do have digital cable or FIOS then one of the cablecard tuners would definitely be highly recommended. Currently available are the Ceton InfiniTV 4 (both PCI-E and USB versions with four tuners), the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime (three and six-tuner versions), and the Hauppauge WinTV-DCR 2650 (dual tuner). Each unit requires only a single cablecard with the xecption of the SD HDHR Prime six-tuner model (requires two cablecards).

I currently have two of the Ceton InfiniTV 4 cablecard tuners and two Hauppauge 2250 dual tuners in my HTPC for a total of twelve tuners.
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post #7 of 37
2/12/12 at 8:40am
As cheap as OTA tuners are, doesnt hurt going for those if all you use is OTA or sat...as cablecard models start growing and getting prolific, prices will come down significantly i'm sure...so if you dont need it right now then why bother right now. That said, if you do have cable or FiOS or anything that can utilize getting your entire lineup with cablecard, you are selling yourself short by not getting a cablecard tuner. Even if the HTPC is just more of a toy/hobby and not your primary viewing setup, it doesnt take much beyond a basic setup to get rid of all your boxes and running a better setup via htpc.
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post #8 of 37
2/12/12 at 12:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ams123 View Post

I have both. The AverMedia has slightly better reception according to WMC but I have also very occasionally run into and issue where WMC gives me a no tuner found warning, maybe once every other month. I have had the HDHomeRun since Christmas and have seen no issues yet.

Same here - I have both. Though like mentioned some people have mentioned the problem of WMC "not finding" the AverMedia one. Not sure if it is the card/driver.

Signal wise the AverMedia reads a stronger signal than the HDHomeRun on my setup by the bar graphs they give.
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post #9 of 37
2/12/12 at 12:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cburbs View Post

Same here - I have both. Though like mentioned some people have mentioned the problem of WMC "not finding" the AverMedia one. Not sure if it is the card/driver.

Signal wise the AverMedia reads a stronger signal than the HDHomeRun on my setup by the bar graphs they give.

Is the picture quality the same? How exactly does the HDHomeRun connect to my computer? Is it wirelessly?
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post #10 of 37
2/12/12 at 12:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jefejt View Post

Is the picture quality the same? How exactly does the HDHomeRun connect to my computer? Is it wirelessly?

It connects anywhere on your network. Doesn't necessarily even need to be in the same room as your HTPC.
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post #11 of 37
2/12/12 at 12:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

It connects anywhere on your network. Doesn't necessarily even need to be in the same room as your HTPC.

So my router then sends the video to my HTPC? I'd probably need a better router then huh?
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post #12 of 37
2/12/12 at 12:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jefejt View Post

So my router then sends the video to my HTPC? I'd probably need a better router then huh?

I would recommend wired if possible. I have Cat5 but I am sure others can chime in on using wireless.

I do know that on my network I can stream 720p MKV without any issues and only the highest bitrate (uncompressed) 1080p files give my G network issues.
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post #13 of 37
2/12/12 at 1:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post


I would recommend wired if possible. I have Cat5 but I am sure others can chime in on using wireless.

I do know that on my network I can stream 720p MKV without any issues and only the highest bitrate (uncompressed) 1080p files give my G network issues.

So I would have to move my router and modem into my entertainment center then I guess. My only other computer is a crappy netbook. I don't have a real network. I just need a reliable tv tuner. Any other suggestions?
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post #14 of 37
2/12/12 at 2:00pm
You need to have cable tv (EDIT: or ATSC antenna with Coax) and an access pont to your network in close proximity. They don't need to be in the entertainment room. You should use a gigabit wired network for the best results steaming live tv.
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post #15 of 37
2/12/12 at 7:37pm
I am running both a Hauppaug 2250 (PCI) tuner and SiliconDust HDHR3 cable card tuner. (FiOS). The Silicondust tuner lives on the garage wall above the router. My router isn't the best but 100MB is plenty for three streams of HD data to multiple computers. I would have liked to the the OTA tuner on the network, but the Hauppaug was my first experience with the HTPC world; it's working well and no reason to change it out.
I am old school and would not consider using wireless for video data; hard wire it with CAT5 and be done with it...
BTW: Silicondust also makes a nice duel OTA network tuner.

I have a triple play deal with Verizon at about $85 bucks. If the price of this goes up after my 24 month term; I cut the cord and go with only internet and phone via VOIP.
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post #16 of 37
2/13/12 at 9:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by billdacat View Post

I have a triple play deal with Verizon at about $85 bucks. If the price of this goes up after my 24 month term; I cut the cord and go with only internet and phone via VOIP.

FiOS internet alone is $70/month or so.
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post #17 of 37
2/13/12 at 11:21am
I previously tried several other ATSC tuners with marginal results I now have 3 Duets. For OTA/Antenna they are great, they seem to be the best at dealing with difficult signals and the price per tuner is really quite good. I just wish they would come out with a tripple or quad card
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post #18 of 37
2/15/12 at 1:07am
I’m looking to get a tuner card & noticed that Walmart has the AVerTVHD for $74.82 and the white box version for $69.98. It appears most people get the white box version & it usually is quite a bit cheaper. But in this case there is only a $5 difference. Is there anything in the full version that’s worth while getting for the additional $5?
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post #19 of 37
2/15/12 at 4:33am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike99 View Post

I'm looking to get a tuner card & noticed that Walmart has the AVerTVHD for $74.82 and the white box version for $69.98. It appears most people get the white box version & it usually is quite a bit cheaper. But in this case there is only a $5 difference. Is there anything in the full version that's worth while getting for the additional $5?

What is a "white box" version?
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post #20 of 37
2/15/12 at 7:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jefejt View Post


What is a "white box" version?

It comes in a white box.

But more specifically, it is another term for OEM or original equipment manufacturer and typically comes with no softwear, drivers or accessories. The softwear and drivers are typically available for d/l from the device manufacturer's website.

Sometimes it comes in a plain brown box too.
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post #21 of 37
2/15/12 at 11:19am
In this case the only difference is probably the lack of a warranty on the OEM white box edition since I can't imagine what "extras" they would put in the retail box of a tuner.

So it probably comes down to whether your willing to pay $5 for a warranty (which will probably end up costing you >$30 in shipping charges if you every use it). So you're about halfway to the price of a brand new tuner to get someone else's "refurbed" problem child as a replacement. Or you have to spend an extra ~$40 bucks for a new tuner.
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post #22 of 37
2/15/12 at 11:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac The Knife View Post

In this case the only difference is probably the lack of a warranty on the OEM white box edition since I can't imagine what "extras" they would put in the retail box of a tuner.

So it probably comes down to whether your willing to pay $5 for a warranty (which will probably end up costing you >$30 in shipping charges if you every use it). So you're about halfway to the price of a brand new tuner to get someone else's "refurbed" problem child as a replacement. Or you have to spend an extra ~$40 bucks for a new tuner.

The extras I got with my Hauppauge 2250 Tuner were a daughter card to hook up S-Video from my VCR, a Media Center Remote with IR receiver and IR repeaters. The warranty was the same.
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post #23 of 37
2/16/12 at 1:40am
The Avermedia web site states the white box version comes with a CD (Includes: Drivers, Quick Guide and User Manual) and a Warranty Card.

I thought about the Hauppauge 2250 because it comes with a remote.

From what I've read on the forum, the Avermedia Duet seems to have a more sensitive tuner which may help to pull in weak signals. The downside is there were a few comments that the device disappears from the system & you may have to reinstall it. That I don't like, which is why I thought about getting it from Walmart in case it has to be returned.
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post #24 of 37
2/17/12 at 8:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thomassalvatore View Post

I have the duet and it works great for ota. Not so for comcast. No channels found in media center with comcast.

Same here. It is supposed to pick up Clear cable and does not. PITA
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post #25 of 37
2/18/12 at 7:26am
The Duet is a great card for the money but has an issue with some AMD PCs and sleep - it disappears after wakeup. They never solved this problem, but if you stick to Intel or don't sleep the PC it's fine, I used one for a couple of years (now using HDHomeRun Prime with Cablecard, much better).

I had no problem with it picking up all my clear QAM Comcast channels btw, and that's what I used it for exclusively. If you can't get your HD locals, they're either being trapped out or you've got a signal issue.
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post #26 of 37
4/24/12 at 3:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by captain_video View Post

I currently have two of the Ceton InfiniTV 4 cablecard tuners and two Hauppauge 2250 dual tuners in my HTPC for a total of twelve tuners.

What kind of CPU processing power do you need in order to handle multiple tuners?

It was mentioned in this thread that someone heard about using one core for each tuner.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1407059

I recall someone using a lot of tuners & found this thread & thought I should ask here.

I'm in the early stages of putting together an entry level HTPC mainly for use as an OTA DVR. I have a mobo & was planning on getting a G620 dual core Pentium.

Ideally I would want to use a pair of dual tuner OTA cards such as the AverMedia AVerTVHD Duet. Their website states it requires an Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz with HT (Hyper-Threading). However the Hauppauge website states their dual tuner WinTV-HVR-2250 requires only a 2.2 GHz P4.

Could one brand possibly use a lot less processing power than the other?

They both refer to a P4 which is nowhere a current CPU, and maybe the Sandy Bridge G620 is way more capable and can handle 4 tuners.

Which CPU are using that can work with 12 tuners & do you think a G620 can handle 4 tuners?
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post #27 of 37
4/24/12 at 5:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike99 View Post

What kind of CPU processing power do you need in order to handle multiple tuners?

It was mentioned in this thread that someone heard about using one core for each tuner.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1407059

I recall someone using a lot of tuners & found this thread & thought I should ask here.

I'm in the early stages of putting together an entry level HTPC mainly for use as an OTA DVR. I have a mobo & was planning on getting a G620 dual core Pentium.

Ideally I would want to use a pair of dual tuner OTA cards such as the AverMedia AVerTVHD Duet. Their website states it requires an Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz with HT (Hyper-Threading). However the Hauppauge website states their dual tuner WinTV-HVR-2250 requires only a 2.2 GHz P4.

Could one brand possibly use a lot less processing power than the other?

They both refer to a P4 which is nowhere a current CPU, and maybe the Sandy Bridge G620 is way more capable and can handle 4 tuners.

Which CPU are using that can work with 12 tuners & do you think a G620 can handle 4 tuners?

My i3-540 handles 2 tuners, a relative's G620 handles 3 without any issue. I'm pretty sure a 4 tuners config is ok on a G620.
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post #28 of 37
4/24/12 at 8:20am
I am shopping for a tuner too.
Just found HDHomeRun Dual for $99 free shipping at BH Video
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...REG&sku=764007
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post #29 of 37
4/24/12 at 11:43pm
My old Wolfsdale E6300 handles the Ceton 4-tuner with no issues at all.
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post #30 of 37
4/25/12 at 12:18am
Thanks for the info. I'll get the G620.
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