Hi Folks;

I was just about to pick up an All in Wonder for my soon to be MCE 2005 system but I just realized that we're being forced into going digital (or high def) or something like that in a few months and that analog was going out the window?

If that's the case then would I need to buy  some other type of tuner card? Or have I misunderstood the whole thing?

 

it'd be good if you told us what country you are in, what kind of digital you are interested in and what providers are available in your area...

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If you use cable, then no worries. Your settop box will still have it's analog outputs.

Hi guys - thanks for the replies :-)

I'm up in Canada, my provider is Shaw and we don't have set top boxes. Our cablevision line just screws into the back of whatever device we attach to it.

We don't purchase the extra options (like high def) or any of those features. We just have about 50 channels or so. The thing is, apparently analog cable is being replaced by digital cable and this has been mandated by the government (or something like that).

So what I'm trying to do is not only get a decent card but also one which won't need to be replaced in short order due to the changeover. As you can probably guess, I don't know a whole lot about it or what those changes entail.

If your cable is switching over to digital only and cutting out analog all together (call to confirm), then get one of those converter boxes if you can. Other than that, I think there's a couple cards that can do QAM, unencrypted digital cable. You might be out of luck :o.

It's my understanding that everyone in North America (the US and Canada) are changing to a digital-only format shortly. Apparently it's been mandated by the respective governments.

I'm surprised no-one here seems to know about this?

The only mandate for the conversion is OTA (over the air) Signals.. that you would pick up with your antenna.

Your cable company has the OPTION to go all digital.. or to hold on to the analog channels as long as they please, hence the reason you need to ask your cable provider what they are planning.

Either way any analog card (media center compatible) you buy will be able to recieve analog output from the digital box.

If you are planning to get HD the situation changes again... so like preveious posters said.... we really need to know what your sources are and what YOUR plans are and what you want before answering this question.

If your cable company is going all digital and getting rid of the analog channels you will still need to buy an analog card, order a set top box and set it up via IR blaster.  Clear QAM is another possibility but only if all the channels you need are unencrypted (unlikely)

Hi everyone - thanks for the replies :-)

I finally got to speak to our cable company (Shaw) and they said the signal through the cable is already digital and that there is no issue. All I know is that we plug it straight into the TV (or computer or radio) and we don't use 'set top boxes'.

Either way, it sounds like it's a non-issue -unless I've misunderstood the whole thing- which is possible. Basically what I'm after is just recording TV shows (normal TV - not HDTV). I have PCI slots free and the important thing to me (as far as I know) is that picture quality be good.

Having said that, what should I do for tuner card? Do you need more info? Thanks again for the help folks!

I went with the Hauppauge PVR 150.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17372&promoid=1042
Shop there, its local and cheaper than Future Crap or Crap Buy.

As far as Shaw Cable goes, it will be awhile till Digital TV is in effect
http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/oca-bc.nsf/en/ca02336e.html

I like it (and I generally buy everything from NCIX :-)

Just to confirm, this will work with Media Center 2005? Will the picture quality etc be OK? Will the remote operate Media Center OK?

There's no doubt it looks like a real steal but this it my first Media Center computer...

But if your cable signal is all digital, that card won't work since it only accepts analog (I'm pretty sure). You'll have to have a settop box and run the analog outputs from the box to the card, along with an MCE remote/receiver and IR blasters.
But, if all you do now is plug from the wall to your TV, that does not sound like a digital signal to me. Although I'm not 100% sure how it works up there in Canada.
If your cable signal is not digital, but analog, then that card will be just fine. And that's a TvTuner card, not a video card like your post's subject asks for.
You have to have atleast 1 analog card installed, btw, for MCE to pick up any tuners.

That's the part that confuses me - the cable company just told me that our cable is already fully digital yet in our entire home we don't have a single 'set top' box - in every case from Internet, to TV to Cable Modems to Telephone (we have cable phones) - it all plugs straight into the device just as cable always has for my 38 years.

I think you're correct - we don't have digital cable. If we did then I would assume we'd have to change our TV's etc or get set top boxes? That's where all the confusion seems to stem from. If I buy an analog card then will it become obsolete shortly? It seems even our cable provider doesn't know...

I did originally ask about a video card/tv card combo (such as an All in Wonder) but I can just as easily go with a dedicated PCI card.

So, the question is, will that card be good for Media Center 2005? I also saw an ATI/Visiontek 600 & 650 card.

I have a Saphhire Radeon 9600 AGP video card installed. I don't know if that makes any difference...

Unless you specifically signed up for Digital, you are on analog like me. Digital costs extra and Shaw is just not going to put you on it unless you ask for it. If you are worried about going digital later then go with this card from A-power computers
http://www.a-power.com/product-3384-362-1

I am using the Hauppauge PVR 150 and remote with MCE 2005.
 The remote will not work with earlier versions of MCE like 2002.
Hauppage TV tuner cards are the most widely supported cards and recommended.  

Here is a great guide for building your first MCE PVR

http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/community/downloads.php?do=file&id=90

The author lists out great programs for automating your MCE PVR and getting the best picture with codecs.
Remember your main video card (not tv tuner) must be DirectX9 compatible and should have 128MB ram or more.