TV and Radio on your PC

Hauppauge HVR1100 PCI card Recommended
Summary: Freeview / Analogue TV / FM

This card gives you some of the greatest flexibility. HVR stands for Hybrid Video Recorder, meaning that as well as receiving Freeview, it can also receive analogue TV as well as FM radio, so can be used for the free-to-air digital TV and radio channels, and can also be used the view / record the output of a video recorder or Sky box. Supplied with a remote control, this is a good buy. You'll need to open up your PC to install this card into a spare slot inside your PC.

Available for £34.93 from Amazon
Available for £29.99 from PC World

Hauppauge DEC3000-S
Summary: for Digital satellite

Hauppauge also sell a range of cards for viewing digital satellite via your PC. If you have a digital dish pointing at a suitable satellite, then you'll be able to watch (and record) the Free to Air channels onto your PC. Note that Sky TV encrypt their subscription channels, and decoding is only supported on their hardware - so don't expect to be able to use one of these boxes to view Sky subscription channels.

• DEC3000-S - use your PC to record TV and radio. Comes with remote control
• WinTV-NEXUS-S - PCI card with for digital satellite TV, satellite radio and videotext
• WinTV-NOVA-S - PCI and USB versions with
  

As these are slightly more specialist, they're harder to find. It's worth trying Amazon , Dabs.com , Maplin.co.uk , but failing that, try searching at the following online shopping searcher: Kelkoo

Other Freeview products

As an alternative to the popular Hauppauge range featured above, there are a number of alternatives that might be worth checking out. As an example:

• The AverMedia range- See the range at Misco and www.maplin.co.uk (under the 'Computers', 'Build your own' section).
  
  
• Xpert V-Stream VS-DVBT. Available from Maplin.co.uk - Cat No A75BZ (PCI version) and A78BZ (USB version)

To watch or record Freeview on your PC, you have two real choices:

• You could buy a product such as the Hauppauge Nova-T. This is a Freeview receiver designed for use with a PC and not a TV. It plugs into a USB socket on your PC (see above). This is possibly the more elegant solution, and results in less cable clutter. A PCI card is also available.
• If you already own a Freeview box, it may be possible to connect it to your PC's analogue TV card (or USB TV box). You need to connect via the Freeview box's aerial output socket. How you connect depends on whether your Freeview box has a built-in modulator or not. A modulator allows a box to 'rebroadcast' it's output on a standard TV channel - so that equipment without a SCART can tune in. Check your manual or our box page to find out if your Freeview box has a modulator.
  Here are the options for connecting an existing Freeview box:
  • If the box has a modulated output - it should be a case of connecting the co-ax cable from the Freeview box into the co-ax aerial socket on your TV card, and then using the PC to perform a channel search to find the output of your Freeview box.
  • If your box doesn't have a modulator and your TV card only has an RF socket, you could connect via a video recorder using the SCART socket, and then use the video recorder's modulator to feed the TV card aerial. If that's not an option, you can buy an RF modulator box, which will convert your Freeview's SCART output to a modulated UHF feed that can be connected to the TV card. It may be cheaper simply to buy a TV card that supports Freeview.
  • If your TV card has a composite-video or S-Video socket, you could get a suitable adaptor to connect the Freeview box's SCART output directly to this instead.

If you're looking to get Sky Digital on your PC, there are two options open to you:

• Connecting via your Sky Digibox - This is the easiest and cheapest - you need to run an aerial lead (coax) from the RF output socket of your Sky Digibox, to the input aerial socket on a standard analogue PC TV card or USB TV adapter. This way, you can watch and record whatever channel the Digibox is tuned into. You need to use the PC card's software to "tune in" to the TV channel that your Digibox uses (the 'modulated' RF output channel). Note that the 'Freeview only' PCI/USB devices won't be suitable for use with an RF signal generated from a Sky box - look for an analogue (normal TV) card or box, or better still, a card that copes with both Freeview and analogue, such as the HVR1100. You can also connect to a PC TV card that has an S-Video input socket (you'll a SCART-to-Svideo cable for this)
• A direct connection to your dish - We know of a couple of PC TV receivers that allow you to connect directly to a satellite dish's connector - the most common one is the Hauppauge 3000. You can plug one end into a PC, and the other end to your dish, and use the supplied software to access the Sky Digital channels. You'll probably only be able to get the free-to-air channels though, and not the subscription channels, as you won't be able to plug in a Sky subscription card. Even if you were able to get a CI card adapter to allow you plug in your Sky Digital subscription card, Sky encrypts their channels and the decryption software is in their set-top boxes. Your Sky subscription card is tied to the box serial number, making it even more tricky.
  
  If you're looking to watch different Sky channels in a different room of a property with an existing installation, you need to take out "Sky Multiroom" with Sky Digital . An engineer visits to run a new cable from the dish LNB to your required room - they normally supply a set-top box as part of this installation. You could then connect the output of the box to a standard analogue PC PCI card input. If you want to do this without a box, then there are a couple of Digital Satellite receivers for the PC, however note that if you're looking for subscription channels, you'll need a subscription card from Sky, and a PC receiver with a CI interface to accept the card - we don't know of any PCI cards that support a CI interface. For more advice, try our Tech forum.
• Sky Anytime: Sky offers some of its programming content to its subscribers over the Internet - more at anytime.sky.com
  
  

If you're looking to watch cable TV (from Virgin Media) on your PC, then you'll need to connect a modulated RF feed from your cable box into the co-ax TV aerial input of an analogue PC card/box. How you connect depends on whether your box has a built-in modulator or not. Here are the options for connecting a cable box:

• If the cable TV box has a modulated output (check the manual, or onscreen menu for RF output settings) - it should be a case of connecting the co-ax cable from the box into the co-ax aerial socket on your TV card, and then using the PC to perform a channel search to find the output of the cable box.
• If your box doesn't have a modulator and your TV card only has an RF socket, you could connect via a video recorder using the SCART socket, and then use the video recorder's modulator to feed the TV card aerial. If that's not an option, an RF modulator box will convert a SCART output to a modulated UHF feed that can be connected to the TV card.
  
  

BT Vision offers on-demand TV via BT Broadband and a special set-top box. If you're looking to watch the output of your BT Vision V-box on your PC, then you'll need a PC TV Card or USB TV receiver that's capable of getting an analogue signal.

You need to connect an aerial lead from the RF out socket on the V-box into the co-ax TV aerial input of your analogue PC card/box. and then using the PC to perform a channel search to find the output of the cable box.

The BT Vision by sends out a modulated signal on UHF channel 36, which an analogue receiver will be able to tune into. You can change the V-Box output channel from Settings > General Settings > RF Output Channel.

If you've connected a set-top box to your PC TV card, but can't see your digital channels, it's likely to be one of following things:

1. Make sure your set-top box is broadcasting a modulated output (on a channel number between 21 and 68)
2. You've not performed a channel scan since connecting the set-top box - the output of the box is assigned a channel number, and your PC software needs to be tuned into this channel. Get the PC TV software to perform a channel scan, or tune the box in manually to the modulated output of the box. If it can't find the modulated output, you may have a channel clash - try setting the modulator to a different channel number.
3. If the PC TV software can see the output of the Freeview box on-screen, but not any channels (e.g. you can see the onscreen menu, but no tv shows), then it's likely to be a signal issue - see our Reception advice
4. Your PC TV receiver needs to have an analogue tuner. Digital-only receivers can't tune in to a modulated output of a set-top box.
5. If your PC software can't tune into the output of the box to display the menu, even after a channel scan, then it's probably a connection issue. Could it be that your box doesn't have a modulated output? (see our other FAQ).

Looking to buy a PC, and not sure what to get? All PC cards and TV USB boxes list their "minimum requirements" in their advertising material, so make sure that your PC meets these needs. Here's an example of the requirements for a basic box - the Hauppauge WinTV USB (Available from Amazon)

• Minimum Processor: Pentium II 333 MHz
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
• Hardware: Sound card, spare USB slot, CD-ROM (for installation)

If you're looking for a low-price, high-spec PC capable of running a TV card, take a look at Dell , who provide a custom-build desktop PC service.

If you have Broadband at home, you may be interested to know that you can access your home PC, and therefore your TV card, by remote control. As well as accessing your files and emails, you can also set up your TV card to record a show that you might otherwise miss, or even transfer a recording from one PC to another. You can access your home PC from work, a hotel, a cybercafe or even from a Windows Mobile PDA.

Find out what the remote service offered by GoToMyPC can do for you with a free trial, available at www.gotomypc.com.

When you record a TV show onto your PC, you may decide that you want to play back the recorded video on your TV screen (as opposed to on your PC). There are a number of different ways to achieve this:

• Probably the easiest, is to burn the video onto a DVD using a PC DVD writer. This can then be watched via a DVD player connected to your TV. You can buy a DVD writer for your PC from PC World or Maplin. For DVD writing software, we recommend Nero.
• Make a direct connection to the TV from your PC. This obviously assumes that your PC is close to your TV, and you don't mind running the cables. To watch PC output on a TV, you'll need to equip your PC with a PC video graphics card that has a TV Output, then cable your PC out to a Line In feed on your TV. Many of the newer graphics cards come with a TV-Out socket, normally in the form of an S-Video socket, or a yellow video phono socket. As well as connecting a video-out from your PC to the TV, you'll also need to connect the audio output from your soundcard into an audio Line In on your TV. You'll then need to configure software on your PC to support output to a TV. You can buy PC Video Graphics cards from PC World or Maplin - Maplin can also help with the cables and connectors that you'll need
• If you have an MP3 player that supports video (such as an iPod Video, or our favourite, the Creative Zen Vision:M), then you can buy an adapter that connects the output of the player to your TV Line In, then, copy the video file, onto your player, and watch on a TV. Try AdvancedMP3players.co.uk or Amazon for an adapter for your portable video player

If you're looking for software to control your PC TV receiver, first off, try the software supplied with your TV card. It's also worth looking on the TV card manufacturer's site, for updated versions of the software. If you're looking for some alternatives, try:

• Media Portal - A freeware alternative to your PC TV card's application
• ProgDVB - Another freeware TV / radio software application for selected TV cards

If you're looking to listen to or record DAB Digital Radio on your PC, there are a number of options:

• Connecting to a DAB receiver - DAB radios normally have some kind of output socket - this will either be a headphone socket, or two stereo line-level phono sockets, depending on the type of DAB radio you have. To connect your radio to your PC, your PC will need a sound card (most PCs have these already), and you'll need to run a cable from the output socket of your radio into the "Line in" socket of your PC's soundcard. You can then use the Windows Sound Mixer to adjust the volume as required.
  If you don't have the right connection lead, try Maplin.co.uk.
  For PC soundcards, visit Dabs.com.
  For a list of DAB radios, see our DAB Receivers page.
• The Freeview option - OK, so Freeview isn't true DAB digital radio, but many of the radio channels you'll expect to find on DAB are also available on Freeview - Freeview solutions for your PC are more common, and as they make use of your rooftop TV aerial, the reception is often better than on a DAB receiver, and you get TV thrown in too! Many also come with software to support audio recording of radio channels.
  See our question above for information on how to get Freeview on your PC.
• A DAB PC card / USB Stick / adapter - A small number of DAB PC cards and adapters have been released over the years - these allow you to connect an aerial to your PC, and to use the PC's speakers and supplied software to tune in, listen to, and record DAB. For a list of USB and PC DAB receivers, see our DAB section.
  
  

If your PC has a soundcard with a Line In socket, you should be able to connect audio from a hi-fi, radio or other audio device into your PC's soundcard.

Most soundcards have a stereo Line IN socket that accepts a 3.5mm jack plug. We recommend Maplin for leads and adapters.

No Line In feed on your PC or laptop? You can get external USB soundcards, that plug into a free USB port. We've found a couple of devices that have a 3.5mm jack audio input:

• External 5.1 Audiobox - £25 from Maplin (cat number A18FW)
• Sitecom USB 5.1 Audio adapter CN-126 - £27 from Amazon

Note that you will need the appropriate lead to connect from your hi-fi/radio to the input on your soundcard. Check out Maplin for leads and adapters.