Anyone have a laptop with a TV tuner?

[rob_s]

I'm buying a laptop "for work" which I'm coming out of my own pocket for, and I'm thinking of springing for the $75 upgrade to get the built-in TV tuner. I had one in a computer years ago and really liked the ability to watch tv in a small window while I worked. I can only imagine that they've gotten better or easier to use, but I've never had one in a laptop. I'm assuming it can be made to work like a Tivo? Any idea if it will work/come on on if the laptop is closed?

Any general info would be helpful.

[chrismartin]

I have used one for several years to do just as you want to do. I keep fox news in a small window while at work, mostly just for background noise. It has worked very well for me. I'm using the elgato hybrid for my Mac but I think they support windows now too. If not, it is the same as the happaugue USB stick. It supports over the air HD and unscrambled standard cable. I think the new one also supports digital cable and clear HD cable channels too.

I cannot speak to the wake up support on windows but the Mac version supports it. The Mac version also has a full screen TiVo like mode. Not as nice as the TiVo but functional

[pneumagger]

You could just use Hulu?

Other than that it might be easier to get a PCMCIA card (or whatever modern cards are nowdays).

[chrismartin]

You could just use Hulu?

Other than that it might be easier to get a PCMCIA card (or whatever modern cards are nowdays).

Modern cards are USB . There are a ton of tv tuners that are USB a bunch that are pci or other desktop bus and very few pc card/PCMCIA. USB is nice because they are small and will work on any computer with a free port. Pc card devices only work on laptops and pci cards only work on desktops. USB will work on both and if you get the right one they will even work on windows Mac os x and Linux as well. Mucwh more versatile and cheaper to boot.

Most laptops are moving away from extra slots. They just aren't used often enough to justify the cost. USB is king now.

[Plunky]

I have a Hauppauge WinTV HVR-950Q USB tuner I use with my laptop. Have a s--t load of RAM, and don't be doing much when using it to watch Hi Def TV... You have been warned. They work, but it is slower than crap changing channels, and that is with a haul ass laptop... Using it with ordinal cable TV it is fine (not Hi Def).

The same thing works faster on a quad core desktop machine, and the internal cards for a desktop machine are even faster/better. The DVR function is great as long as you have plenty of HD space.

[Hush]

Check PC on line mag. it tested five different tuners.

[rob_s]

So is it safe to assume that the tuner with remote that I'm adding during my "build & price" of the laptop in question will, in fact, just be a USB device or will it be built in to the laptop? The one I had with my desktop was built in.

[Selectedmarksman]

What company were you looking at to buy your laptop from? We could check it out and see if it's a built-in unit or external.

[rob_s]

HP dv7t. Their purchasing site is down for upgrades right now though.

Anyone have links to the USB types in case I go a different route?

ETA:
looks like I can still direct-link in
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopp ... aoid=35252

If you click "edit" under "TV & entertainment experience No TV Tuner w/remote control" you can see the option. It does say "integrated"... Reading the description I'm not 100% on whether or not it has a coax attachment either.

[chrismartin]

The model that I am using is:

http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmen ... t1.en.html

It is really just a Happaugue USB tuner that is rebranded, but what makes or breaks a tuner card is the software. I like the EyeTV software.

Happaugue is the king of tuners. They have been making them forever. I was using them in 1993 or 94 (Not the USB version obviously, it was an ISA card at the time IIRC)

Chris

[rob_s]

The model that I am using is:

http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmen ... t1.en.html

It is really just a Happaugue USB tuner that is rebranded, but what makes or breaks a tuner card is the software. I like the EyeTV software.

Happaugue is the king of tuners. They have been making them forever. I was using them in 1993 or 94 (Not the USB version obviously, it was an ISA card at the time IIRC)

Chris

I'm thinking maybe I'd want to go with this one?
http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmen ... t1.en.html

Not sure how the one you linked to hooks up with the cable from the wall...

[rob_s]

I'm also leaning towards one of these USB solutions instead of the build-in because the dock I'm looking to use doesn't appear to have a coax connection.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/comp ... AA%2523ABA

Might be better off attaching the USB tuner to the dock and leaving it behind when I take the laptop to work with me. I could always un-plug it and drop it in the bag if I'm traveling and want it.

[chrismartin]

The model that I am using is:

http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmen ... t1.en.html

It is really just a Happaugue USB tuner that is rebranded, but what makes or breaks a tuner card is the software. I like the EyeTV software.

Happaugue is the king of tuners. They have been making them forever. I was using them in 1993 or 94 (Not the USB version obviously, it was an ISA card at the time IIRC)

Chris

I'm thinking maybe I'd want to go with this one?
http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmen ... t1.en.html

Not sure how the one you linked to hooks up with the cable from the wall...

The one you linked to is over the air HD only, no cable tuner.
The one that I linked to has a breakout cable that will connect to an antenna, standard coax and even composite input and will do cable TV and OTA HDTV (and even comes with a remote)

[chrismartin]

Might be better off attaching the USB tuner to the dock and leaving it behind when I take the laptop to work with me. I could always un-plug it and drop it in the bag if I'm traveling and want it.

That is what I would do as well. If the connection is on the laptop, you will have to plug and unplug that connection every time you dock. If you get a USB device and leave it on the dock, you just need to dock your laptop. Much easier IMHO.

[rob_s]

Well, I waited too long and the deals on the HPs I was looking at expired so now I'm back to square one on the laptop thing. I'll keep that USB tuner in mind though, and at least I know I can skip the added cost on the initial build.