How to set up recording TV

[drapacioli]

Hi, I have a family member that wants to record a single show to her computer so she can watch it when she gets home from work every night, but she does not have a tv tuner. However, what we do have available is a USB capture card that takes composite input. This should be no problem as the cable box is already tuned to the correct channel 24/7 and provides a composite out, but all the software I've tried to do this (windows media center, kodi, etc.) don't seem to have an easy way to just specify the video input device and start recording every day at a certain time, they seem to all want control of a real TV tuner first, so they won't even let me enter a setup without one. I already know how to schedule a wake-up command to get the computer to turn on every day, it's just the recording itself that I cannot seem to automate. How can I do this so that the computer can reliably record a single half hour show from a fixed video input?

 

[hang-the-9]

Just get a tuner card, they are pretty cheap. Or record it to a DVR connected to the cable box.

 

[drapacioli]

Just get a tuner card, they are pretty cheap. Or record it to a DVR connected to the cable box.

I wouldn't be in this situation if there was a DVR connected to the cable box They're just way too expensive, hundreds of dollars for a tivo and then you have to pay monthly which is completely stupid to pay for a single show to be recorded at home with no digital cable integration (she has local only, no fancy cable box, think 1990s tech). As for a tuner card, what do you recommend from the USB models? Most I see have poor reviews, but there's no available PCI slot on the computer so I can't go internal. The budget would be less than $35.

 

[hang-the-9]

Just get a tuner card, they are pretty cheap. Or record it to a DVR connected to the cable box.

I wouldn't be in this situation if there was a DVR connected to the cable box They're just way too expensive, hundreds of dollars for a tivo and then you have to pay monthly which is completely stupid to pay for a single show to be recorded at home with no digital cable integration (she has local only, no fancy cable box, think 1990s tech). As for a tuner card, what do you recommend from the USB models? Most I see have poor reviews, but there's no available PCI slot on the computer so I can't go internal. The budget would be less than $35.

For that little you won't get a turner card that works well, and keep in mind that many, if not all, channels are digital and scrambled, so a simple turner card may not work.

You may want to see how much DVR rental would be from the cable company or if the show is available online (netfix/hulu/tv channel website)