USB TV tuner for laptop

[planesguy2004]

*I hope I put this in the right thread *
Hi. I'm trying to record OTA TV and FM radio using a USB tuner. (I'm located in the US) I'm trying to find something in the $50 price range, or under. Compatibility with Windows Media Center would be nice. I will be using it on a Windows 10 laptop. (Don't ask where I got Windows Media Center ) I found the AVerMedia AVerTV Volar Hybrid Q, USB TV Tuner, ATSC, Clear QAM HDTV & FM Radio (H837). It sells for around $50 on Amazon. I would like to know if this is worth it, or should I opt for something else.
Thanks in advance!


Btw: Don't expect an answer from me for 7 hours , it's nighttime when I'm posing this.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Yeah, it's night time here as well, but I work 2nd shift.

I don't recall TV Tuners having the ability to record FM Radio (Just TV), but hey! If it works, good on you!

Read some Newegg Reviews on that particular model and they didn't seem all that impressive. Personally, I'd rather go with something more robust, but if ~$50 is your budget, I'd say it's a coin flip as to how well it would work for you.

-Wolf sends

Upon further review, pg. 77 of the user manual is about configuring FM Radio Recordings. How about that?

 

[planesguy2004]

Yeah, it's night time here as well, but I work 2nd shift.

I don't recall TV Tuners having the ability to record FM Radio (Just TV), but hey! If it works, good on you!

Read some Newegg Reviews on that particular model and they didn't seem all that impressive. Personally, I'd rather go with something more robust, but if ~$50 is your budget, I'd say it's a coin flip as to how well it would work for you.

-Wolf sends

Upon further review, pg. 77 of the user manual is about configuring FM Radio Recordings. How about that?

Yes, having FM would be nice.

The only reason my budget is low is because I have Directv in my home, and I will be using this "portably". I also won't be using it whole lot because I have trouble receiving the only station I actually watch. So, I didn't want to spend a whole lot of money.
If I were do get something more "robust", what could you recommend? I wouldn't want an internal device, only because I will be using this on multiple systems.

Almost every USB tuner I looked at has bad or mixed reviews. The Hauppuage ones had better reviews but they start at around $70.
The Avermedia is the only one I can find with radio, I'm looking forward to that feature.

What do you recommend that I should get? I'm not really sure what to do here.

 

[Wolfshadw]

To be honest, I don't recommend ANY USB device, but since you'd be using it infrequently, I can understand going with one of the least expensive. Ideally, you'd want an internal device for a PC, but that doesn't help you with your laptop on the go. An external device like the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Dual Tuner would be the next option, but that also does not help when you're on the go, nor does it have FM Radio.

In truth, since USB seems to be your only option here (what ever happened to PCMCIA or expresscard slots?), the path of lowest financial risk does sound the best.

-Wolf sends

 

[planesguy2004]

To be honest, I don't recommend ANY USB device, but since you'd be using it infrequently, I can understand going with one of the least expensive. Ideally, you'd want an internal device for a PC, but that doesn't help you with your laptop on the go. An external device like the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Dual Tuner would be the next option, but that also does not help when you're on the go, nor does it have FM Radio.

In truth, since USB seems to be your only option here (what ever happened to PCMCIA or expresscard slots?), the path of lowest financial risk does sound the best.

-Wolf sends

I think I'll just go with the AverTV. It seems to be my only good option. By the way, is there is a HDHomeRun without subscription? I know of a few for cable tv, and they have have a subscription for epg, scheduling, etc.

Would you happen to know how much storage the USB tuners use every hour of video? (On regular quality)


Thanks

 

[Wolfshadw]

Pretty sure you only need to subscribe to the EPG if you're using AVerTVs software. Last time I checked (my TV Tuner card died a while back), it was still free for Windows Media Center.

As for storage, a one hour standard definition television program takes up around 1GB of space. A one hour High Definition program will take up 3-5GB of drive space. A two hour HD movie will come in between 10 and 12GB.

Caveat: This is recording standard definition and high definition through Comcast Cable and not OTA broadcasts.

-Wolf sends

 

[planesguy2004]

Pretty sure you only need to subscribe to the EPG if you're using AVerTVds software. Last time I checked (my TV Tuner card died a while back), it was still free for Windows Media Center.

As for storage, a one hour standard definition television program takes up around 1GB of space. A one hour High Definition program will take up 3-5GB of drive space. A two hour HD movie will come in between 10 and 12GB.

Caveat: This is recording standard definition and high definition through Comcast Cable and not OTA broadcasts.

-Wolf sends

Thank you for all of your help. I'm going to mark you as best answer after this message. I will probably just use Windows Media Center for recording TV, and I will use the AveryTV software for recording radio. Because it has an FM tuner, I can record radio, correct?

 

[Wolfshadw]

According to the specs of the device, you can using their software.

-Wolf sends