Digital TV on your PC/Laptop

[random]

Have any of you looked into this?

You can now get USB2 (and indeed, PCI) devices that you can plug into your PC/laptop which allow you to tune into terrestrial digital TV. I was looking into this because I don't own a TV and would prefer to avoid the expense/hassle of buying one. + It would kick ass if I could watch TV on my laptop for a myriad of reasons. Here are some other things I'd like to be able to do:

* Capture video from a camera.

* Watch VHS videos on my laptop. Funnily enough, I don't actually own a VCR either, but I'd get one if I could hook it up to the laptop.

www.tv-cards.com has some good product reviews and faqs on the subject.

http://www.nebula-electronics.com/index.asp are a small UK company that sell PCI and USB2 digital tv cards. They seem like pretty nice products + the company offer a 10% student discount.

http://www.trust.com/products/default.htm?artnr=13897 - this product isn't out yet, but it looks really, really promising - does digital/analogue/capture (I think).

Also- keep in mind that thanks to Freeview, terrestrial digital TV is now free in the UK. Personally, I think buying a digital tv card if you already have a pc/laptop, could be a really sweet solution to your tv-needs.

If anybody's already done this, I'd like to hear about the results!

[fluKe]

My graphics card has VIVO (video in video out) so I can hook TV's, video recorders, video cameras etc up to my PC easily. It's great for video editing and stuff. Also good fun.


I don't have a TV tuner on my card although you can get gfx cards with them on too as well as seperate TV cards.

The only thing to remember is that you will still need to pay a TV lisence if you have one. If you have one on your laptop though you could argue that it is battery operated and so shld be covered by your parents lisence.

[random]

[s]fluKe wrote on 11:47, 20th Jan 2004:
My graphics card has VIVO (video in video out) so I can hook TV's, video recorders, video cameras etc up to my PC easily. It's great for video editing and stuff. Also good fun.


I don't have a TV tuner on my card although you can get gfx cards with them on too as well as seperate TV cards.

The only thing to remember is that you will still need to pay a TV lisence if you have one. If you have one on your laptop though you could argue that it is battery operated and so shld be covered by your parents lisence.


Don't live with parents I'm afraid.

Yeah- that TV licence thing is always going to be a killer. Mind you, if you didn't bother getting one, I'd say it would be pretty difficult to get caught with such a device. Of course, I'm being totally ignorant here as I have no idea how inspectors actually catch people normally with TVs. Do they use scanning equipment? Hmmm..

Probably better to pay.

[turtle]

Hilariously enough, if you watch TV on a LCD or Plasma display (i use a TFT and my regular tv is connected to my pc, not the Aerial) - you don't need to pay the TV license as the current laws do not cover TFT displays. They can't detect it, and you can just say "prove it" - they can't.

[hr]This is a signature

[random]

[s]munchingfoo wrote on 12:22, 20th Jan 2004:

Probably my best computer buy. Looking for a digital one now if anyone can tell me if there is a reception.



http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/coverage.html

You can check your postcode there.

[random]

[s]turtle wrote on 12:45, 20th Jan 2004:
Hilariously enough, if you watch TV on a LCD or Plasma display (i use a TFT and my regular tv is connected to my pc, not the Aerial) - you don't need to pay the TV license as the current laws do not cover TFT displays. They can't detect it, and you can just say "prove it" - they can't.

[hr]This is a signature


Really? So the laws definitely don't cover it? That would be sweet. (I use laptop)

Ok- they can't detect them, fair enough, but are you still covered legally?

[Prophet Tenebrae]

If you're living in halls of residence, you're a good natured fool to pay anyway. Unless you're in Gatty or Fife Park.

Just remember that while new laws make it illegal to talk on your mobile phone while driving, it's perfectly legal to text.

[C.]

You're pretty poorly informed. Texting and driving is just as dangerous as chatting on the phone and so carries the same penalty.

[Abracadabra]

Well I'm certainly not paying my TV license to watch such gross and disgusting things as Lou and Trixie snogging in Neighbours. Did anyone else have to turn away?

[Sleigh]

I turned away from Neighbours ten years ago. Still haven't turned back yet.

[immunodiffusion]

This is what the TV Licencing people say about TV cards in a laptop:

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~pt14/TVLicence.html

Basically, you're legally covered by your parents' licence if you only ever use the tv when it is running off the batteries. Otherwise, you need to get your own tv licence.

[underworlddreams]

I'd love to see them prove you weren't running it off the batteries every time...

Munchingfoo: where did get that TV card? I'd love one! And how much are they, usually?

On second thoughts, of course, it would give me even more reason not to do any work. Not that I'd be watching the steaming pile of monkey turds that is Neighbours...

[hr]It's hard to look you in the face when we are talking / So it helps to have a mirror in the room...

[luap]

hmmm, some of the stuff on this thread doesn't agree with what I remember about the law on TV licences.

To the best of my knowledge:

Television receiving appratus does not have to be operated to break the law, it merely has to be installed without a licence. Hence having a TV receiver card installed in your PC could mean that you're breaking the law regardless of whether or not you have the software installed.

Regarding portable apparatus, I believe the requirement is that the apparatus is being powered from an internal battery (and in this case, the portable apparatus may be used in extension to a licence held by you or your parents - it is not exempt). Hence using a laptop with TV receiver powered from a mains power adaptor would not qualify as a portable device.

Regarding TV detectors - afaik, the easiest method to roughly look for a TV is to look for signals that leak out of the TV and get back into the antenna. This works equally well for TVs, VCRs, plasma TVs, TV decoder cards, portable TVs - the lot. This method would probably give away information about which channel is being watched, but would not give a very accurate indication of the location of the TV, since the aerial might be located some distance away from the TV.

And yes, you do need a licence for plasma TVs - where the hell did that piece of folklore come from?

Just in case you're wondering "And what does this guy know about it?", I prolly ought to say that I'm a professional electronic engineer... and I had a TV while at uni.

licence is a noun.
license is the verb.
licensing is the gerund.

[munchingfoo]

They can't convict unless they can prove the TV is working. It is perfectly legal to own a TV that doesn't work and not have a liscense. The inspector has to turn on the tv AND check the recpetion of the five channels to attain that a crime has been comitted. If my TV doesn't work because there is no software(Which I hide then I can just say that I bought it didn't have software, waiting for a replacement then will apply for a liscense.

A person is legally allowed to own a non-functional TV without a liscense.

[Prophet Tenebrae]

Wasn't the last campaign one where - instead of actually fining people they put up signs saying "we know where you are?" if that isn't a waste of tax payers money, what is?

[underworlddreams]

Yeah - I remember a few years back there were some bus advertisements with things like "X people in Something-Or-Other Road don't have TV licenses." I remember seeing some in Cardiff when I was at college, and one of them had like 20 people in one street...

It was in the middle of Cardiff's uni student area...

[hr]It's hard to look you in the face when we are talking / So it helps to have a mirror in the room...

[Ewan Husami]

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