Its not often that a product comes along that really shakes up a niche market like ours. With few exceptions we are accustomed to every product acting like all the others. Price or brand recognition ends up being the determining factor in hardware choices.What happens however when a product comes along and challenges our notions of the HTPC landscape?
Way back in January of 2009 we learned about an exciting product that really deserves the much-overused title “game changer.” Ceton’s InfiniTV 4, a pci-express card that can record up to four simultaneous high-definition television shows at once via a single CableCARD, gave HTPC builders what they have needed for a long time: more tuners, smaller form factor, and a pci-e interface.
Initial Setup
Specs:
- 4 Tuner CableCARD device
- 1x pci-e (will fit into any pci-e slot)
- Low-profile or full-height bracket
- $399
If you are looking for a quality TV tuner card, you can’t go past the ATI TV Wonder HD 650 PCI. This card packs many features ideal for an HTPC. Its a hybrid card offering over-the-air digital TV/HDTV (ATSC), cable analog TV (NTSC) and clear QAM digital HD cable. Attach an analog TV cable and amplified high definition antenna to watch analog TV while recording digital TV at the same time.