tuner

Boxee Box users now have a way to watch traditional TV as well as online content.

The company has just started selling its new $49 Live TV tuner, which connects directly to the Boxee Box to deliver over-the-air broadcast television channels, potentially making it a useful option for cable TV cord cutters.

Of course, as CNET's Matthew Moskovciak pointed out in a column in November, all HDTVs these days include a built-in ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) tuner, so most cord cutters already have a way to grab broadcast TV without coughing up extra dough.

Still, the folks at … Read more

If you've ever tried to join a conversation on an enthusiasts' forum about modifying your car for better performance, it may have seemed to you that everyone was speaking a foreign, abbreviation-based language.

What's the difference between NA and FI? I/H/E? What's that? Should you just add more NOS? If so, do I pour it straight into my FMIC? Some of you may already know the answers to these questions, but many are probably staring blankly at these seemingly random groupings of letters.

In this week's edition of the ABCs of Car Tech, I'… Read more

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Windows Media Center is a better DVR than TiVo. It has a vastly superior program guide, a much prettier Netflix interface, and a total lack of monthly fees.

The key ingredient to a successful WMC setup is a CableCard tuner. These were few and far between until a couple months ago, but now you have several good options.

Like this one: Newegg has the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime HDHR3-CC CableCard tuner for $169.99, plus $6.98 for shipping. The list price is $249, and most online outfits sell it for around $229.

The HDHR3-CC offers three digital tuners that can pull down HD and premium channels alike. (Sorry, no on-demand or pay-per-view, though.) All you need is a CableCard from your cable company. The one I'm renting from Comcast costs me all of $1.50 per month; I think I was paying $13 to $14 for a DVR box.

What's unique about this particular tuner is that it plugs into your home network router, meaning you can share its tuners with multiple Windows 7-powered PCs: one in the den, one in the bedroom, and so on. (Ideally, however, you'll want a wired Ethernet connection between those PCs and your router.)

There's even a companion iPad app, though it's pricey at $17.99 and not very good.

My only real complaint is that you can't plug the HDHR3-CC into a single PC if you prefer that kind of configuration. But for multi-PC households, the HDHR3-CC is a steal at $169.99. Grab one while it's on sale!… Read more

I'm a longtime fan of Windows Media Center, which I've used as the hub of my entertainment center for many years. It's vastly underrated as a DVR; indeed, I'd say it's better than TiVo.

Just one problem: the only available CableCard adapter (a vital component for watching and recording cable TV) was Ceton's InfiniTV 4-- a great product, but expensive and compatible only with desktop PCs.

Finally, there's an affordable, external solution. The Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 is a dual-tuner CableCard adapter that plugs into a USB port. Pair it with a Windows 7-powered desktop … Read more

If you've been hoping for a live television option for your iPad 2, the prospects of realizing that dream are one step closer. Mac accessory maker Elgato has announced its EyeTV Mobile iPad 2 TV Tuner, a dongle created specifically for the iPad 2 to bring live television to your mobile lifestyle.

The dongle takes advantage of the 30-pin dock connector and has a retractable aerial antenna that is able to pick up local broadcast television signals. The device includes a free app that allows users to record their live programs to their iPad 2 to watch later. The … Read more

I'd like to have a little fun while saving the planet--I'm sure that we all would--but this wave of hotted-up hybrids has me scratching my head. Some, like the Prius Plus Performance Package, appear to use the term "performance" a bit too liberally for my tastes Still others, like the Mugen CR-Z, seem to add a sporty pedigree to what was previously just sporty pretense. Building on the later of those concepts, Honda has just pulled the wraps off of an even more extreme variant of its sporty hybrid at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in … Read more

It's been a while since we've showcased a tuner car here on the Car Tech Blog, but after getting an eyeful of Japanese tuner Impul's take on the already love-it-or-leave-it stylings of the 2011 Nissan Juke, we couldn't help but take another look.

The Impul Juke benefits (or suffers) from a new front bumper with a more aggressive lower lip, side skirts, and a rear diffuser, as well as a restyled grill and a huge, aggressive rear wing. There are also larger wheels in a Hyper Black finish, side-window vent visors, and what look like small … Read more

Yesterday I posted this item as a bonus deal, and it sold it out very quickly--at least on Amazon's site. However, you can still get the Ceton InfiniTV 4 card for $265.16, plus $8 for shipping, and allow me to explain why it's worth having.

If you have a spare Windows 7 desktop PC you can devote to media center duty, the InfiniTV 4 will turn it into one of the best DVRs on the planet.

It's a PCI card that accommodates a CableCARD tuner from your cable company. Once installed, it bestows four digital tuners. (… Read more

With all the talk of 3D, plasma vs. LCD, LED TV backlighting schemes, 240Hz vs. 120Hz, and all other sorts highfalutin technical specs, there's one small but potentially important TV feature that doesn't get a whole lot of play: The QAM tuner.

Just what is a QAM tuner? Well, according to Wikipedia, QAM stands for "quadrature amplitude modulation, the format by which digital cable channels are encoded and transmitted via cable television providers."

More specifically, it allows you to pull in certain digital cable channels without the use of a set-top box. Or, as the Wikipedia … Read more