A TV tuner card is hardware that allows analogue or digital broadcast television signals to be received and converted or translated for display by a computer.

While typically a PCI-bus expansion card, they can also be USB. The card contains a receiver, tuner, demodulator, and a analog-to-digital converter for analog TV. Like TV sets, each version is designed for the radio frequencies and video formats used in each country. Either over-the-air or cable TV can be received, and most also include a radio tuner. Many include a direct video input such as from a VCR.

Some provide DVB reception for digital radio, television or data signals (either with or without hardware MPEG decoding capability); these may be used to receive satellite broadcasts but normally provide no analogue input capability.

These have become popular with the increase in computer monitor sizes and the higher definition they now provide. Broadcasts can also be digitally recorded by the computer for later replay (or, illegal in many countries, distribution to other computer users).

Use of TV cards is high amongst university students in western countries due to the demands of university work making personal computers very popular, the general lack of space in university accommodations, and the cost of buying a separate television.

These computer components are likely to fade from use should broadcast television continue its slow decline in favour of Internet-distributed content (though television itself is unlikely to follow such a decline due to the prevelence of cable and satellite television and the convergence of television, hi-fi systems, gaming consoles and personal computers into home entertainment systems).

External links

• Hauppauge
• TerraTec
• TechnoTrend
• ProgDVB