Welcome To The $49 PCI Express TV Tuner

Hauppage Digital has used CES to introduce its new WinTV-HVR-1250 PCI Express TV tuner for PCs, handy if you’ve been considering watching television on your computer.   The WinTV-HVR-1250 allows PC users to watch, pause and record analog NTSC cable TV, ATSC high definition digital TV and clear QAM digital cable TV on their Windows XP or Vista PC, in a window or full screen.                                                                                                               The new device is designed for both end users and PC system integrators, a new style of PC add-in cards, now available in most desktop PCs. PCI Express has the advantage of a smaller form factor and higher performance then the older PCI bus, which was used in PCs from 1998 to the present time.   Add to that an MSRP of $49, including the remote control, and the fact that it’s bundled with Premium certified drivers for use with Vista Media Center, plus the new Hauppauge WinTV version 6 application, and it seems like a serious market contender. The most-used everyday functions –  live-TV, pause, record and play, are located on a separate Taskbar underneath the TV window. The device goes on sale this month.