Tuner Cards with TV-Remote Shaped Interface

[J_C]

What I need seems so simple but I can't find it. I'm looking for a NTSC, PCI TV Tuner card with a software interface (that runs on Win2k/XP) with the controls looking like a TV remote control (tall and narrow with number buttons and a display of the channel #) instead of like a wide VCR or alien spaceship looking shape.

It need not be a fancy card. It doesn't have to be Windows MCE compatible, doesn't have to even be able to capture or record TV, it doesn't even need to come with a separate physical remote control (which wouldn't be usable for my purpose) it just needs to tune cable TV channels with a coax input and have a very user friendly shaped remote control that looks like an old fashioned TV remote control with number buttons, channel up/down buttons, and volume up/down buttons.

I have a stack of tuner cards and none have this kind of remote-control looking software interface which is really important. This is for my father who is very ill and can't do much of anything anymore, watching TV is all he's got and he insists on being at a computer. Please help, thank you.

If you know of a better forum in which to seek this, that would also be appreciated. Thanks.

[RFBurns]

You might have some luck finding one on ebay or other online bidding site. Try looking for an STB card or similar that can operate on the OS you need. The STB tv cards, at least the one I have in a pc running winXP, has the remote control GUI like you are seeking. Very simple, has all the basic buttons in large format and others in smaller format. Is vhf/uhf and cable compliant and has a fm tunner as well and can double as a capture card. This card I found on ebay for 15 bucks.

Good hunting!

[olyteddy]

Maybe you just need different display software. Have you looked at Chris TV or Sage? I have a Hauppauge PVR USB2 and just use the supplied app, WinTV2000. It's skinned display looks like a TV with channel up/down buttons and a volume slider. You can also change channels through TitanTV, a program guide service. Here's a list of some other PVR software http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tools...uthorfeatures=

[drfsupercenter]

How about the Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150? I have one and it has a physical remote that controls it.

The TV part itself opens in a window, that can be resized to whatever you want it to be. You can control it either with the buttons on the sidepanel or with the remote (you plug a remote IR sensor into the back of the PCI card)

[J_C]

Hi RFBurns and olyteddy. Thanks for your replies.

I didn't even know STB still made tuner cards, and the major problem is I'm finding it hard to determine if the software has the remote style I'm looking for, as it seems seldom they provide a clear picture of it except in some reviews and unfortunately reviews seem most concerned about the latest and greatest (that use VCR or alien-spaceship type controls) products.

RFBurns, do you have a suggestion on how to differentiate models that use software with the interface I seek? Is STB even in business now? I'd thought they went under around 1999 which would bode ill for driver support.

Olyteddy, yes software would solve this since I have a few different tuner cards, one or more of which should be covered.

I hadn't ran ChrisTV in a long time and what I vaguely recalled was it didn't even work with the card I'd tried it on way back then. I've now installed it and it seems nice but not going to meet the need. Unfortunately it claims skin support but then I see no skin options nor any skins anyone has created for it.

I have pseudo-screenshot attached as an example of the TV-style software control I am seeking (linked at the bottom, not the Hauppauge picture directly below). Which has this TV remote style of control?

Thank you for the link to the other software. I will now investigate the Hauppauge PVR products that use this WinTV2000 software. I'd prefer a PCI card, especially since I have several PCI cards already but if it takes a new device to get the right software interface, if it takes USB to get the job done, USB2 it is........
OK, looking at Hauppauge's PVR USB2 webpage it looks like the interface is this?


That isn't what I'm looking for. I don't mind designing my own skin for a card (software) that allows it, actually that would be ideal if the process isn't terribly complex, if it's mostly just making the graphics portion (and it supports number buttons which many don't seem to anymore).


On a similar note, does anyone know where I might find skins for WinDVR (ver. 3)? I have another tuner/capture card which is running with that (FX5700 Personal Cinema), and after looking it over it is clearly able to use skins and Intervideo was supposedly going to make a skin creation utility but I never found it released nor any links to skins people created, only old dead-end search results. I don't just mean skins though, since I'm wanting control of what buttons appear and how they're laid out similar to the attached picture which is a bit more involved.

[RFBurns]

Check this link for the STB card. This is like the one I have with the same GUI remote control.

http://www.hothardware.com/Articles/STBs_Desktop_TV/

You can select which skin for the remote you prefer with this card.


ebay listing for stb tv card

http://cgi.ebay.com/Phillips-STB-Systems-TV-tuner-PCI-card-FM1236-F_W0QQitemZ260165465269QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3761QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem