CableCard

True story: The cable guy was over just last week, troubleshooting a signal-strength problem with our service. When he saw my CableCard-equipped media center PC, he said, "I've been wanting to do that with my computer, because Windows' channel guide is so much better than ours."

True dat. Windows Media Center offers a mighty sweet 10-foot interface, and when you pair your PC with a CableCard tuner, you've got everything you need for DVR awesomeness.

There are three such tuners on the market, and today's deal is for the most versatile of them. While supplies … Read more

No hilarious jokes or personal anecdotes today. This is time-sensitive, so I'll cut right to the chase.

Today only, and while supplies last, Amazon has the refurbished Kindle Fire tablet for $139 shipped.

I'm reluctant to even post that deal, because I suspect it'll sell out before the morning is over -- heck, before I finish typing this paragraph. That's an insanely good deal on one of the best 7-inch tablets to date.

Update: Well, kudos to Amazon for having enough inventory to last most of the day...but as I expected, the refurbished Fires are … Read more

This is an update of a deal I wrote about last year.

Regular readers know of my deep fondness for Windows Media Center, which served as the hub of my entertainment center for many years. It's vastly underrated as a DVR; indeed, in many respects it's better than TiVo.

For a long while, the only available CableCard adapter (the vital component for watching and recording cable TV) was Ceton's InfiniTV 4--a great product, but expensive and compatible only with desktop PCs that had an available PCI slot.

Now there's an affordable, external solution. The Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 … Read more

Remember Cable Card? It's still around, quietly allowing owners of TiVos and Home Theater PCs, via devices like the HDHomeRun Prime, to get the full complement of cable TV programming without having to use the company-issued DVR or cable box.

At CNET we've tested a few Cable Card products, including TiVos and the now-defunct Moxi DVR. The latter product was still hanging around the CNET offices so I decided to test it out for myself at home.

I called up Verizon (I'm a Fios TV subscriber) last week, told the rep I had a third-party DVR and … Read more

Don't get me wrong, I like TiVo. What I don't like is the $19.99/month subscription fee that goes along with it. That's $240 per year, folks.

A much cheaper option over the long haul: Ceton's InfiniTV 4 products, which can turn a Windows 7 PC into one of the best DVRs on the planet.

The original InfiniTV 4 was a PCI card that sold for $399. Now, however, you can get the Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCI or InfiniTV 4 USB for $199 shipped.

That's not a sale price; it's a permanent reduction. … 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

The HDHomeRun Prime is a new CableCARD TV tuner that plugs into your home network router. The HDHomeRun app piggybacks on that, letting you watch, pause, replay, and even record live TV right on your iPad. It's pricey, limited, and a little buggy, but it works.

Just to clarify, the app requires an HDHomeRun Prime, which sells for $249.99. I'm in the process of reviewing it, and so far it's fabulous. The app costs $17.99, which definitely seems steep, but for the moment there's nothing else quite like it.

After running the initial setup of the HDHomeRun Prime on my PC, I installed the app on my first-gen iPad. It immediately detected the tuners, and in seconds I was watching live TV. And I found I could continue watching it even while another live show was playing on my PC. (The Prime provides three tuners, so I still had one to spare.)… 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