tuner

This is an update of a deal I posted about a year ago.

Much as I love my TiVo, I despise the monthly subscription fees that go along with it. It can literally cost you a couple hundred bucks per year. As Dr. Smith would say, "Oh, the pain!" (Don't get the reference? Ask your parents. If they watched cheesy 60s sci-fi, that is.)

A much cheaper option over the long haul: Ceton's InfiniTV 4 products, which can turn a Windows PC into a pretty sweet DVR.

For a limited time, Newegg has Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB for $169.99 shipped. … Read more

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

In the case of a major earthquake, terrorist act or some other disaster, cell phones will be useless, according to radio broadcasters.

Today at a congressional hearing in Washington D.C., broadcasters are expected to tell lawmakers that in emergencies, cell networks become clogged and have proven to be unreliable. What people need are FM tuners built into their handhelds that will enable them to receive radio reports.

That's what Jeff Smulyan, chairman and CEO of Emmis Communications, which owns AM and FM radio stations, is expected to make this argument when he testifies before a House subcommittee on Communications and Technology. … Read more

Just like a car, Windows needs periodic tune-ups in order to keep it performing well. Free Windows Tuner is an easy-to-use program that promises to optimize RAM, delete orphaned links, and increase startup speed, and more. We typically like to see more options for customization and more information about what's happening than Free Windows Tuner provides, but it seems to be a decent choice if your machine could use some tidying up.

It just so happened that we tested Free Windows Tuner on an installation of Windows that was only about a week old, so we admit that there … Read more

Cord-cutters of the world, this one's for you.

If you're looking to tap those sweet, sweet TV signals that get broadcast over the airwaves for free, and you want to watch and/or record them on your PC, there's one important ingredient: a tuner.

Most PC TV tuners are single-system affairs, meaning they plug into a USB port and deliver the goods to just that system.

Wouldn't it be great if you could plug a tuner into your router, then share the over-the-air TV goodness with all your computers?

Ta-da: IceMonkey has the recertified SiliconDust HDHomeRun Dual TV tuner for $69.99 shipped. … 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

I frequently get letters from readers who want to cut the cable-TV cord, but still watch and record shows using a DVR.

Solution: your Windows 7 PC and an ATSC tuner. Together, they let you tune in and record local channels that are broadcast over the airwaves (remember those?).

Today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the Sabrent TV-USBHD dual-mode USB TV tuner for $14.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. It's new, not refurbished, and it might just be the cheapest DVR solution you'll ever see.

A tuner like this requires only an antenna to pull … 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