computer tv

[eviledna]

i am looking to watch digital tv on my computer and already have a digi freeview box and am wonderin if there is a way to connect it to my pc.

i have an old packard bell P3 with on board graphics card and im not sure if the s-video is in or output.

the digibox has only a scart output. i am wonderin if there is a cable firstly (probably is) but how to get the pc to recognise the digibox


does anyone know of any way to connect the mofo's together?

am tryin to avoid spending a lot of cash as i am a student, with a moody chic who cant watch eastenders in my room.

god help me!

[dammit]

Buy a telly. End of problem. Next.

[Tortanick]

Come on, be nicer than that. He clearly said he's looking for a cheep option and we're here to help.

You may be be able to use your graphics card but considering its onboard the odds are incredibly low if you use dxdiag (click start, click run, type dxdiag) you can check what card you have (under display) and google it for details

alternatively you can buy PCI TV cards, I don't know enough to recomend a good one but follow common sense and it should be fine. The only advice I can give is ask:

1) weather you'll need any software or is it all included
2) ask if the TV card is compatable with your PC
3) ask if the TV card is compatable with your freeview box

[dammit]

A TV card is not a cheap option.... and far more complicated than plugging in a telly.

[oracle128]

A telly is the easiest option. The cheapest option would be a video capture card (so you can take the freeview output and connect it to the capture card's input) - but this is fiddly, and terribly low quality. The next option is to get a digital TV tuner for your PC (internal PCI card or external USB device), ignoring the freeview box altogether; it's also a little fiddly, but is much better quality. It may be cheaper than buying a TV (depending on what kind of TV).