TV Tuner / DVB Satellite Card

[RiseAgainst]

I want to watch TV on my computer because it is more convenient than watching in my living room. I have been looking at TV Tuners for a while and recently found an article (over 2 years old) on i-hacked.com (http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/244/1/).
Should I buy card off of ebay like they say or would it be better to buy a TV Tuner card like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116011&Tpk=dvb%20satellite%20card. If I buy the one from newegg how would I connect it to the satellite dish (I have Directv). I really don't want to download a bunch of software and spend a lot of time setting this up.

[russ_watters]

As the article says, there are legal issues there - it is probably illegal to hack the satellite signal. That means your best (legal) bet is to buy an off-the-shelf card and connectet to your satellite dish the same way you connect any other tv in your house: through a DirecTV receiver/decoder box.

[RiseAgainst]

But if I'm paying for the satellite it's not like I'm stealing or hacking a signal. If I use a card like the one form newegg, do I need to connect another box for the satellite or can I connect straight to my computer somehow?

[jtbell]

In many (most?) parts of the world, you can buy third-party satellite receivers, either as standalone boxes or as PC cards or USB dongles, etc. In the USA, as far as I know, if you want DirecTV or Dish (Echostar) service, you must buy or lease one of their proprietary receivers. There are activation mechanisms that enforce this.

Disclaimer: I do not have satellite service myself; I get my TV over-the-air (terrestrial broadcast) only. I'm just going by what I've gleaned on specialist forums such as avsforum.com.

[pantaz]

I have DirecTV, and I view it on my PC with a ATI All-In-Wonder graphics card.
The signal path is Dish->DirecTV receiver->PC. It's no different than connecting the DirecTV receiver to a television.
Now, this is for "standard definition", not HDTV. I've been told that HDTV cable boxes have FireWire ports that permit direct connection to a computer. I have not verified this.

[Orion1]

It is possible to connect your computer up to DirecTV!

Requirements:
* Subscription to DirecTV
* Computer
* Windows XP media center
* DVD Express-DX2 converter box
* Composite video cables
* USB cord

Step1:
Plug the composite cables (red, yellow, and white) into the back of your DirecTV DVR. The color of each cable
will correspond with the color on the DVR.

Step2:
Connect the opposite end of your composite cables to the DVD Express-DX2 converter box. Match the color of each cable to the color on the converter box. Plug them in, as indictated by color.

Step3:
Plug a USB cord into the USB port on your DVD Express-DX2 converter box.

Step4:
Connect the opposite end of the USB cord into one of your computer's USB ports.

Step5:
Restart your PC. Since your computer is now connected to the DirecTV DVR, you can watch DirecTV programming on your computer.

Reference:
How to Hook up a Computer to DIRECTV (http://www.ehow.com/how_4425977_hook-up-computer-directv.html)
ADS Tech DVD Xpres-DX2 - usb-ware (http://www.usb-ware.com/ads-dvd-xpress-dx2.htm)