TV usb for PCLinuxOS

[OldGuy]

My friend, a retiree, is trying to cut down her expenses.  Does anyone here know of, or using, a plug in tv usb to view available tv content? 

[chilly]

Depends on where the person lives,i have no need in the uk for a dongle,there are loads of websites offering freetv,its just a matter of finding them

[Just17]

Yes  .......  I use a USB dongle to view DTT .......  it cost about $20. I am watching TV as I write this 

There are others also with similar devices.

I would caution ....  if the TV broadcast is in HD then a modern setup would be required to decode it ......  as in a minimum dual core CPU and preferably a video card that the graphics could be unloaded to.

Try to ensure the device chosen is supported in Linux ....  check the tuner number.

It is much superior to TV over the internet ....  at least on my 6Mb/s connection.

[chilly]

Sorry i did not realize the person wanted a dedicated tuner,however i'm in the UK and you can get dongles for freeveiw and tuners for freesat for your pc,i think Just17 is in ireland and same thing goes,if in the states or anywhere else you would be wise to ask what is available to use in a media pc

[OldGuy]

My friend Josephine lives in the USA.  So we do have on-air TV still, the cost of a cable hookup here is about $80/mo, funds that would be better spent on food and energy.

[thorper]

I have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-900H which I haven't managed to get to work so that is probably one to be avoided.

[Just17]

My friend Josephine lives in the USA.  So we do have on-air TV still, the cost of a cable hookup here is about $80/mo, funds that would be better spent on food and energy.

Quite a lot of devices listed here ......  just be sure to select one that works for your transmission type and locale.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Video-Capture-TV-Tuner-Cards-/3761/i.html?_nkw=tv+tuner

This site should also be of some use

http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/ATSC_USB_Devices

[Just17]

I have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-900H which I haven't managed to get to work so that is probably one to be avoided.

I suppose it depends on what is actually on the board .....  but it should be supported by the TM6000 driver.

The tuner is probably the TM6010.

[OldGuy]

My friend Josephine lives in the USA.  So we do have on-air TV still, the cost of a cable hookup here is about $80/mo, funds that would be better spent on food and energy.

Quite a lot of devices listed here ......  just be sure to select one that works for your transmission type and locale.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Video-Capture-TV-Tuner-Cards-/3761/i.html?_nkw=tv+tuner

This site should also be of some use

http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/ATSC_USB_Devices

Good find, I'm unable to read everything right now.  But later in the day with a cup of coffee, I might get one as a gift for her.  I was hoping someone might have one running for a suggestion, but these look like a good place to start.

[T6]

in general, i have 0 knowledge of how to handle such devices

if it is detected and works with linux, what tool or app should i use to tune channels?

also, how is the reception of those tv tuners?   does it need a antenna or are we talking about different technologies?

[Just17]

in general, i have 0 knowledge of how to handle such devices

if it is detected and works with linux, what tool or app should i use to tune channels?

also, how is the reception of those tv tuners?   does it need a antenna or are we talking about different technologies?

They tune into broadcast TV .....  so yes an aerial is required .... and depending on location that aerial could need to be outside and on a height .....  such as pole, chimney etc etc.

w_scan will scan and save the found channels to a file of your choice ....  see options from help menu.

Kaffeine has a built in scanner.

VLC will scan if you give it the frequency of the transponder/mux.

EDIT:
           forgot to mention
dvbscan
If you have a file with the info of your local mux then dvbscan/scandvb should do the job too.