Composite video into monitor

I'll try and be brief.
Due to work going on downstairs I have no television. I'd like to get my PVR
(Topfield) back in use by squirting its composite or S-video output into the
spare VGA or HDMI input on my computer monitor. At least I'd be able to
watch an hour or so of TV while I unwind before bed.
Rather stupidly I bought one of those video to USB gadgets but the software
that comes with it only has a small preview panel of the video input so
impossible to see the porgram guide etc.

Being only temporarily without TV I don't want to spend a fortune. I have
found this
http://www.henrys.co.uk/cctv/vgaconverter.htm which seems cheap enough.

Another alternative would be a graphics card with a video input like my
ancient ATI All in Wonder. Do they still make reasonably priced graphics
cards with a video in?

Another alternative would be a TV card with a video input. Would make the
PVR redundant but I'm quite keen on getting the PVR going for the program
guide, the programs already recorded on it etc.

Any ideas and suggestions?

Periproct wrote:
> I'll try and be brief.
> Due to work going on downstairs I have no television. I'd like to get my
> PVR (Topfield) back in use by squirting its composite or S-video output
> into the spare VGA or HDMI input on my computer monitor. At least I'd be
> able to watch an hour or so of TV while I unwind before bed.
> Rather stupidly I bought one of those video to USB gadgets but the
> software that comes with it only has a small preview panel of the video
> input so impossible to see the porgram guide etc.
>
> Being only temporarily without TV I don't want to spend a fortune. I
> have found this
> http://www.henrys.co.uk/cctv/vgaconverter.htm which seems cheap enough.
>
> Another alternative would be a graphics card with a video input like my
> ancient ATI All in Wonder. Do they still make reasonably priced graphics
> cards with a video in?
>
> Another alternative would be a TV card with a video input. Would make
> the PVR redundant but I'm quite keen on getting the PVR going for the
> program guide, the programs already recorded on it etc.
>
> Any ideas and suggestions?



yep

see how it goes with no TV

I got rid of mine close to 20 years ago

have not missed it yet


heck for all I know "I Love Lucy" is not on anymore



My wife and I actually talk to each other...

and we lead our own lives and don't follow what others are doing.



(oh well...I tried anyway)


anyway

can't you just watch TV on your computer
by using HULU?

You would not have to do anything else.


(shrug)

"philo" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Periproct wrote:
>> I'll try and be brief.
>> Due to work going on downstairs I have no television. I'd like to get my
>> PVR (Topfield) back in use by squirting its composite or S-video output
>> into the spare VGA or HDMI input on my computer monitor. At least I'd be
>> able to watch an hour or so of TV while I unwind before bed.
>> Rather stupidly I bought one of those video to USB gadgets but the
>> software that comes with it only has a small preview panel of the video
>> input so impossible to see the porgram guide etc.
>>
>> Being only temporarily without TV I don't want to spend a fortune. I have
>> found this
>> http://www.henrys.co.uk/cctv/vgaconverter.htm which seems cheap enough.
>>
>> Another alternative would be a graphics card with a video input like my
>> ancient ATI All in Wonder. Do they still make reasonably priced graphics
>> cards with a video in?
>>
>> Another alternative would be a TV card with a video input. Would make the
>> PVR redundant but I'm quite keen on getting the PVR going for the program
>> guide, the programs already recorded on it etc.
>>
>> Any ideas and suggestions?

I've seen a bunch of cheap tv tuner cards recently.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...20tuner%20card

http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearch...me&display=col

I like ATI and Hauppage.


--
Andrew

"Periproct" <> wrote in message
news:...
> I'll try and be brief.
> Due to work going on downstairs I have no television. I'd like to get my
> PVR (Topfield) back in use by squirting its composite or S-video output
> into the spare VGA or HDMI input on my computer monitor. At least I'd be
> able to watch an hour or so of TV while I unwind before bed.
> Rather stupidly I bought one of those video to USB gadgets but the
> software that comes with it only has a small preview panel of the video
> input so impossible to see the porgram guide etc.
>
> Being only temporarily without TV I don't want to spend a fortune. I have
> found this
> http://www.henrys.co.uk/cctv/vgaconverter.htm which seems cheap enough.
>
> Another alternative would be a graphics card with a video input like my
> ancient ATI All in Wonder. Do they still make reasonably priced graphics
> cards with a video in?
>
> Another alternative would be a TV card with a video input. Would make the
> PVR redundant but I'm quite keen on getting the PVR going for the program
> guide, the programs already recorded on it etc.
>
> Any ideas and suggestions?

A totally free and temporary solution would be Internet TV. A lot of the
previously viewed episodes of shows are available. And there's this:

http://www.hulu.com/
>

"Periproct" <> wrote in message
news:...
> I'll try and be brief.
> Due to work going on downstairs I have no television. I'd like to get my
> PVR (Topfield) back in use by squirting its composite or S-video output
> into the spare VGA or HDMI input on my computer monitor. At least I'd be
> able to watch an hour or so of TV while I unwind before bed.
> Rather stupidly I bought one of those video to USB gadgets but the
> software that comes with it only has a small preview panel of the video
> input so impossible to see the porgram guide etc.
>
> Being only temporarily without TV I don't want to spend a fortune. I have
> found this
> http://www.henrys.co.uk/cctv/vgaconverter.htm which seems cheap enough.
>
> Another alternative would be a graphics card with a video input like my
> ancient ATI All in Wonder. Do they still make reasonably priced graphics
> cards with a video in?
>
> Another alternative would be a TV card with a video input. Would make the
> PVR redundant but I'm quite keen on getting the PVR going for the program
> guide, the programs already recorded on it etc.
>
> Any ideas and suggestions?
I put a Hauppage TV tuner card in my PC. It was less that $60. With the
Windows 7 Media Center, you can watch and record anything you can get
through regular cable television (if you have cable television that is).
You can also watch Internet TV which has lots of the older television
programs or if you have a Netflix account you can stream stuff through Media
Center too. I had to install the Hauppage software first to get Media
Center to recognize my tuner (just needed the driver actually), but then
switched to Media Center because it's software far surpasses the Hauppage
software. I like the record options because then I can burn a television
program to a DVD and watch it on a different television if I want to.

"Periproct" <> wrote in message
news:...
> I'll try and be brief.
> Due to work going on downstairs I have no television. I'd like to get my
> PVR (Topfield) back in use by squirting its composite or S-video output
> into the spare VGA or HDMI input on my computer monitor. At least I'd be
> able to watch an hour or so of TV while I unwind before bed.
> Rather stupidly I bought one of those video to USB gadgets but the
> software that comes with it only has a small preview panel of the video
> input so impossible to see the porgram guide etc.
>
> Being only temporarily without TV I don't want to spend a fortune. I have
> found this
> http://www.henrys.co.uk/cctv/vgaconverter.htm which seems cheap enough.
>
> Another alternative would be a graphics card with a video input like my
> ancient ATI All in Wonder. Do they still make reasonably priced graphics
> cards with a video in?
>
> Another alternative would be a TV card with a video input. Would make the
> PVR redundant but I'm quite keen on getting the PVR going for the program
> guide, the programs already recorded on it etc.
>
> Any ideas and suggestions?

Why not buy yourself a dual tuner DVB-T card for around about £35.00? I have
one running in Windows Media Centre, it has a very good EPG that turns a PC
an excellent PVR, plus of course you will then have the added bonus of
having the .wtv files ready stored on your computer, this enables you to
burn a normal DVD from within WMC, or can (when you find out how easily be
converted to other formats such as divx and radio recordings to MP3s.
<http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/TVTunerCards/KWorld/PC1602T.html>
>
>



>

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 12:46:39 -0500, "Thip" <> wrote:

>"Periproct" <> wrote in message
>news:...
>> I'll try and be brief.
>> Due to work going on downstairs I have no television. I'd like to get my
>> PVR (Topfield) back in use by squirting its composite or S-video output
>> into the spare VGA or HDMI input on my computer monitor. At least I'd be
>> able to watch an hour or so of TV while I unwind before bed.
>> Rather stupidly I bought one of those video to USB gadgets but the
>> software that comes with it only has a small preview panel of the video
>> input so impossible to see the porgram guide etc.
>>
>> Being only temporarily without TV I don't want to spend a fortune. I have
>> found this
>> http://www.henrys.co.uk/cctv/vgaconverter.htm which seems cheap enough.
>>
>> Another alternative would be a graphics card with a video input like my
>> ancient ATI All in Wonder. Do they still make reasonably priced graphics
>> cards with a video in?
>>
>> Another alternative would be a TV card with a video input. Would make the
>> PVR redundant but I'm quite keen on getting the PVR going for the program
>> guide, the programs already recorded on it etc.
>>
>> Any ideas and suggestions?
>
>A totally free and temporary solution would be Internet TV. A lot of the
>previously viewed episodes of shows are available. And there's this:
>
>http://www.hulu.com/
>>

It appears you are in the UK, so maybe I'm missing something totally
obvious, but why not just buy a TV? Or, if it's just a week or two,
maybe rent one, or borrow one from a friend.