The Bottom Line
The Saber DA-1N1-I Combo Analog/Digital PCI TV Tuner Card is a great TV Tuner Card from Vista View that allows users to record Analog (NTSC) and Over-the-Air ATSC (HDTV) broadcasts. Easy to install into a free PCI slot, the Saber DA-1N1-I works with Media Center software to turn your PC into a Digital Video Recorder. This TV Tuner Card includes two separate tuners, one digital and one analog, for the ability to record from one tuner while watching the other, or for recording on both tuners at once. Requires an HDTV antenna to receive Over-the-Air HD, and Media Center software installed on your PC to view TV.
Pros
- ATSC (HDTV) and NTSC Tuner on one PCI card
- Record Over-the-Air HDTV
- Excellent picture quality
- QAM capable Tuner
- Captures S-Video or composite Video and Stereo Audio
Cons
- No HDTV antenna included
Description
- Combination Analog/Digital TV Tuner Card that snaps into a free PCI slot
- Includes 2 Tuners - ATSC(HDTV) and NTSC. Record with one tuner while watching another.
- Record Over-the-Air HDTV, Analog or Digital Cable TV (QAM Tuner)
- Works with Media Center Software to turn your PC into a Digital Video Recorder; Pause and Rewind Live TV.
- Accepts analog input from RF antenna, S-Video and Composite Video.
- Hardware encoder does all the work, the CPU is free for other tasks.
Guide Review - Saber DA-1N1-I Combo Analog/Digital PCI TV Tuner Card
Installing the Saber DA-1N1-I Combo Analog/Digital PCI TV Tuner Card into my test PC was a simple process. Pop open the case and slide it into a free PCI slot on the motherboard. I downloaded the latest drivers from Vista View's Web site and easily installed the necessary drivers to get the card working. I used the Saber Card with Beyond TV Media Center Software. The Beyond TV software recognized the Saber card right away and I was able to set up the software to tune both analog and over-the-air HDTV. I connected a coaxial cable to the Analog (NTSC) input on the card to receive Cable TV, and a small indoor HDTV antenna to the ATSC input on the card to receive over-the-air HDTV broadcasts. I first tested the analog cable reception and found both the picture and sound quality to be above average compared to other PCI TV Tuner Cards I've used in the past. The Saber card really shines on the over-the-air HDTV broadcasts. The picture quality is excellent when receiving HDTV broadcasts from the HDTV antenna through the ATSC input. The quality only gets better when using a high-end videocard attached to an HDTV monitor. The Saber DA-1N1-I does all the hardware encoding on the card itself, which means that the CPU in the PC can run other tasks while the card tunes TV. An excellent Analog/Digital TV Tuner Card from Vista View.