Know About USB HDTV Tuners

Computers are often used to watch or record television, but high definition (HD) digital broadcasts have added a whole new dimension to the experience. Now HDTV tuners let you watch and record your favorite shows with greater clarity than ever before. It's also a relatively cheap way to get into HD without the expense of buying a plasma or LCD TV.

The actual resolution you see will depend on the type of display you use, but even in standard definition, the digital picture is far superior to the old analog broadcast. The trend for the current crop of HDTV tuners is to shrink them into the size of a USB key. These are external devices that plug straight into a spare USB port on your computer.

USB tuners now rule the market because they are simple to install and portable. Just plug one end into a desktop or notebook and an antenna cable on the other end and you have a high-quality television in an instant. These tuners are of two kinds, PCI cards and external USB boxes. They make it a snap to watch full-screen, full-motion video on a monitor, or keep an eye on a show in a smaller window while surfing the web.

The product is targeted at business travelers, students and others who might want to catch free HDTV at the airport or in a dorm room. But you need to have access to a strong high-def signal.