HP ExpressCard TV Tuner for Windows Vista (RM436AA#ABA)

I'm updating this review after owning and using this card for about a year. The card may be fine for occasional on-the-road use, but I have to question whether it's suitable for the "always-on" use that a DVR demands. Over time problems started developing which I eventually traced back to the card, corrupted video files that looked OK but wouldn't play properly, audio noise on recordings, and finally massive frame-skipping and jitter that made recordings unwatchable. The card gets very hot and I think the demands I've put on it have caused it to fail. Yes, I realize that an internal video capture solution like an ExpressCard was likely to run into overheating problems, but my card came packaged with an HP "entertainment laptop" that I'm using as a quiet, dedicated PVR. I expected the card to be a little more rugged (I also expected the card to fit securely in the ExpressCard slot, which it never did without duct tape.). Since others may be considering laptops as DVRs in a converged...Read more

Pros: Small in size so its easy to carry. Versatile input hookups. No need for software since it uses Windows Media Center.

Cons: Picture quality could use improvement. Gets extremely hot while in use.

Better off with a USB device such as the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR USB2, its roughly the same price and produces a much better picture quality when using Window Media Center.

I purchased this card through Amazon and was amazed at how good it worked. My wife, sho usually doesn't want me to spend the money on gadgets was amazed and agreed that it was money well spent.

We used the unit on our trips in our RV until I reached for the antenna and, charged with static electricity, blew the digital side out.

If you get one, be very careful of static electricity if you need to move the antenna.

We will buy another unit tomorrow...