3 Tuners For HDTV on Your Computer

2. Diamond Multimedia HD750

We review 3 new tuners that can turn your computer into an HDTV. Diamond, Elgato and Hauppauge compete for easiest-to-use honors.

Diamond Multimedia HD750

$60

★★★★1/2

+ Inexpensive

+ FM radio

+ ArcSoft Total Media app

+ Tiny remote

- Included antenna sub par

- No Mac software

At less than half the price of the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid or the Hauppauge WinTV HVR1950, Diamond’s HD750 does a lot for a little and adds the bonus of a built-in FM radio. At $60, it can inexpensively turn any recent PC into a decent entertainment center.

At 3.25- by 1.2- by 0.6-inches, the actual HD750 tuner is slightly larger than the EyeTV tuner but much smaller than the gargantuan Hauppauge tuner. Still, it weighs only 0.6-ounces and can easily be attached to the back of the system’s display lid with some Velcro tape. Happily, it includes a USB extension cord to do just this.

The tuner comes with all you need to watch your favorite shows including a thin remote control, antenna that has a suction cup on the bottom and a clip for attaching to a notebook’s display lid. Like the EyeTV Hybrid, the HD750 includes an adapter for connecting the computer to a composite video source, such as a DVD player or digital set top box, but the cables are also too short. I prefer the plug-in ports of the WinTV HVR1950, which adds an S-Video port.

Set up of the tuner on my Satellite 755 notebook was quick, easy and took 10 minutes for the software to load. Unfortunately, you’ll need to separately load the drivers and the ArcSoft Total Media 3.5 application for viewing and recording shows. The tuner lets you use WindowsMediaCenter if you like, but unlike the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid, it’s only for PCs.

The HD750 works with both analog and digital systems and comes with a tiny remote control. It has a range of about 13-feet and is perfect for those who just want the basics. On the downside, the on/off button opened the system’s graphics properties page instead of starting up the tuner. 

After plugging in the tuner and starting up Total Media, the system scanned for available stations. The tuner found 72 stations on my analog cable network as well as 6 digital stations using the included antenna. With my RCA amplified digital antenna, it picked up 8 more stations for a total of 14. That’s a little less than the Hauppauge tuner, but the HD750 handled HD stations without a problem and most came in clear, but with occasional dropouts and frame freezes. It got noticeably hot while in use for half an hour, however.

The HD750 does one thing the eyeTV can’t. Like the WinTV HVR1950, it can play FM radio stations, but you don’t need a separate antenna to tune them in. It found 37 stations in my area.

The HD750 includes an electronic programming guide from Titan TV, which allows you to select a show to watch or record it with one click. Once you have a show recorded on your computer’s hard drive, it can be offloaded to a variety of formats from a DVD to an iPod, Sony PSP or Windows Mobile device.

Clearly the value choice, Diamond’s HD750 can turn a PC into a multimedia powerhouse. Think of it as a $60 TV, and the miser in you will win out.