Maximum PC

I need suggestions for a good TV tuner that I can put into my HTPC computer (which is actually a Zotac ION ITX motherboard with a full-sized PCI Express slot).

Reason I say it needs to be either a USB 2.0 or x16 PCI Express is that I was told that you cannot use a x1 or x4 or x8 card in an x16 slot due to compatabiilty (not sure myself because I never tried---but was told by a few people, one being a computer tech--although I thought you could).

Anyway, Needs to be compatible with Windows Media Center (I am running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit on the machine). I'm using this machine as a HTPC and as a file server and to share printers. Video recording is a plus, but not required.

Price range is probably under $100 if possible (not that I'm trying to be cheap, but I don't want to spend hundreds on a TV tuner card).

Unless it is specific to that board, which I highly doubt, those people were crazy.

I'm using a Hauppauge HVR-2250 1x PCI-Express card in a 16x slot with no problems.

It should specify in your motherboard manual. Since you didn't give the model number I can't look it up.

You also didn't specify your source. OTA? Unencrypted QAM? Analog NTSC?

n0b0dykn0ws

I also use the same Hauppauge HVR-2250 card, three of them, they have worked wonderfully for years now. I also have a USB tuner; the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q. That thing is more demanding on the CPU cycles but it works just as well for Over The Air (OTA) tuning as the internal card. One thing the HVR-2250 can get you is TWO tuners, it has a built in dual tuner system. The USB deal is only a single tuner.

I've used PCI x1 cards on x4, x8 and x16 slots. They always worked fine. I would check the motherboard manual to insure that there's nothing specific to that board, but I think it's safe to say it 'should' work if you wanted to go that route.