mac tv card and monitor

[tobermei]

I'm looking to setup a new "tv" and am trying to decide 2 things.

1. which tv card to buy, either EyeTv diversity or Cinergy T2. I am only interested in HD Free to Air so don't need external EyeTV unit. I'm leaning towards EyeTV because of the software. Previously used Foxtel IQ and want the smoothest pvr experience possible.

2. Which monitor to go for. I plan to use the tv card most likely in a Mac Mini and believe I only need 1080i resolution, not 1080p. I'm leaning towards buying a 32" LCD TV to use with the mac mini and will probably go for to 1080p model even though I probably don't need that high of resolution. I was looking at 30" monitors (dell / acd) but have been told that with HD Free to Air the 1080p resolution is as good as it gets.

Since TV on a Mac is new to me, am interested if the tactile experience is worse in any way to using traditional tv with set top box.

[chrism238]

I use a Pinnacle TV for MAC DVB-T Stick on my 1.66GHz Mac Mini, into a Dell 24inch monitor. All good for both viewing and recording
(I'm guessing that you don't really mean in your Mac Mini).

[tobermei]

Yeah, sorry about that, I didn't mean "IN" the mini. Is the 24" monitor an "UltraSharp"? What made you choose the pinnacle tv option over the others?

[chrism238]

Originally Posted by tobermei

Yeah, sorry about that, I didn't mean "IN" the mini. Is the 24" monitor an "UltraSharp"? What made you choose the pinnacle tv option over the others?

It's a Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW, though I'm not really sure which attribute makes it 'UltraSharp'. The Pinnacle was just on the right shelf at the right time - bought it in Singapore for about $80 a few months ago, though StaticIce now lists them a bit cheaper.

My viewing and recording requirements may be less demanding than yours, but it just works for me.