I have searched a bunch of progrmas for recording cable tv on your pc threw a tv tuner but I am not sure what one is the best one , i seen that windows media center is fairly decent and there is some linux based programs such as myth tv , but i am looking for one that i can really set times and set it to change channel pretty much every thing a dvr can do , suggests = greatness
That's also the one I would recommend too. Just make sure you try out the 15 day demo first before you buy it. If it doesn't work it's probably because the video card isn't compatible, If your serious about building a PVR, the right tuner card is your first priority.
When I used the demo, it worked quite well even with my low-range MSI tuner card(39.00). But you need a good tv tuner card with built-in hardware encoder to really enjoy it.
I actually have sagetv, which is also good tv tuner software but it's not as easy as beyondtv. I have 3x hauppgauge pvr150 (each cost $70.00) tuner cards installed in my computer allowing me to record 3 shows at the same time. both sagetv and beyondtv have a "tv guide" type screen where you can choose which programs to record. Once you pay the one-time price for the software, thats it the "tv guide" is free no extra price for that as long as you own it. Both sagetv and beyondtv cost about the same $70.00, but it's well worth it.
I also tried some of the free tvtuner software available, but they all have a steep learning curve.
