TV tuners keep getting cheaper - Hauppauge intros PCIe card for $49

There's never been a better time to be in the market for a TV tuner card for your home theater PC. You know, unless you're looking for a high end tuner that will let you do something like record Digital Cable or Satellite TV signals directly on your PC. CableCard and satellite tuners are either expensive or not-yet existent.

But if you're looking for a PCI Express card that can handle standard NTSC and ATSC signals, Hauppauge has announced a new $49 TV tuner that should fit the bill. The WinTV-HVR-1250 can record standard analog TV or over the air HDTV. It can also handle ClearQAM, which is just a fancy word for unencrypted digital cable HDTV signals.

The TV tuner is certified for use with Windows Vista Media Center, but should also work with other PC-based PVR software. The WinTV-HVR-1250 should be available laster this month.