How to record a TV program with Windows Vista

The operating system is equipped with a multimedia center (Windows Media Center) that allows viewing and recording TV shows with the help of a signal transfer card.

Prepare :

- Computer with operating system Vista Home Premium or Ultimate version.

Card installed in TV Wonder 650. Photo: Dailytech

- Built-in TV signal transfer card like TV Wonder 650 (about 130 USD) by ATI, TV-Card Digital (about 38 USD) or external card like WinTV-HVR-950 (about 130 USD) by Hauppauge. In addition to the market there is either analog or digital signal support or both, so users rely on their equipment and needs to buy the right card.

The WinTV-HVR-950 external card can receive analog and digital TV signals.Photo: Hauppauge

Implementation :

- Start the Windows Media Center application.

- Select guide in TV + Movies section . (Press Enter when using the keyboard or OK when using the remote control)

- Select the TV channel you want to watch on the display panel.

Options of Windows Vista Media Center

- Select how to record.Record : select a part of the program to record; Record Series : record all sections; Advanced Record : set options for recording. Should choose Advanced Record to set some factors such as frequency and image quality.

- Finally, select Record to start the recording process.

If you don't use Windows Vista, you can still record TV programs to your computer using the software included with the TV signal transfer cards on the market. These software have a channel selection feature, which is quite convenient.