I use a Twinhan 1020A card and a Nexus-S card to record my satellite TV shows for latter viewing. I have not yet ventured into the HD or 4-2-2 viewing as what I want is in standard definition anyways. With a DVB-S card there are a LOT of settings that if not set correctly, you will not get a signal or picture. However, starting out with a DVB set top box, you then do know that you are correctly pointed at the satellite. The DVB boxes are great for tuning and peaking your dish to to get the maximum quality. It is all but impossible to do this with a DVB-S card. (at least my experiances) So starting with a good signal you have the first step completed. I use MyTheatre, and it is a great piece of software, but indeed is not user friendly for the novice trying to setup. However, it is a hobby for me and I enjoy it as many others here do as well. I haved learnt a lot in setting it up. I followed a few of the guides and how-to's and did get a picture after many hours of work. The MyTheatre forums are good for help as well if you choose to try it out. What I like about this type of setup is the ease to have timers turn on the computer, record my weekly shows and turn off the computer. It has taken me a few years of using the software to get it to where I am now, but the benifits of using the DVB-S card were a great advantage for me. I now archive my old TV shows on hard drives or burn them to DVD's. I also have a DVICO Fusion USB box for my digital TV reception and it too works with MyTheatre for recording. I do not have the computer connected to the TV, but vies the shows on the computer or play the mpeg video files in a DVD player that plays mpeg files. (the Phillips player is great for this use) Others that I know do have their PC connected to their TV by use of a DVI cable and have great results. Someday I may try connecting it up when I get a HDTV next to my computer, but for now this is the ideal setup for me. I think it is worth the trouble, but don't think that you are just to connect it up, make a few settings and it will all work. With 4-2-2 and HDTV, you will be constantly changing the codecs (software) to display your different signals, as one will not work great on all sources, and new codecs are always being developed.