Or two cards. In a few rare cases, it's possible to multiplex video in such a way that it's possible with one, although I've never encountered that and it would decrease quality since the bitrate would have to be reduced to get them all to fit. (However, I have encountered some alternate audio streams and surround sound before, in addition to the standard MPEG stereo audio.)
Oh, and if you want to view two or more channels at once (as opposed to saving some while viewing only one), you'll need a video card with a lot of memory and enough speed to decode multiple MPEG streams.

TCPA would take your freedom! Say NO! http://www.againsttcpa.com/
HDTV the way it should be: http://www.mariposahd.tv

 

Anyone here have any experience with the Hauppauge WINTV401? Here is a newegg link; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116606
Can't seem to find any reviews of this, other than customer reviews (which, although I trust newegg to a degree, I still take them with a grain of salt) so I was wondering if anyone had any experiance with it. How good is the quality, etc...

"Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think."
--Jean de la Bruyere

That card does not seem to bad and it is made by a good company. BUT it does not look like it supports media center (or actually, media center does not support it) so if you are wanting to put it into a Win XP MCE (Media Center Edition) PC, i would look else where.

But it seems to be like a good quality card. I have been using about a 10$ tuner for awhile and the picture is grainy, but it still works, with a 70$ card from a good company, you should have good results and good picture

    

Since you are getting the Dell Dual Core package (assuming you stay with 32 bits OS)
Why not opt for Media Center Edition with a tuner from Dell! (this will solve your software issue! And you get the TV guide at no extra cost!)

Or two TV tuners, in case you are tempted by the “watch one channel while recording another” function! (MS added dual TV card support to MCE 2005!)

Or an analog one from Dell and an HD one from AVerMedia, "AVerTVHD MCE" (Minimum Requirements: Pre-installed MCE 2005 Certified Analog TV Tuner Card)
http://www.aver.com/2005home/product...0wb_spec.shtml

The MCE option is also a practical solution for taking your “favorite TV shows, on the shuttle”!