the analog encoding is software based (as is the case for almost all hybrid cards).
For digital, there is no encoding needed since the stream is just recieved and then output to the system (IE, Digital to digital needs no alterations).
With regards to channel changes, this is dependant on a lot of things, especially the signal in your area (not too low and not too high in some cases) and also how well the drivers are written. you'll find big changes with different versions of driver for the same card. |