mpeg-1 card or WinTV-PVR for TV Pause and Rewind capture

[raindogg1]

I have an older computer sitting at home (333mhz AMD). I want to be able to capture tv shows with it. After reading through a lot of posts and suggestions it looks like my best bet is an mpeg-1 card with tuner - that way all the compression is done via hardware and won't bog down my old machine. But my question is, do all the mpeg-1 cards come with their own capture software that is the only thing that communicates with their card? And does that software only allow you to capture? Is it possible to get a card and use third party software that is somewhat like ShowShifter or the TV-On-Demand stuff that ATI does?
Does anyone know of an mpeg-1/Tuner card that can be paused?
If I knew it would work I would try out WinTV-PVR but it looks like it isn't my best bet for this sort of thing. That is, Unless others have gotten it to work with minimal system requirments. Anyone?
Thanks,
RD

[SHS]

Here the thing raindogg1 you can use the WinTV-PVR on low end system all way down to 166MHz for encode MPEG2 but you need some kind MPEG2 hardware decode like a H+ to play back the files Up to 2GB max read size, Here the thing with Soft MPEG2 decode need at less 300MHz well I think you shouldn't have any problem with that being you have 333MHz, as for MPEG1 that shouldn't be a problem being MPEG1 can run on very low end CPU we talk all way down to 486DX66 minimum system requirments.
As for 3party software like ShowShifter you can use it but your system really is not fast enough for it.
Be side the WinTV-PVR the other that can do Time-Shift Recording are ATI All-in-Wonder, DViCO FusionMPEG, Canopus MTV2000 Japanese Only, ProVideo PV256C/T.
See my web site at http://www.shspvr.com if like lean more about the WinTV-PVR.

[raindogg1]

My basic question is regarding the output of an mpeg-1 card. I understand that third party software will compress video on the fly and require more cpu power, but if the software is recieving an mpeg1 precompressed signal then it shouldn't take up as much cpu power eh? With and mpeg1 card can you select mpeg1 as a codec, like yuy2 or RGB in capture software (since the card has already compressed to this in hardware? If you can then any capture software can be used with the card including timeshifting software. If it is only something that the card manufacturers allow their software to communicate with, then I'm stuck with their capture software. Then my question becomes, who has good tv timeshifting software with their mpeg1 card?

[SHS]

Yes the WinTV-PVR can encode MPEG1 and MPEG2 in RealTime hardware there is no CPU usage what so ever even MAX it out with the template MPEG2 12MBit/sec VBR.