I think the best choice is to get a VIVO card that supports HD input (ATi All-In-Wonder cards are great for this). Get an HD signal and connect it to your video card and use their software to capture the video.
VIVO is different from a normal TV Tuner. You connect it to your digital cable terminal to get the signal, its meant for camcorders, game consoles, digital tuners and other devices that have a higher resolution.
So look at the All-in-wonder X1800 or X1900 cards, they are expensive but amazing.
I have an old crappy TV Tuner, the quality isnt that great, but it can also record anything that I see on basic cable
VIVO is different from a normal TV Tuner. You connect it to your digital cable terminal to get the signal, its meant for camcorders, game consoles, digital tuners and other devices that have a higher resolution.
So look at the All-in-wonder X1800 or X1900 cards, they are expensive but amazing.
I have an old crappy TV Tuner, the quality isnt that great, but it can also record anything that I see on basic cable
I am a little confused about your question. If you are trying to record a DVD from games you watch on TV, the easiest thing to do is to buy a DVD recorded for under $200 and hook it up to your TV. If you want to capture it onto your PC and then make a DVD of it, then you need some type of TV Tuner card and a DVD writer. If you have Windows media center edition, then it is easy, you can use it as a recorder, and record the games on your hard disk and it even has a menu option that allows you to create a DVD. If you don't have media center, then you will probably end up using whatever software comes with the TV Tuner to capture the game and some type of DVD encoding software like Sonic etc. If you want a TV tuner card the ATI all-in-one cards are among the best. I hope this helps.
p.s. TV Tuner cards will run you around $100 anyway, so I would just spend another 75-100 and get a DVD recorder and hook it up to the TV. It is really easy, and it has other advantages. I have a panasonic with a built-in tuner, so you can use it just like a VCR, recording TV shows, etc. and you can convert your old tapes if you have any and it is all easy.
p.s. TV Tuner cards will run you around $100 anyway, so I would just spend another 75-100 and get a DVD recorder and hook it up to the TV. It is really easy, and it has other advantages. I have a panasonic with a built-in tuner, so you can use it just like a VCR, recording TV shows, etc. and you can convert your old tapes if you have any and it is all easy.
khorus is right. furthermore capturing HD feeds from espn hd channels aren't easy. and HD>DVD so there is no point in saving them in DVD format. You will lose quality. Your best bet is buy a hard drive and a USB or firewire cable depending on your cable box or satellite receiver and use whatever hack works for you to transfer it to the hard drive. That will be the very best quality for the cheapest price.