Trying to select PVR software for my capture card.

[GLE3]

Hardware:

P4 3.2Mhz w/HT
1GB RAM
500 GB 7200 RPM SATA HD
Hauppauge 1600 on a riser card(Dell optiplex gx620)



Any recommendations? Most guys with PVR experience say Hauppauge's software leaves something to be desired. I've been doing some research on GB-PVR and is sounds like it does a lot for a free application. Any opinions on Windows media center? I like that you can transcode after capture with GB-PVR, is the same available with Media Center? Is Media Center good enough to pay for considering I can get GB-PVR for free? Is there any other applications I should be considering(I'm running windows XP home)?

[usually_quiet]

Try GB-PVR and see what you think. You have nothing to loose but time. A fair number of people find set up difficult and documentation lacking, but not everyone has insurmountable problems with it. Your card is supported and that is a big help.

I tried GB-PVR and got it working, but in the end decided it was not worth the effort for me to keep tweaking it to get the program guide configured correctly. I already had Windows 7 Home Premium installed and Media Center was much, much easier to work with. QAM set up is a lot of work in any program that supports it. I never got that far with GB-PVR, though I did try it with Windows 7.

Before you commit to Windows 7, make sure your computer passes compatibility testing and that you have drivers available for system hardware and peripherals.

Going from wtv (Windows 7 Media Center format) to dvr-ms (Vista Media Center format) to regular MPEG-2 doesn't take much time. From that point on its the same either way, and re-encoding to a different resolution or converting to another format will take a lot of time regardless.

Beyond TV is a fully-featured PVR ap. It has a free trial, and works with XP. It is not much cheaper than upgrading to Windows 7, but for those who can't or don't want to upgrade, it is a proven solution.

[DarrellS]

I have a Hauppauge HVR1800MCE kit and IMO, WinTV 6 is the best software for this card. The only thing that I don't like is the TV guide and the way that WinTV stores your channels. I have SageTV installed also because it has the channels in the exact same order that they would be on a TV with a QAM tuner and the way they are on the channel guide. SageTV and every other program that I have tried is a real PITA to set up and none of the other programs will scan and store analog cable, Clear QAM and Digital OTA all three. You can only scan QAM or Digital OTA but not both. Even WinTV 7 does not support all three.

If you do go with SageTV (or any other program, I assume) then you need to install WinTV 6 and the drivers and IR Blaster beforehand.

[GLE3]

Try GB-PVR and see what you think. You have nothing to loose but time. A fair number of people find set up difficult and documentation lacking, but not everyone has insurmountable problems with it. Your card is supported and that is a big help.

I tried GB-PVR and got it working, but in the end decided it was not worth the effort for me to keep tweaking it to get the program guide configured correctly. I already had Windows 7 Home Premium installed and Media Center was much, much easier to work with. QAM set up is a lot of work in any program that supports it. I never got that far with GB-PVR, though I did try it with Windows 7.

I’m thinking I might give GB-PVR a shot. Could you be a bit more specific on having to tweak the guide? Is this something I will have to constantly tinker with? I’ve never set up an EPG before and am not sure how much any application will make it “easy” for me. Is it possible to have one without a monthly subscription? If Windows Media Center makes this maintenance free that might be enough for me to spring the cash for some OS/MCE package (Vista Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium).

[usually_quiet]

I’m thinking I might give GB-PVR a shot. Could you be a bit more specific on having to tweak the guide? Is this something I will have to constantly tinker with? I’ve never set up an EPG before and am not sure how much any application will make it “easy” for me. Is it possible to have one without a monthly subscription? If Windows Media Center makes this maintenance free that might be enough for me to spring the cash for some OS/MCE package (Vista Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium).

Media Center was easier because after scanning for channels and disabling any for which I didn't get a useable signal, the Program Guide only provides listings for the channels I kept. The guide data it uses is provided free of charge.

I used Microsoft's MCE EPG free guide service (via Mc2XML) for GB-PVR too, but I had listings for ATSC channels I don't receive in addition to the ones I do receive, and I had difficulty permanently removing them from the guide. There may be a way to do it, I just didn't figure out how.

I never got around to trying Sage TV, but it sounds good, is an established product, and there is a free trial. It might be worthwhile if GB-PVR doesn't work out.

If you decide to upgrade your OS and can use Windows 7, get that. In the event that QAM support is needed, it is built in.

TV Pack 2008 is needed to have QAM support for Vista, though it reported to be a bit buggy, and TV Pack 2008 should be installed immediately after a fresh Vista install. OEM PC makers can get TV Pack 2008 from Microsoft, but at present members of the public don't have an officially approved way to add QAM support to consumer versions of Vista that include Media Center. Microsoft has decided not to make it available for download by everyone.

[Edit] I forgot you have a Hauppauge HVR 1600. Hauppauge has a QAM plug-in for Vista Media Center, but I don't know whether it works well or not.

[GLE3]

I’m thinking I might give GB-PVR a shot. Could you be a bit more specific on having to tweak the guide? Is this something I will have to constantly tinker with? I’ve never set up an EPG before and am not sure how much any application will make it “easy” for me. Is it possible to have one without a monthly subscription? If Windows Media Center makes this maintenance free that might be enough for me to spring the cash for some OS/MCE package (Vista Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium).

Media Center was easier because after scanning for channels and disabling any for which I didn't get a useable signal, the Program Guide only provides listings for the channels I kept. The guide data it uses is provided free of charge.

I used Microsoft's MCE EPG free guide service (via Mc2XML) for GB-PVR too, but I had listings for ATSC channels I don't receive in addition to the ones I do receive, and I had difficulty permanently removing them from the guide. There may be a way to do it, I just didn't figure out how.

I never got around to trying Sage TV, but it sounds good, is an established product, and there is a free trial. It might be worthwhile if GB-PVR doesn't work out.

If you decide to upgrade your OS and can use Windows 7, get that. In the event that QAM support is needed, it is built in.

TV Pack 2008 is needed to have QAM support for Vista, though it reported to be a bit buggy, and TV Pack 2008 should be installed immediately after a fresh Vista install. OEM PC makers can get TV Pack 2008 from Microsoft, but at present members of the public don't have an officially approved way to add QAM support to consumer versions of Vista that include Media Center. Microsoft has decided not to make it available for download by everyone.

[Edit] I forgot you have a Hauppauge HVR 1600. Hauppauge has a QAM plug-in for Vista Media Center, but I don't know whether it works well or not.

Thanks for all your detail and information. I’ve been doing some research on my own and It looks like I can do one of the following things (shrunk choices down to MCE or GB-PVR). Just looking for confirmation. All options require installation of Hauppauge drivers available at:
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/support/support_hvr1600.html

1. Stay with Windows XP and use GB-PVR or the Hauppauge application. I can use the Hauppauge remote with either application. No Windows XP MCE application can get me ClearQAM.

2. Get a full OEM version of Vista Home Premium. Install either the Hauppauge provided beta plug in or TV Pack 2008 in order to get ClearQAM that I desire. Both ways seem to have their problems to work through. Would need to get a MCE specific remote.

3. Get a full OEM version of Windows 7 Home premium. No plug in or TV pack is required for QAM (Not sure about this). Would need to get a MCE specific remote. Not as many kinks as Vista would throw me..

Is that accurate? I also heard MCE requires a FM tuner. The 1600 is offered with or without an FM tuner.

[bigass]

I'll give a second vote to BeyondTV.

I've been using it for more than five years, and loved every minute of it, until I added the Hauppauge HD-PVR.

It works fabulously with Clear QAM.

[usually_quiet]

Thanks for all your detail and information. I’ve been doing some research on my own and It looks like I can do one of the following things (shrunk choices down to MCE or GB-PVR). Just looking for confirmation. All options require installation of Hauppauge drivers available at:
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/support/support_hvr1600.html

1. Stay with Windows XP and use GB-PVR or the Hauppauge application. I can use the Hauppauge remote with either application. No Windows XP MCE application can get me ClearQAM.

2. Get a full OEM version of Vista Home Premium. Install either the Hauppauge provided beta plug in or TV Pack 2008 in order to get ClearQAM that I desire. Both ways seem to have their problems to work through. Would need to get a MCE specific remote.

3. Get a full OEM version of Windows 7 Home premium. No plug in or TV pack is required for QAM (Not sure about this). Would need to get a MCE specific remote. Not as many kinks as Vista would throw me..

Is that accurate? I also heard MCE requires a FM tuner. The 1600 is offered with or without an FM tuner.

1. That is correct except I am not sure about the Hauppauge remote working with GB-PVR.

2. Mostly correct. If you use Vista's Media center and want to have a remote for the sake of convenience, you should get a MCE certified remote. Other remotes sometimes work, but they may not be able to access all the same functions as the MCE remotes. Other than that, you really don't need a remote at all unless you want to use Media Center to record the output from an SD cable box. Then you will need not only an an MCE remote, but one that comes with an IR receiver that can control an IR blaster.

3. Correct, but same situation applies for remotes as for Vista. No TV Packs or plugins are needed for QAM with Windows 7's Media Center. I have tried it for QAM, and I am certain of this.

No version of MCE requires an FM tuner as far as I know. Windows XP's Media Center requires an analog tuner. Vista and Windows 7's Media Centers don't.

QAM is inconvenient to set up regardless of what you use. There is information on how to set up QAM in Windows 7's Media center at www.hdtvtunerinfo.com but it is missing a little needed advice. After completing the QAM channel scan, it is necessary to scan for additional channels, and possibly add some manually.

Also, your cable company may change the frequency for some clear QAM channels from time to time, requiring you to find the channels they moved, and re-map the program guide. Only locals and a few basic cable channels are likely to be available in clear QAM, but this varies and can change at any time.