Hauppage PVR250/350 PCI vs PVR USB2

[Serville]

I'm considering one of these for my upgrade, but I feel a little doubtful whether it is better to buy USB2 or PCI version. I know they have the same image quality, but I still need some assurance.

Can someone mention the PRO and CONS of each model ?

I think I like USB2 better because :
- its protability
- it is external, meaning less interference than PCI version.
- less hardware conflict ? due to USB2 interface ? easier to install ?
- PCI takes another slot which is expensive to spare in today's modern PCIe board which only provides 3 PCI slots max. (Currently using old Barton 3200 with Abit NF7, but thinking of upgrading to PCIe next year).

Some people also say that WinTV USB2 is less compatible with 3rd party software due to proprietary design ? Is this true ? Does this mean I will be limited to using only softwares from Hauppage ?
What do you think ?

[edDV]

Here is my take.

Since the PVR is an encoding card and outputs encoded MPeg2 only, speed of the bus is not the issue it would be if this was capturing uncompressed. MPeg2 bitrates of 2-15Mbs can be easily handled by USB2.

Second, the PVR-250 is hard to find except in MCE version

Third, new motherboards will not have PCI slots only PCI express.

Four, portablitiy between machines is a huge advantage even during the day.

[SHS]

Check ebay when come to PVR-250

[Serville]

I couldn't find any regular PVR-250/350/USB2 in my country. All I find is MCE version, which makes me very confused about the difference with the non-MCE version. There are only a very few comments about the MCE version in this forum, and they are not really informative.

I know people say MCE needs WindowsXP MCE, while non-MCE will run anything from Win98-XP MCE. Another thing is about the remote controller which I don't care less.
But when I look at the requirements of 250MCE or 350 MCE in Hauppage site, it seems the MCE version also supports ME, 2000 & WinXP Pro. However, Hauppage does not clarify the difference between running the card in each O/S.

Some of uncertain issues :
- Are MCE & non-MCE card based on the same design & chipset ?
- Will 250MCE function fully/normally like the non-MCE 250 in XP Pro ?
- Can it work with the non-MCE driver ?
- Does Hauppage provide both MCE & XP Pro driver in the MCE package ?
- Are there (hidden) limitations when the MCE version is used in XP Pro ?

Frankly, all these uncertainties make me start looking at Winfast PVR2000, which is even much cheaper , plus FM radio (which I like).

[edDV]

Hopefully SHS is able to see this and answer your questions in detail but you can go to his site and ask questions in a forum there.

My understanding is the MCE version ships without software and drivers that are needed to operate with Win98/ME or XP Home/Pro. You would need third party software to make the card tune a TV station or capture/encode a MPeg2 file. You didn't say which country you are in so I can't say which third party software may work with your TV stations. Examples of software that will support the bare card here in North America are SageTV, Snapstream, BeyondTV, GBPR and TitanTV.

The Leadtek Winfast PVR2000 may or may not be an adequate packaged solution in your country but it does not enjoy the widespread third party software support of the Hauppauge line. You would have more limited software options.

SHS and others will have more detail.

[Serville]

Thank you. I'm going there to read more and ask question.

The more I read, the more confusing it is.
Now, I find new puzzles......PVR250-Roslyn, Freestle, etc, (which mostly found in the MCE version) . And they apparently do not always work with all Hauppage driver and applications. And they also come in different connectors too.

Why does Hauppage make things so complicated for users with inconsistent design & puzzling model numbers.

Well, I will read & ask more in SHS forum to get this puzzles solved. Thanks.

[edDV]

Thank you. I'm going there to read more and ask question.

The more I read, the more confusing it is.
Now, I find new puzzles......PVR250-Roslyn, Freestle, etc, (which mostly found in the MCE version) . And they apparently do not always work with all Hauppage driver and applications. And they also come in different connectors too.

Why does Hauppage make things so complicated for users with inconsistent design & puzzling model numbers.

Well, I will read & ask more in SHS forum to get this puzzles solved. Thanks.

There is a long history with this series. Hauppauge seems to have a great basic card (based on Connectix hardware) but must have hired ATI marketing people to confuse customers and make user solutions difficult. Or maybe it was Microsoft marketing people who intended to destroy any user solution that wasn't MCE.

At one time they had the PVR-250 which matched most people's needs and gained both user and third party software support. It was a huge potential winner.

Then they decided to cost reduce the line replacing the PVR-250 with the 150 model. The PVR-150 had problems causing power users to shun it and go back to the tried and true 250 model. Hauppauge responded by denying problems with the 150 and making it near impossible to get the 250 model unless it was tied specifically to MCE or "hidden" in their PVR USB2 product which didn't carry the widely respected 250 brand name.

Users were confused. They didn't know if third party software would support the 150 or PVR USB2 models and the only source for the "real" PVR-250 seemed to be the used Ebay market. So, momentum was lost. Hauppauge became a company you couldn't trust and interest in the line declined while power users started looking for alternative solutions from other companies.

That is my view anyway.

[Barnabas]

I owned a Hauppauge USB unit, but got rid of it due to hiccups all the time on the captures. I still own, but no longer use a Haupauge PVR-250. While it never suffered from the hiccup problem, there was a problem with certain frames being repeated, causing a short stutter.

While the captures from the 250 from a satellite source always looked good, captures from laserdisc were ALWAYS hot on the whites, no matter how the color values were set.

Hauppauge tech support was never much help on anything. The video was always too soft. Tech support claimed there was NO adjustment for sharpness, but I discovered that by using graphedit, is WAS possible to raise the sharpness from the default 2 up to 7. Even the highest level of tech support told me that was not possible.


I finally gave up an bought a Canopus ADVC-55, which I use for nearly all my captures now. It is actually possible to capture and encode in real-time to mpeg with the right software with it. For me, it's the best of both worlds, DV capturing/transfer or real-time mpeg encoding if your machine it up to it.

[edDV]

I owned a Hauppauge USB unit,

Was that the PVR USB2 or the early USB model? The PVR USB2 should perform similar to the PVR-250. The older USB model was not a serious contender.

[Barnabas]

It was the USB2 model , however my system at the time did not have USB2, only USB1.

[SHS]

- Are MCE & non-MCE card based on the same design & chipset ?

Yes there the same

- Will 250MCE function fully/normally like the non-MCE 250 in XP Pro ?

Yes I have one runing under SageTV and OS is Windows 2000 Pro

- Can it work with the non-MCE driver ?

The drivers are the same it really make no diff

- Does Hauppage provide both MCE & XP Pro driver in the MCE package ?

The driver are the same for both model it make no diff

- Are there (hidden) limitations when the MCE version is used in XP Pro ?

None that I know of

PVR-250 and PVR-250 MCE will also work on Win98SE and up the card it self are the some just the MCE model dosen't have IR input but the MCE model has some thing the reg model dosen't like FM Radio input.
There alway PVR USB2 but take note there are two model 29xxx and 24xxx the 29xxx more like the 250 where 24xxx is more like the PVR 150 hardware.

[edDV]

So, help me understand

http://www.hauppauge.com/
only talks about the PVR-250 in past tense.

http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_pvr250.html
"WinTV-PVR-250 has these great features:"
...
WinTV CD-ROM includes:
WinTV2000 application for TV in a window, Program Pause, TV record and playback
WinTV-Scheduler for scheduling your TV recording
WinTV MPEG editor for high quality cutting and pasting of your video movies
Ulead® DVD MovieFactory™, to author your own videos on DVD or CD*
Installation and reference manual

http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_pvr250mce.html
"WinTV-PVR-250 MCE brings live TV, FM radio and TV recording to Windows XP Media Center Edition"
The included features speak to hardware only.

Is there a CD that allows the tuner to operate and record under XP home?
Is there a packaged scheduler and/or a lite version of ULead MovieFactory?
Is there a manual that covers installing these applications in other than MCE?

[SHS]

Is there a CD that allows the tuner to operate and record under XP home?

Yes you just need the Lite CD off shspvr.com go to forum and get lates ver.

Is there a packaged scheduler and/or a lite version of ULead MovieFactory?

The first part is above (scheduler) and as for MovieFactory well the MCE model dosen't come with one but you can buy it and down load the plug-in get ver 4 not ver 5 there no plug-in at this time if want to use it with in MovieFactory other that you can just import the video clips.

Is there a manual that covers installing these applications in other than MCE?

The manual are on hauppauge web site