Just got WinTV PVR-250 and had a question

[rsl614]

So, after the nightmare of trying to install the ATI TV Wonder, I returned the damn thing, and bought the WinTV PVR-250. I couldn't be happier. The thing works perfectly, with one exception.
For some reason, I can't seem to get a stereo signal from my Cable. It comes in perfectly to my TV, so it's not the cable, it's the software.
Any suggestions?

Rob

[leebo]

Since you didn't give any details, how can anyone make a suggestion?

But I will ask a question or two:

How much did you pay.
Do you know if the 350 is shipping yet?

[rsl614]

Not sure what specifics you'd like...
It's installed, and set up as it should be. Computer stats are as follows:

pentium4 2.2
512 megs of RAM
GeForce4 64megs
120gig hard drive 7200rpm

None of this would affect the stereo question, however.

To answer your questions, I paid $140. Have no idea about the 350, but didn't see it.

R

[leebo]

set up as it should be

Which is how?
Are you going from the cable box to the card, or directly to the card without using the cable box?

What inputs are you using to the card?

BTW, are you displaying on your TV?
If so, how is the playback, since the 250 has no hardware decoder.

Does it skip frames on playback?
Have you tested any video (non-film) broadcasts, like the news?

Does the playback look identical to the original?
My AIW Radeon has terible quality (software only playback).
Recording the news or a talkshow makes it obvious that the resolution is poor.
I'm looking at the 250 or the 350 (with hardware playback).

[rsl614]

Straight to the card. I don't have any boxes.

Only input I'm using is the Coax at the moment. Oh, and the remotes IR.

I have only used it to watch TV on my PC, and as a PVR on the PC. No frames were skipped at all.

Yes, the playback looks identical to the original.

All in all, I'm very happy with the 250.

R

[Anonymous65]

Does the PVR card have a stereo tuner? If so, do you have to connect a jumper cable to your audio card line input? If you're not getting stereo audio from your cable, you might not ever be able to do so with the card. I haven't seen any specs for the PVR card, or what in and outputs you have.

[SHS]

rsl614 what kind cable system are you on do you have to use a Cable Box on the TV set?.
Yes skittelsen it has a stereo tuner, No out going audio cable to a sound card are needed with this card skittelsen it dose realtime mpeg2 stream.
The spec are on my web site skittelsen and they have been post here to by me.

[Anonymous65]

I didn't see much information about the PVR-250 on your page. I assume you're still working on it.

So, how does the Icompression encoder chip perform? Does it make usable VCD and SVCD captures? Or does it only perform well with high bit rate DVD resolution captures? Winbond is the only chip that does good VCD captures, and both Streammachine and C-cube does nice Mpeg-2 captures (above 2.5Mb/sec). Any video clips available for download?

[bbb]

Can you set the VBR bitrate ranges (min, avg, max) for SVCDs/VCDs? Or is it preset?

How is the SVCD/VCD quality compared to Tmpgenc/CCE?

Any desync issues?

[SHS]

skittelsen, More like waiting the card I don't know which one they plan on sent me to review it could be 250 or even 350 but any case I really looking forward to it just from the few lucky folks that do have it which like a much better card.
Have you seen the Navis Pro clips or Pixela PIX-MPTV/P1W they both use the same encode chip.
It should make more usable VCD and SVCD captures but like all thing it depend on the source or how good the broadcast signel is you use.
What kind of information are you want to know skittelsen?.
I don't have any video clips available for download at this time.

bbb
1: Should yes you can set it up the way you like.
2: I don't know in tell I get the card but I will not compared it to Tmpgenc/CCE because there off line soft encoder and HW encoder can't do more then one pass at time.
3: As for sync issues only one I know of is let say if you hook audio direct lee to a stereo receiver bypassing the WinTV-PVR 250/350 onboard audio because the WinTV-250/350 record both audio&video at the same time it buffing 2sec before it display on the monitor.

Check out AVS forum sometime a few other have the new WinTV-PVR 250 all ready.

[Satan's Cheerleader]

i wish there were reviews of the 250/350 already and some vcd samples. can it capture in divx realtime?

[SHS]

divx realtime NO

[Anonymous65]

I don't think that any consumer chip for Divx or Mpeg-4 has ever been made. Also, Divx is not really a standard, it's a cracked encoder from Microsoft similar to mpeg-4. You can wait long before mpeg-4 becomes a common format for consumer use. Mpeg-2 is going to stay for many many years, and is not going away any time soon.

I would like to see a VCD clip and a SVCD clip, all CBR. It's easy to do 4Mb/sec or higher real-time capture, you can even do that in software. But, for VCD real-time capture there is only the PV-231, and PV-256 for SVCD captures. I'm curious how the new generation encoder chip performs at those low bit rates. Also, if posting a file is hard to do because of space, what about some screen shots of VCD and SVCD captures? Capture some static images like from the Weather Channel, and some fast action shots from a movie or something. Compression artifacts are normally quite easy to spot, even on a still frame capture.

If anybody want to send me a few seconds of VCD or SVCD files, please e-mail to abc1234@frontiernet.net

Thanks.

[Satan's Cheerleader]

i see you can now order the pvr-250 directly from hauppauge's online store. how long until the pvr-350 becomes available?

[bbb]

Is the WinTV PVR 250, 350 affected by macrovision?

How about the Navis Pro which has the same chips?

[SHS]

Hmm don't know for sure about macrovision bbb my guest is no for now.
As for the Navis Pro unknow at this time.
Beside macrovision dosen't have any thing to with mpeg encode but it dose have to with video dac chip.

[thxkid]

Well I have been using a WIN PVR for over a year now, I could not find anything that said if there were any different encoder chips in the 250 or 350 compared to the original PVR, but I have got good results on SVCD all the way down to 1800 bitrate, anything else is useless, on VCD down to 1500 anything else has to much pixelation, I can capture at 5000 bitrate and it will look not close but exactly like the DVD, Dishnet or SHVS I record it from, thats also at 704x480 also. Plus with this card I don't have to hours upon hours with ripping a DVD then encoding it.
Will be a mute point anyway, got my panasonic DMR-E20 DVD Recorder picked out and ready to buy with the Sampo 631CF DVD Player and hacked firmware to bypass panasonics copy protection chip device.

[Robbins1940]

You won't get stereo sound though the coax port.

You will have to use the S-video and audio line in ports.

David

[leebo]

Hmm...
Coax should carry the sterio signal. But S-Video will give a better quality pic.

And if you're judging playback quality on a computer monitor thats no good. You have to use a TV monitor since the displays are very different.

[Satan's Cheerleader]

has anybody seen any vcd captures with the 250/350 and can tell us if it's better than the original pvr or not?

[sigourney]

SHS,

DivX is not a hack and has not been for a very long time.

[SHS]

what i never said it was but then againe 3.11 is a heck

[sigourney]

Sorry SHS, it was Skittlesen. I'll shut up!

[Panash]

Steve

You said:-"I don't think that any consumer chip for Divx or Mpeg-4 has ever been made. Also, Divx is not really a standard, it's a cracked encoder from Microsoft similar to mpeg-4. You can wait long before mpeg-4 becomes a common format for consumer use. Mpeg-2 is going to stay for many many years, and is not going away any time soon. "

But there are interesting things afoot, mostly driven by the mobile internet. Reading the UK's Electronics Weekly last week I found an article entitled "NEC launches DSP core for MPEG4"

It says "NEC has announced a 50uW/Mips DSP core for MPEG4 processing in mobile devices. The SPXK5 core is..."

Also the Panasonic SVAV10 and Archos MPEG4 camera at

http://www.archos.com/us/products/product_jbmm_cm.html

I suspect both of these Camcorders are overpriced for their performance but it shows a trend.

But I agree that MPEG2 is here to stay for a long long time. I think marketing policy dictates product availability rather than technical issues. In an ironic twist, I notice that Sony have at last made available a MiniDisc recorder for direct connetction to a PC. Bloody hypocrites.

PN

[SHS]

Just a hint but sometime late next yrs you should see consumer ver chip MPEG-4 and maybe even DivX to.