Hauppuage PVR 250 problem

[jwfc]

I was wondering if anyone had some advice on my current problem. I used to use my WinTV scheduler from the Hauppuage PVR, put my computer in standby mode while I went to work, and my computer would turn on to record my shows. Yesterday, for some reason, it didn't turn on. So I tried testing it by setting a 5 min show, put my computer in standby, and watched it 10 min later turn itself on and tape my show. Well I had some shows while I was gone today at work, and the stupid thing did it again. I mean I guess I could leave my computer on the whole friggin day, but it just seems like a waste to me. Does anyone have similar problems or any advice for this? Thanks.

[jwfc]

Also, is there a better card I should buy at this point? I mean I like the Hauppuage card because its external, has an easy to use interface, and for mainly recording TV shows, capturing some VHS tapes as well as video from my DV player, it used to work fine. I guess the question is should I buy a different capture card, or just get a DVR through my cable company. (I have Cox Communications and if anyone has any input, negative or positive, as to whether this is a good solution, that would be sweet!) And can you transfer these records to your computer or is their copy protection? Thanks.

[mats.hogberg]

It's not a hardware problem - it's a software problem (or OS problem). The recordings are set as std tasks in the system task scheduler (Scheduled tasks). If the task scheduler (for some reason) can't wake your box up...

/Mats

[jman98]

This happens to me from time to time with the PVR-350. I know of no fix for it. The PVR-350 is identical to the PVR-250 except that the PVR-350 also contains a TV out jack. Otherwise the hardware is identical and the software is certainly identical.

There might be a Hauppauge forum where you can ask about this, but Mats is right that what is happening is that the task scheduler is for some reason unable to wake up and do the job. Windows is really a piece of crap and it wouldn't surprise me at all if this is really a Windows issue that has nothing to do with Hauppauge. By the way, I do leave my computer on all day and this problem STILL sometimes happens to me, but most of the time it doesn't happen. I can tell you that are not doing yourself any favors by not leaving your PC on if you want this to work. Either you want it to work, in which case you will leave your PC on to give it the best chance for success, or you don't really want it to work and you will gamble that your PC may or may not wake up to do this and accept it when it doesn't work.

I have no idea if you can move DVR recordings off something provided by Cox, but my personal opinion of Cox is extremely negative. I lived in an area more than a decade ago that only had Cox as a cable choice and I have nothing at all good to say about them.

By the way, the PVR-250 is definitely NOT external. It fits in a PCI slot. I would suggest that you NOT refer to this card in the future as external because everyone will think you are talking about some kind of USB device and you are not.

[jwfc]

Thanks for the advice. Yes I hate Cox too but they are the only provider in my area. And sorry for getting the name wrong. I do have the external version, the PVR USB2 which I thought was equivalent to the 250, but I could be mistaken. In any case, my apologies.