Hauppage Windows PVR

[Trollheart]

Looking at going down this route, as my DVD recorder just gave up the ghost, and the two I got (yes, that's right, two!) to replace it failed, one after the other.
Anyone know if this is any good, and in particular if it will pickup signals from Sky Digital? I assume I just connect the SCART from the SKYBOX into the card, and it should work? Also, the plan is to transfer the recordings onto my Iomega Screenplay Media drive, which hooks up to the telly. Does anyone know if the video quality is up to scratch for recordings made with the Hauppage? I won't end up looking at a small postage-stamp, will I?
Any information appreciated.
Thx
TH

PS this is it: http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi?view_product=1&id=22203&sid=14&cid=130&scid=311

[jman98]

Hauppauge's PCI based capture cards for analog TV are (in my opinion) among the best in the business. Their HDTV capture cards are not as widely praised.

USB based solutions scare me. Wow, this USB thingy is small and has only one connector that I can see. I don't know if you can connect SCART to it without some kind of adapter. I would hope you can return this if you don't like it.

The reason the PCI cards are good is that they have hardware chips on the card to do the encoding. Hauppauge does not explicitly say so, but it appears from the USB gizmo's size and the system requirements that it does NOT contain a chip for hardware encoding and will use your system's CPU to encode. For best results you should not do anything on your PC (no web surfing, no games - nothing) while you are recording with this gizmo. Using the system CPU is a less than optimal solution, in my opinion. This gizmo is pretty expensive for what it is. I'm a little scared that it might not give good results, so you definitely need to be able to return it if you don't like it.

[Trollheart]

Hmm.
So if I were to get the card, you would think that would be better? The guys in the shop told me the digibox can be conencted up via RCA leads, but not SCART, but they said I should get better reception using the RCA leads anyway.
Not so sure now. I guess if I was recording anything I would be unlikely to be using the PC too (I had more or less made that assumption, as in, when you're ripping you try not to do anything else with the PC), so I'm not so sure this would be an issue for me.
The bumpf does say that recordings take up 1,5 GB for 1 hour of analogue and 5 gb for 1 hour of HDTV, so I geuss my digital, non-HDTV would fall somewhere in the middle. Does seem a bit high, spacewise, but on the other hand, seems that the quality would be pretty good on a file that size!

[jman98]

The PCI based PVR-250 and 350 just work for everybody. I know that for a fact. I don't recommend their other PCI based card, the PVR-150, because it uses a different chipset from the 250/350 models and the 150 doesn't work at all for some people. The 250 and 350 work for everybody.

I would not trust anything some "guys in the shop" told me. Here in the USA, workers in electronics stores are rarely trained and often just learn to say whatever they think the customer wants to here. As far as RCA vs. SCART goes, you're on your own. Here in the USA we don't use SCART. In fact, most of Europe has mercifully moved past it. I did meet a Ukrainian guy once who explained to me what it was a few years ago, but even then SCART was considered ancient technology in Ukraine. Why you UK guys still use it is a complete mystery to me.

Since you don't have an HDTV, you will do fine with the PVR-250 or 350. The 350 contains TV out, but otherwise is identical to the 250.

[Trollheart]

Well, to be honest, Peats Electronics is a very well respected electronics/computer chain, and the guys there do know what they're talking about, they're not just out to sell anything. I've had good advice from them before, and actually, for them even to tell me that the PVR wouldn't directly work with SKY is honest, and a lot more than I'd get in the likes of PC World or Dixons, two of our computer retail outlets (I guess like wal-mart or something similar).

I always believed SCART was a better way to connect, but considering what the guys in Peats told me, I guess not. Sadly, the TV I have has no RCA outputs, so I'm stuck with SCART.

Incidentally, I'm Irish not British

So you would still counsel against the USB version?

[KBeee]

The guys in the shop seem to be being a little disingenuous.
This device seems from the picture merely to be a DTV + analogue tuner. Aerial in one end, USB2 connection to your computer at the other end. This will give you Freeview on your computer only. You'll have to find your own way to get the recorded TV from your computer to your Screenplay Media drive - network maybe. Sky Digital will be out of the question.
Scart is still a pretty good way to get analogue signals from a device to a TV. A fully connected Scart (RGB) will give about as good a picture as component (YPbPr), but only standard definition and interlaced. It also provides 2 sound channels, and automatic aspect ratio switching. Pretty neat for a single cable solution.

[Trollheart]

The recorded programmes will just be copied as files from my hdd to the Screenplay, like the other stuff I have. I;m not expecting to WATCH TV through it, just progs that are recorded. It's only a drive, after all, that hooks to the telly.