Hauppauge WinTV-USB

[Bursar 0]

I'm thinking about buying one of the above items (that also includes the FM Tuner), and I have read the notes about driver issues under Win2k in the Hardware Compatibility section of this site.

 

I was just wondering if anyone has any other comments about the product, and if they consider it to be worthwhile. Basically I'm a lazy git, and can't be arsed to go downstaris and watch TV all the time.

 

Has anyone tried recording programs to hard disk? If so, does it work, and what are rough disk space requirements?

 

If it makes any difference, I'm in the UK, so would be buying that model.

 

TIA

 

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PIII 500

Intel 440BX-2 Motherboard

2x128MB PC 100 RAM

Maxtor 92049U6 20.4GB 7200RPM UDMA66

Maxtor 52049U4 20.4GB 7200RPM UDMA66

Matrox Millenium G400 MAX

Sony DDU220E IDE DVD-ROM

Yamaha CRW4416S SCSI CD-RW

Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer USB

Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Pro

US Robotics Sportster Flash v90 External modem

Iiyama Vision Master Pro 17

3Com EtherLink XL PCI (3c900B Combo)

Adaptec 2940 Ultra Wide SCSI controller

Sound Blaster Live! Value

Windows 2000 Professional

 

And no overclocking in sight!

[Bursar 0]

No comments on this? Surely someone must have one. What the person that posted the message about the driver problems?

[euankirkhope 0]

I'm not sure about the USB tuners as USB has a low bandwidth, and i've heard the image quality suffers due to this. I have a PCI wintv (model 406) and am too in the UK. This card is crap (but bearable). So is the software. There is a number of things that really annoy me.

 

The first is hardware overlay refuses to work ever version of windows with my current hardware, yet it works in linux and with DVD software in windows 9x, NT4 and w2k so I know its not the video card.

 

No2. When you start up the tuner it "bump starts" about 4-5 times, rather like changing the channel on your TV with the volume full up. You know that thud noise.

 

No3. To get Nicam stereo working each channel has to be fine tuned 4% to either side of the zero point.

 

No4. All Tv tuners suffer from an effect due to the way normal Tv's differ from PC monitors. Normal Tv's draw odd then even lines in 2 passes. On a PC both are drawn at the same time, and also the PC monitor is far faster that a TV. The end result is when credits scroll, or there is fast movement on the screen it breaks up into parallel horizontal lines. This is not seen on normal tv's. I was going to show u a screen shot but the snapshot program is smart enough to cover this up by only taking 1 field (odd or even) then interpolating the missing lines (blurring). Its a pity they don't do this for the actual picture. Other cards do, like this one apparently: http://www.sasem.com/english/index.html which even has patches for both my TNT and my via motherboard chipset. It also appears to have won some prizes.

 

no 5 in win98 if I move the tv box the PC crashes, and if I don't it does it after about 10 mins anyway.

 

Best advice is have an intel chipset, a decent video card, fastish processor, and stable PC then give the USB TV a go, or get a PCI one. They are not a replacement for a real TV, but will do the job.

 

I really only use mine for a stereo feed to a dolby pro-logic amp.

 

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System Spec:

FIC VA-503+ 1.1b bios JE438

CPU Current Limiter Disabled

AMD K6-2 550 (300 when I talk to FIC tech support)

128Mb SSi PC100

STB Velocity 4400 16Mb PAL TV-Out

Hauppauge Wintv

Realtek 8029 LAN

Creative ES1371 (PCI64v)

56.6K (AkA 44k) ISA Modem

Creative 48mx CDROM

Memorex TriMaxx200(DVD/CDR/CDRW, 6,4,24)

Maxtor 91301U3 13Gb

LS120

and com and lpt i/o conflict error during bios startup.

Hardware fault caused by win2k beta3 and dodgy bios, now irrepairable.

[bkehoe 0]

I have a Win/TV-pci in my main desktop system and also have a WinTV USB FM Radio.

 

Both are excellent with crystal clear picture. The quality is the exact same with the USB, bit I notice if the laptop is working hard at something, the sound will come about 200ms before the picture.

 

The other person who replied mentioned the overlay 'problem'. I bet you he is using the 3.53+ detonator drivers. NVidia changed something in 3.53+ which prevented the WinTV from doing overlay in Win9x, and in Win2k limiting it to 800x600.

 

This isn't Hauppauge, it is nvidia, as it works fine in my TNT2 Ultra with 2.08 in Win 98/Me, Voodoo5 and Voodoo3, as well as ATI Rage Pro.

 

I never watch the real TV now. I can now browse the net during ad breaks, record onto hard drive, e.t.c.

 

Chipsets I've used it with: MVP3, LX, BX, AMD 750 and KX133. 0 problems.

 

Brendan

[bkehoe 0]

Also, the USB version works perfectly in Win2k for me on the laptop.

 

Brendan

[SHS 0]

"euankirkhope" have you try the Conexant Generic WDM Brooktree TV Drivers yes there is overlay problem in the hauppauge legacy drivers, I wish hauppauge had done ture WDM drivers in stude.

 

"bkehoe" crystal clear picture what that I know it not that good it would be if hauppauge had done ture WDM drivers, But that will depend on how you hook it up for starter I would hook it up to S/Video then you get much better picture.

The problem is hauppauge legacy drivers is limiting to 640x480 full screen not Windows2000 that why we need WDM drivers so it use directshow & overlay it will give you full screen mode no matter what resolution your in & still look good to like DVD is win useing Soft base apps.

I belive USB model is use WDM drivers but that depend on how you hook it up S/Video is alway's the way to go.

[euankirkhope 0]

thanks for the replies people.

 

I know about the broken drivers thing. The point I was making is that hauppauge and Nvidia blame each other and neither has done anything about it. Thus I referenced the sasem drivers that are "good" (scanline interpolation) and have patches for the overlay problem and other busmaster chipset problems. In win98 my PC is severly unstable with the TV app running.

 

I have yet to find the WDM drivers. Still at it!

 

My own feelings about hauppauge is a 5/10 for support.

 

Thanks for the help. Hope I've not put of Bursar from buying his USB tuner!

[haute 0]

i have wintv usb and here are the problems i have

If i run another application i get the blue screen

If i install DX8 it refuses to run

[SHS 0]

If want try them out there is

AVerMedia http://209.15.67.209/english.htm you can't miss this onew rigth on the front page & Teppro TEPTV http://www.teppro.com.tw/

[euankirkhope 0]

Damm no luck But thanks lots

 

Tried them both, the first installed the drivers, but the tvapp refused to run, some obsure filtercap() function errror. Tried the hauppauge TV app, but it refused to run with out the hauppauge drivers.

 

driver no2 was more sucessful, but was very slow in initiating button clicks and changing settings, and also never displayed any picture what so ever. It did however make the pop sounds that the hauppauge drivers make

 

Basically neither worked although its probably due to the customisation of the drivers for each specific card.

 

I think I need the drivers without any apps supplied, that way there will be no preset customisations. The second set of drivers had configuration settings for both the TNT and VIA chipsets, also overlay works, although there was no picture.

 

Also Hauppauge were kind enough to add in a MSP34xx (04) sound processor for NICAM stereo, which messes up the sound demod, the BT878A had sound built in.

 

Basically I have a BT878, a philips tuner and a MSP3404 sound chip. Any ideas? Are there any normal tv (non manufacturer type) apps that will work with the generic drivers? Likewise there's no sound in beos, but it works in linux.

[SHS 0]

Yup that same problem I have very slow in initiating but work some what I do get a picture but in black & white hehe you pick rigth video source in my case I useing S/Video with that RCA adapter I have WinTV FM model 401.

do you have the line-in enable if don't no sound come out or it mute so you need turn it on to in the Vol Controls.

Work fine in both Linux & BeOS.

Sound like you got a misconfig some where.

What sound card are you useing I have SBLive Value.

 

How I have mine setup I'am useing line-out from WinTV card into the line-in on the Sound card & useing audio-in on the TV card with 1/8 mini stereo jack to L&R RCA jack & Video is RCA to it come with S/Video to RCA adapter conn to my VCR & the VCR con to DirecTV "by RCA jack" hehe it work very good.

[euankirkhope 0]

My setups a bit boring: receive radio waves, fed into 75ohm antenna socket, and thats it. Tuning in Pal-I mode.

 

On the audio front, I don't use the line out, instead I soldered on 4 pins (i didn;t have the heart to butcher an old soundcard for one of those (MPC-3?) connectors that CD-Roms use) direct on to line out. The card actually has the copper tracks for a cd pass through, but I didn't bother adding it on, I just took the output only. The biggest source of noise seems to always be the CDROM audio out.

 

This way I don't have to exit the PC, and I can connect directly to the internal AUX connector next to the cdrom connector on my soundblaster PCI64v (es1371). Now I know you'll say something like try the line-out connector, but both my custom connector and the line out are on the same bits of wire, so it makes no difference. I have also checked it many times when I get no audio, just out of paranoia. After going through the soundcard its fed out (when thers is actually a signal) to a cheap Philips dolby pro-logic amp (with a separate cheap Pioneer amp for the rear speakers). Good for star-trek.

 

With beos I've tried every outout and input for the soundcard, and tuner. It seams to be something to do with the MUX number, and decode format being "odd".

 

I'll try the drivers again, as I've just backed up to a clean re-install, due to huge number of BSOD's, fastfat, kmode, etc, and memory not read or written errors. Found out that the case fan had become disconnected. Duh. And seti@home didn't help either.

[CyRUS64 0]

after i installed detonator 2 drivers, wintv would constantly crash - and when it didnt (and in earlier driver versions) there a was a thud noise whenever i changed channel.

 

all of these problems have been fixed by merely reinstalling the win2k application and drivers!

CyRUS64

www.boob.co.uk

[euankirkhope 0]

nice website! and domain name... i'm stuck with euan.iscool.net but its cack anyhow. Does overlay work on you wintv, and what setup/model if yes.