Hauppage PVR - A Reasonable Alternative?

mkrosky asks: "I purchased a new PC recently, and also got a Hauppage PVR USB (http://www.hauppage.com/). This seems much more desirable than Tivo or Replay TV, because I control the hardware (no subscription fees). If Hauppage went broke or chose to stop supporting it, I can still use it in its present form (not true with Tivo). However, the software and drivers that ship with the hardware are beta-quality. I was wondering if anyone reading this owns the hardware. Are there any alternative drivers?"

"I have the following problems with Hauppage's software:

- When I set the "pause buffer" to 5GB, it doesn't work properly after 1 hour (1GB per hour, set at coarsest resolution). It works fine at 1GB, the default setting.

- There is a +10 second button, but it is not configurable. I would also like a +30 second button and +2 minute button.

- Sometimes, when using the +10 second button, it freezes for awhile.

Does anyone else out there have this hardware, and have reproduced these problems? I'm using Windows XP and have the PVR USB version of the hardware. I tried contacting Hauppage technical support, and they said that they may someday attempt to reproduce and fix the bug, if they feel like it. Yes, I downloaded the latest driver and software from their website.

Except for those problems, I'm really satisfied with the hardware. I recommend it to anyone considering a Tivo. I just wish Hauppage tech support would fix the obvious reproducible bugs. They are obviously software flaws, and not hardware flaws, so I'm looking for alternate drivers."

Comments

More anti-FUD

[jspayne]

TiVo Inc. has made it clear that they would release some unknown (not yet public) backdoors that would allow you to set the time on TiVo and continue to use it as a digital VCR. In spite of that, TiVo made changes in the 2.5 software which made it easier to use the box without service. Beyond the call of duty, if you ask me. Check out the post by TiVoPony in this thread that confirms this policy is still intact. I wish people would do some research instead of guessing. Jeff

Re:More anti-FUD

[TTop]

Hey, you added a little FUD of your own here -- you said

The "lifetime" subscription isn't an option, since it's only for the lifetime of the box--deceptive advertising, IMHO.

Tivo is very up front about what "Lifetime Subscription" means. Go to their website, look at their FAQ under "Lifetime Subscription," check out the first sentence:

What is product lifetime service? A product lifetime subscription to the TiVo service covers the life of the recorder or receiver you buy - not the life of the subscriber. The Product lifetime subscription accompanies the product in case of ownership transfer. The subscription remains in effect even if you upgrade your recorder, for example, to increase storage capacity (please contact an authorized dealer or the manufacturer) or if the recorder needs to be repaired or replaced due to a malfunction (see manufacturer warranty details). Because a Product lifetime subscription is linked to a particular recorder, it cannot be transferred to any other recorder (unless the recorder is replaced due to a malfunction covered by the manufacturer's warranty). Each recorder purchased requires its own service subscription and activation. Of course, hardware products don't last forever and their lifespan will vary. TiVo makes no representations or warranties as to the expected lifetime of the product aside from the manufacturer's warranty.

Another Comparison

[ConeFish]

If you are happy with the hardware, keep bugging Hauppauge support for better software/drivers. But, I just wanted to throw a little techical detail into the mix for other people that might be deciding between the 2. The Tivo records at full D1 resolution (720x480, actually, which is cropped from "true" D1 of 720x486, but close enough). The Hauppauge product records at half that resolution. It is necessary because of the limited bandwidth of USB (Maybe they will do a USB2 product in the future). So, if you just want basic PVR features, and not stunning resolution, the USB PVR might be a good product for you. But, if you want to record things and watch things later at the best quality, you should save for a Tivo.

pvr's

[isorox]

I looked at this card a few months back when I was looking for a video capture solution. I deided to go for a little external box that converted analog video (pal or ntsc) and audio to firewire, and back again. It was a little more expensive, but I figured the flexibility of a standard interface (looks like a firewire dv cam, without software controls (duh)), outweighed the extra £40 it cost. It'll also work with a mac should I get one in the future, is easily movable from one computer to another, hot pluggable etc.

No fancy pvr software, but it shouldnt be hard to write a program that compresses dv to mpeg 2/divx, and writes to the hdd. Interface with an oline tv directory and you have no problems with your computer, architecture, os, company, service provider etc going bust, as long as you still have a firewire port somewhere.

It works great too.

Re:Where did you get the idea...?

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

That makes no sense at all. I'll buy it if I want it (I do) and if the pricing is reasonable (it's not). Not tying up a phone with long-distance calls (if they cut off any toll-free numbers they have in my area) is also a huge factor.

The price I paid for my Tivo, new with warranty:
$170
I don't tie up the phone with long distance calls, or even toll free calls (I don't subscribe).

When TiVo has a lower subscription fee and/or they give the box away for free, and when it uses broadband access to download program listing and/or can get the listings from my digital cable box or satellite reciever

The subscription price can't get any lower than the $0 I'm paying per month. Giving away the box for free, is well... ridiculous. You can download anything you want over your broadband link, including tv listings from tvguide.com. The DirecTivo actually does use the satellite signal.

When TiVo provides good hardware and good service for the price, then I'll buy into it.

The hardware is outstanding. And in circumstances like these, dedicated embedded hardware will always kick the ass of generic trying-to-do-everything PC hardware.

Re:Like the idea of a USB PVR?

[zemkai]

Know of any open source projects trying to do this?

There are several in various stages. Hit freshmeat and search for "PVR". Also check out the mjpegtools for enough of the basic kit (recording, editing, etc) to get going (lacks only a nice integration with a scheduler).

The last bit of kit I'm looking for is something to do the "pause live TV" thing. I suppose one could tweak lavrec (part of the aforementioned mjpegtools) to record to a circular buffer, and dump it as needed...

-ZK-