Hauppauge PVR-500 in Windows 2000

[TheraEdge]

So I was unaware that the PVR-500 was not for windows 2000. I understand they designed it for XP MCE specifically but that it will work in XP with Sage using it. The question I have is has anyone gotten it running in 2000? I'm seriously considering updating to XP for the server sometime soon, but I just spent some money on a bunch of other stuff...and to spend the $150 for XP plus for a Hard Drive or something so I can get the OEM version I really didn't feel like it, but I suppose if I have to I will. Thanks.

[Gaurav]

Originally Posted by TheraEdge

So I was unaware that the PVR-500 was not for windows 2000. I understand they designed it for XP MCE specifically but that it will work in XP with Sage using it. The question I have is has anyone gotten it running in 2000? I'm seriously considering updating to XP for the server sometime soon, but I just spent some money on a bunch of other stuff...and to spend the $150 for XP plus for a Hard Drive or something so I can get the OEM version I really didn't feel like it, but I suppose if I have to I will. Thanks.

using PVR500 with Win2k = no problems.

[TheraEdge]

Um, OK, so how do install it and get it working then. I already tried installing it...I used an inf file from the CD that came with it, that was labeled all in the file name, and it seemed to work, but when I was done the video that was being input was just static...So apparently I did something wrong.

Also, I was wondering what the limit on capture cards for one pc was...my intent was to be using the PVR-500 and 2 PVR-150s that I already had for a total of 2 tuners...is this going to cause me any issues? I mean how many shows can I record at once before I clog up my ATA line to my hard drive or even my hard drive recording speeds? Although I guess even if you think standard DVD quality x4 shows that is what only 4MB/second if I remember DVD standard at being 3.6GB/hour.

[blade]

You're not going to come anywhere close to reaching the hard drive limit. Capture rates are measured in mbits/sec where hard drive and ATA speed is measured in mbytes/sec.

I can record on 4 tuners, watch a pre-recorded show, and run show analyzer at the same time without any problems.

[dvd_maniac]

I have 5 tuners all recording at Max Mpeg-2 12mbit/s
5x12=60. 60/8=7.5MB/s. ATA typically sustains a rate 5-8x higher than this, so your not even close.

using the PVR-500 and 2 PVR-150s that I already had for a total of 2 tuners

You mean 4 tuners?

So I was unaware that the PVR-500 was not for windows 2000

I also had the 500 working in Win2k. If I remember correctly I got the drivers online. I typically skip the install disc and get updated drivers online first...

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by TheraEdge

Um, OK, so how do install it and get it working then. I already tried installing it...I used an inf file from the CD that came with it, that was labeled all in the file name, and it seemed to work, but when I was done the video that was being input was just static...So apparently I did something wrong.

Make sure you have the cable connected to the upper coax connection on the card. The one below it is for the FM radio built on the board.

Also make sure to use the latest drivers:
From SHSPVR.COM

Gerry

[Gaurav]

iirc i used the software that came with the card. it never gave me any trouble so i didn't bother getting the driver from shspvr. I may be wrong...

When setting up a source in Sage, where it gives you the option to select composite, composite_2 etc.,the little preview window sometimes shows static. Go ahead and add the source anyway, it works.

[TheraEdge]

Yes, I meant 4 tuners.

Upper coax connector? I don't know what you meant by upper as they are in line with each other, but I connected it to the one that said it was for the Coax, not the one that said FM....so I am pretty sure I did it right.

There is no Windows 2000 driver for the card that came with it, that is why the question. I have decided to get XP anyway, because I plan on having the computer for a while and 2000 just seems to keep posing issues. For example, I had been running my 2000GB drive off a RAID card, and realized I really didn't need it for space, but I was unaware that 2000 does not enable large drive support so you have to go in and enable it with a registry key...so when I restarted I scandisk did a lovley job of deleting about half of my shows and then also recovering the other half incorrectly so they are basically all corrupted because it was trying to convert them to small drive files...Anyway, so the 2000 drivers for the 500 are not actually from Hauppauge then? or are they just the XP drivers? I also noticed that the link you sent me was to the FTP area where they talk about older drivers, and the version on the download page: http://www.shspvr.com/pvr2_drv-apps.html that is listed for 2000/XP under WinTV-PVR 150/500MCE is version 2.0.24.23025 do they not update that page to the latest driver then, as the FTP one was pvr_2.0.35.23348_whql? Although, there didn't seem to be anything to tell me what version that actually was.

[TheraEdge]

Well, the driver that you gave me the link to, gerry, didn't seem to work for windows 2k I point it to the inf file from that zip file and get a 'windows was unable to locate driver' message. I tried the exe file labeled install and the problem there is that it finds the other 2 PVR-150s instead of the 500's tuners, so I don't want it trying to install for those even though I suppose it couldn't hurt, but after I cancel both of those, it doesn't find anymore hardware...I'm not sure what I did that first time to make it look kind of like it had installed drivers for the cards.

Oh, and, dvd_maniac, I usually get the drivers online first too, in fact that was what I had done, but there were no specific ones for 2000 and in fact here is the funny thing, the online drivers for XP were version 2.9 and the ones they sent me on the CD were 3.0. They don't even seem to be able to keep their support up to date.

[Gaurav]

Originally Posted by TheraEdge

I tried the exe file labeled install and the problem there is that it finds the other 2 PVR-150s instead of the 500's tuners

The installer picks the 500's two tuners one by one.
Chances are it might be picking up the correct tuners.

[TheraEdge]

Nope, they were both the 150s...as a test to the idea that it wasn't finding those cards I yanked one expecting to see either 2 devices still come up (would mean you were right and it was finding the 500's tuners) or one device come up which would mean that it was finding the one card and it was trying to install for the 150s... Actually I had forgotten, in the Hardware Manager the 150 is listed as "Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II (26xxx)" and this was the same name given to the hardware that the installer found. So I was pretty sure the 500 should show up as something else, so this is why I was originally pretty sure that it was finding the wrong cards and not finding the other one.

Anyway, I got the unexpected version after I yanked one of the cards. The first device it wanted to update was just like before the (26xxx) so I cancelled that expecting to either see another or just have it say they weren't installed if it was trying to do the 150s. Well, the next install did pop up, which I was surprised at, but I was even more surprised when it said "Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II (23xxx) (Tuner 1)" which I hadn't seen before, and when I canceled that one I got a 3rd screen finally that said what else but "Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II (23xxx) (Tuner 2)" So I'm not sure why when there were 2 150s installed it didn't show the 500 tuners...

So I went to see if anything had changed to try to manually install it and it seems to go farther now. It finds the driver and then looks in other locations apparently even though I only had the one checked, but it finds what it calls a driver that 'is a closer match' for this device than my current driver in the WinNT drivers directory. So I redid it under the specific location version (instead of the search for version) where I force it to use that driver. Which there seemed to be a nice list of the 2 tuners and a couple of others, a (25xxx) and the (26xxx) which it seems like through what I have seen the 150 and 500 seem to share driver files I guess, so that makes sense, I just wish that the computer could deal with the 500 instead of being so sidetracked by those big beautiful 150s all the time.

So I was a little concerned that I was taking up too many resouces with all these cards. I mean if you go down the list, I have a
GeForce 6200 in the AGP slot
PCI1 - Empty
PCI2 - PVR-150
PCI3 - PVR-150
PCI4 - ATA controller card
PCI5 - PVR-500

Maybe the other 150 was somehow making the 500 not function properly...so I restarted once after installing the 500's tuners with just one 150 and they all seem to be getting along fine...so I shut down and reinserted the other 150. So, the next thing that happened was a big bummer...the 150 now showed up again with it's sister, but the 500 jumped back to bein unistalled and listed under Other Devices...this seems like it is not being allowed to function properly to me because when the single 150 was unplugged it was listed under the Sound, video and game controllers like the computer had a better idea of what the device actually was prior to being installed as well.

Any pointers for me now? I'm starting to worry that even when I get XP I will not be able to use all 4 tuners...

Additional Note...my motherboard manual calls out that PCI slot 1 & 5 are shared and that all the other slots are on their own for IRQs...so I guess since I am not using slot 1 I am confused why I would be all out of resources...unless I am actually all out of resources, and I have no IRQs left...you know, one day they are going to update that standard so we won't be able to run out so easily..I mean 16 what is that? 4 bit? man, ad a bit and there would be no problems running out or heck, add 2 or 4 more just for a nice cusssion, and then we don't have to worry about sharing..not sure what that entails though.

[TheraEdge]

OK, so I did the next logical thing. I moved stuff around and gave the 500 one of the higher PCI slots...so the final layout is:

PCI1 - Empty
PCI2 - PVR-500
PCI3 - PVR-150
PCI4 - ATA controller card
PCI5 - PVR-150

I would have put the other 150 in the 4th slot, but there was a modem header on my board that conflicted with one of the input boxes on the card that wouldn't let me seat it all the way. So it let me get them all installed in this configureation. My hopes went way up when after getting them configued this way I restarted and it showed them all under the Audio devices tab, so it actully had an idea of what they all were.

OH, and that static issue where when I tried to install the tuner to use in sage TV was just when I selected TV Tuner from the input to use, the 500 was tuned to channel 0 so there was no signal, so other people that don't notice this right away, just hit the channel up button to see other channels so you won't be seeing static...

Well, it seems to be working now in 2000...maybe I should cancel my order of XP then? hehe, Well, I figure 2000 is an OS that is more than 6 years old now, so it is probably not a bad idea to have XP for a machine I plan on keeping for a while.

Thanks all for your help, and hopefully this thread will help others install the 500 in 2000 a little easier if that is their desire. Unless there is another thread out there that is better. I know this didn't end up as straight forward as I thought it was going to be. Thanks again.