Hauppauge WinTV HD PVR (H.264) screenshot and pre-order link

[sleonard]

I am not out of the woods yet. I have 3 SA 3250HD cable boxes. All 3 are set to pass-thru. STB 1 only outputs 740x480 even when I changed the output setting to fixed, upconvert1 or upconvert2. STBs 2 and 3 only output 1280x720 no matter what I set the output to.

Of the 3 HD-PVR's I can only get two of them working. The third continues to have a black preview screen in Arcsoft (I have Sage disabled until I get all this straightened out.)

I am going to call Cox to figure out the STB output issue as soon as I get a hold of the AC people. My AC has died and the temp is now 87 and rising. I live in Tempe, AZ so the temp will reach 105+ if I don't fix the AC so that is first priority.

S

[timnelsonic]

Originally Posted by Shield

Is anyone here running 2 of these puppies simultaneously? I'd like to pick up 2 DirectTV STB's and run 2 of these at a time.

I had two running with DirecTV STBs with no issues. I have a quad core box and it didn't break a sweat, even w/ two additional HD OTA streams (4 streams total).

After a short time, however, I had an issue with one of the STBs (bad cable in the attic...totally unrelated to the HD PVR) and had to disconnect box #2, so I don't have any long-term experience. As far as I can tell, though, it should work great.

[Shield]

Originally Posted by timnelsonic

I had two running with DirecTV STBs with no issues. I have a quad core box and it didn't break a sweat, even w/ two additional HD OTA streams (4 streams total).

After a short time, however, I had an issue with one of the STBs (bad cable in the attic...totally unrelated to the HD PVR) and had to disconnect box #2, so I don't have any long-term experience. As far as I can tell, though, it should work great.

I have the HDHomerun as well. I wonder if anyone has recorded 4 HD streams at once, and if they noticed a slowdown. I have 4 separate drives dedicated to Sage recordings, so I might just be ok. How does the recording of SD TV look on this? Ok? I just know there's some Directv stuff I'd grab on their nonHD channels as well. My son needs Dora the Explorer available everywhere!

[padre]

Originally Posted by Shield

How does the recording of SD TV look on this? Ok? I just know there's some Directv stuff I'd grab on their nonHD channels as well. My son needs Dora the Explorer available everywhere!

I have a PVR250 and a PVR350, along with my HD PVR (three different PCs), and the SD recordings via HD PVR are crisper than the 250/350 (via Svideo). I have my STB pushing out the standard stuff at 480p (instead of 480i) and stretched to fit the screen. Then I adjust the aspect ratio on playback. It looks great! I record USA and SciFi channels in SD, because the HD channels aren't available on Verizon FIOS (yet!).

[jakep_82]

Originally Posted by Shield

I wonder if anyone has recorded 4 HD streams at once, and if they noticed a slowdown. I have 4 separate drives dedicated to Sage recordings, so I might just be ok.

HD streams top out at around 2.5MB/s. Modern hard drives can write at sustained speeds of at least 35MB/s so 4 HD streams is not difficult for a single drive.

[Shield]

Originally Posted by jakep_82

HD streams top out at around 2.5MB/s. Modern hard drives can write at sustained speeds of at least 35MB/s so 4 HD streams is not difficult for a single drive.

Wouldn't it be a tad higher than that?
At least with my HDV camcorder, it's about 12GB per hour of footage.

12GB/hr = 1GB/5 minutes
1Gb/5 minutes = 200 meg per minute

200/60 seconds = 3.3333

Of course, perhaps an hour with this unit is only 8 gigs, so who knows.
You know how SATA is - first in, first out...

[Shield]

Originally Posted by sleonard

First, to answer your question, if you use more than one of these devices you must use another IR blaster such as the USB-UIRT that has zone control.

Second, I am reeeaallllly PO'd right now. Not one of the 3 HD-PVR's work. Not one, including the one I RMA'd and was (supposedly) fixed.

All 3 get really hot and the fans never come on. I verified this on the one they fixed by opening it up and watching the fan during a recording session. I didn't open up the other two but I can't hear a fan at all.

I get video from the pass-thru but not audio and the preview window in Arcsoft stay black and every capture I tried gave me a "Capture Failed" error message.

I am F*%#ing steaming angry.

aaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

S

See, between posts like this, and the unavailability of Comskip/Showanalyzer for these types of HD files, coupled with no digital audio makes me want to wait for this...

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by Shield

See, between posts like this, and the unavailability of Comskip/Showanalyzer for these types of HD files, coupled with no digital audio makes me want to wait for this...

But that's the price you pay for being an early adopter. We know that both of those will be available eventually. It's just a matter of time.

The deal with comskip is that there's never been a reason for them to have support for H.264 but now that the HD-PVR is available there is a greater need where only a little need existed before. Just wait.

What you mean by the audio is no pass-through audio. The audio is digital it's just that's in order to use it digital it needs a stereo PCM source that gets compressed to AAC. A later driver release should allow AC3 pass-through.

I went ahead and ordered one. Hopefully mine will ship this month some time.

All good things come to those that wait.

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

But that's the price you pay for being an early adopter. ...

He's right. As mad as I am about this it is tempered by the fact that I willingly bought a 1.0 product. I tend to do this a lot and am getting used to the trials and tribulations. Of course recieving a revision 2 product that is supposed to have the fix but is still failing out of the box can push even a seasoned early adopter like me to the edge

S

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Shield

See, between posts like this, and the unavailability of Comskip/Showanalyzer for these types of HD files, coupled with no digital audio makes me want to wait for this...

Yeah, but my C2 is working rock solid and only took me about a half hour to setup.

USB-UIRT and the HD100 along with the HD PVR is the only way to go. Easy setup, no decoder issues.

Yes the fact there isn't comskip/showanalyser stinks, but the 2:30 skip does a pretty good job (and from there you can use the :10 skip).

[Taddeusz]

My new HD cable box has a Firewire port on it. So far I haven't been able to get any video on it. I'm going to see if I can at least use it for channel changing without having to call Cox. It would make cabling much simpler and cleaner such as it currently isn't.

[Shield]

Here's a question. I have downloaded the first "sample" file early in this thread along with the PS3 example. The latter plays, the first one does not, and I have installed the Arcsoft software. The ps3 sample plays without audio.
I'm still on 6.3.10 though, will I have to upgrade to a beta for this to work?

[Swagger200]

Originally Posted by Shield

Here's a question. I have downloaded the first "sample" file early in this thread along with the PS3 example. The latter plays, the first one does not, and I have installed the Arcsoft software. The ps3 sample plays without audio.
I'm still on 6.3.10 though, will I have to upgrade to a beta for this to work?

Yes - get the latest Sage 6.4.x from the Beta Software forum

[mihooper]

Paulbeers,

USB-UIRT and the HD100 along with the HD PVR is the only way to go. Easy setup, no decoder issues.

While I'm waiting for the delivery of my HDPVR I'm pondering the remote control setup. Why do you need the USB-UIRT? Does the HD100 not relay IR commands back to SageTV (service), which then changes the channels on your STB via firewire, as well as controlling the HDPVR functions...? Or are you IR back to your STB? Just trying to understand if I need the USB-UIRT.

Thx
MikeH

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by mihooper

Paulbeers,
While I'm waiting for the delivery of my HDPVR I'm pondering the remote control setup. Why do you need the USB-UIRT? Does the HD100 not relay IR commands back to SageTV (service), which then changes the channels on your STB via firewire, as well as controlling the HDPVR functions...? Or are you IR back to your STB? Just trying to understand if I need the USB-UIRT.

Thx
MikeH

The USB UIRT I use for changing the channels on my STB. The HDPVR comes with its own IR emitter to change the channel on the STB, but it isn't natively supported by Sage the way the USB UIRT is. Some have had luck getting it to work while others have given up and gone to the USB UIRT. In my case I already needed it to change the channels of my SD STB's anyway, so it just made it a no brainer just to use it for my HD STB and not even mess with the possible headaches that the Hauppauge IR emitter can cause.

But yes, changing the channels on the HD100 will tell Sage to change the channels on your STB (thru whatever type of IR emitter you choose to use).

[mihooper]

But yes, changing the channels on the HD100 will tell Sage to change the channels on your STB (thru whatever type of IR emitter you choose to use).

...and, I assume, the HD100 remote will control the HDPVR functions (natively) via the USB connection from the HDPVR to my SageTV server?

[mistergq]

Is Hauppauge shipping any HD PVRs right now? I want to add a second one before the fall season starts and was thinking I should get back in line again.

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by mistergq

Is Hauppauge shipping any HD PVRs right now?

I ordered June 20th and was told my order wouldn't ship until the 2nd week in July. Haven't heard anything since then.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by mihooper

...and, I assume, the HD100 remote will control the HDPVR functions (natively) via the USB connection from the HDPVR to my SageTV server?

Yes and no. When you change the channel in Sage on the HD100, it tells the Sage Server that a channel change has been requested. Sage then needs to do two things: 1. Change the channel of the STB (by whatever method you have chosen) and 2. Start recording from the capture device (in this case it is the HD PVR). Now if you have setup the IR emitter on the HD PVR to work with Sage (which seems to be hit or miss), then yes it will send the command to the HD PVR via the USB connection of the HD PVR.

[mihooper]

Paulbeers,

Now if you have setup the IR emitter on the HD PVR to work with
Sage (which seems to be hit or miss), then yes it will send the command to
the HD PVR via the USB connection of the HD PVR.

This is where I'm confused. If the Sage server communicates with the HD PVR via USB, why do I need the IR emitter on the HD PVR to control the HD PVR?

Sorry to be so dense.........

Is Hauppauge shipping any HD PVRs right now?

Ordered 6/22. Was told it would ship before the end of next week (7/18).