Questions for HDPVR users before I buy...

[antisoshal]

I am aware of the current issues, but since most of the people experiencing them seem to be using the device to its absolute fullest, I don't think IM in danger. I have no plans to use the 5.1 or SPDIF audio, the video passthrough, and I plan to cover up the IR window because I already have too much IR bouncing around my livingroom.

My questions are about the capture itself. For starts, most of the shows I watch and record are NOT in HD, and the few that are, I actually prefer the standard def broadcasts: I noticed early on that most of the HD versions of stuff I like are simply cropped SD versions to make them 16x9 format, so IM getting a higher resolution of less picture. For all basic intents, 480P is the highest res I care to record in. So, questions;

If the show IM watching is broadcast in 720i or above, can I force the HDPVR to record at a constant 480P or 480i even? My goal in getting this isnt really to archive HD broadcast as much as its to get better quality capture. Im really disappointed in the quality of all the SVHS capture cards Ive tried, so I figure using component and recording at 480i should be much better.

For the recorded files, do the drivers install a windows capable codec so the video is available in other windows apps? I have a complete set of tools for editing that Im quite proficient and familiar with. I hate having to use the lame afterthought tools that come with most things.

From a quality standpoint, can anyone comment on a comparison of Mpeg2 verses H.264 at equivalent bitrates? I plan to record at about 8Mpbps 480P or 480i if possible.

Overall, IM simply looking to replace my current analog capture with the HDPVR as a way to increase quality, but I cant really find details on the specifics from hauppage

[mtyme]

So you're wanting to buy a 200 dollar HD-PVR to record 480i?

I don't understand but that doesn't matter much. Here's my experience.

I had 3 analog tuners originally, capturing 480i through S-Video. When I went to a 46" LCD 1080p TV the picture was HORRIBLE. It looked like I was watching TV through a cheese cloth. Since then I've replaced the analog tuners with OTA HD tuners and DirecTV HD STBs with HD-PVRs. I've got the STBs set to 1080i all the time so it does upconvert the 480i stuff. But that being said, the picture, even a stretched/cropped 480i looks 100 times better captured off the HD boxes with the HD-PVR than it did through S-Video with an analog tuner.

If you're still got a 4:3 tube TV I'd say save your money and just use analog tuners because you won't notice a difference and the headache involved with the HD-PVR just is not worth the trouble.

[antisoshal]

to be frank, the quality of a properly recorded 480i is far more than enough for me, and I take much of what is archived and edit and store it for use on DVD players, give it to relatives or play it on portable media players when IM travelling. I have a 46" Samsung LCD so I understand that HD is better, and I might record some stuff at that but my concern is making better recordings than I am, which currently suck by my standards. I have a professional video studio and do contract work, so Im aware of how good 480i CAN look. Unfortunately any of the pro capture solutions I find wont work in SAGE without hoops and flips and software encoders.

Ideally, 480P would be best, but I trust my deinterlacing software to do a better job than a 200$ box that already does 10 other things, so 480i will suffice for me.

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by antisoshal

My questions are about the capture itself. For starts, most of the shows I watch and record are NOT in HD, and the few that are, I actually prefer the standard def broadcasts: I noticed early on that most of the HD versions of stuff I like are simply cropped SD versions to make them 16x9 format, so IM getting a higher resolution of less picture. For all basic intents, 480P is the highest res I care to record in. So, questions;

I've found that much of the time, unless it's being doen by the local affiliate, the upscaling the network does to pillarbox SD recordings into HD is much higher quality than what most people can do at home.

Originally Posted by antisoshal

If the show IM watching is broadcast in 720i or above, can I force the HDPVR to record at a constant 480P or 480i even? My goal in getting this isnt really to archive HD broadcast as much as its to get better quality capture. Im really disappointed in the quality of all the SVHS capture cards Ive tried, so I figure using component and recording at 480i should be much better.

This can only be done if your set-top box is set to output 480p or 480i. Of course with 480p you're dependent upon the deinterlace capability of the STB which is usually rather poor.

Originally Posted by antisoshal

For the recorded files, do the drivers install a windows capable codec so the video is available in other windows apps? I have a complete set of tools for editing that Im quite proficient and familiar with. I hate having to use the lame afterthought tools that come with most things.

The HD-PVR comes with a limited license of Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre which comes with the H.264 codec necessary for any DirectX media player to show the recordings.

Originally Posted by antisoshal

From a quality standpoint, can anyone comment on a comparison of Mpeg2 verses H.264 at equivalent bitrates? I plan to record at about 8Mpbps 480P or 480i if possible.

H.264 has a much higher efficiency than MPEG2. The only comparison I have is that 480i recording from my HD-PVR is MUCH higher quality than what I was getting via s-video from my Hauppauge PVR150 from the same STB. This however may be due more to the compenent signal and the digitization rather than the choice of compression format.

[antisoshal]

I have professional de-interlacing tools available, so I can give then a run for their money. =8)

I know H.264 SHOULD be capable of better than Mpeg2 quality, my concern is the implementation. 5.9Mbps SHOULD be capable of encoding a decent quality Mpeg2, but this 1800 card I just installed is blocky as hell anywhere you get subtle changes in brightness of the same hue. Anywhere you have sharp color boundaries it looks great, but brightness gradients look as bad as Mpeg1 VCD's right now, and I have the card set to the highest capture quality.

I think I will pull the trigger on an HDPVR tonight. Ill use amazon since I get triple points on my card, and Ive enjoyed their return service so far. They seem to be cheaper too.

[Taddeusz]

With SageTV the recording quality setting is kind of variable based on the resolution. I use the Best-H.264 setting which says it gives 5.9GB/hr. I would assume this would be at 720p60 or 1080i60 where this would be the case. At lower resolutions such as 480i and 480p it automatically adjusts the the bitrate down to a reasonable level for the resolution. On my recordings MediaInfo shows about 4.3Gb/s which equates to about 2GB/hr. To me it appears indistinguishable from the original.