Great Way to Add Television to Your PC!...with some minor issues.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Watch TV on the PC, record onto PC, burn to DVD.

Cons: PCI harder to install than USB, confusing manual/remote, just good quality

The Bottom Line: 
Recommended only if you are in an above average skill set with PC's and really want TV on your PC. Just know it is nothing like a TiVo.

Author's Review
PROLOGUE

Ever since becoming an adult Christmas just isn't the same. These days I write down what I want for Christmas, my parents write down what they want for Christmas, as do my brothers, my wife, and additional family members and for the most part what I unwrap on Christmas is day is exactly something from that list.

However this last Christmas I got a surprise. This Christmas I got a gift from someone I totally didn't expect – from Epinions.com. Instead of giving us Eroyalities it was announced that Top Reviewer's (I was a Top Reviewer at the time in Movies) would be given a gift that is heavily searched for on Epinions but has little to none reviews. The gift would also be something within or related to the topic of what the Top Reviewer is a top reviewer of. I figured I was getting a DVD of some independent movie with a cult following. Instead, I was quite surprised and equally excited to open the box from Buy.com and unveil a Television Input device for my PC.

Epinions must have read my mind since I was in the market for one. Thank you Epinions for such an awesome gift!

Now the review…



INTRODUCTION

I've gone video crazy. I have hooked up TiVo to the Phillips television in our living room. Later I realized TiVo could only record one show at a time and we could not watch live television while it is recording something – so then I split off a signal to a second VCR so we could tune to a different channel using the VCR whenever TiVo was recording another channel. Then I started thinking about something similar in the bedroom where the computer is. The wheels started turning and soon I decided I wanted a Television Input device for my computer which would allow me to watch and record television using my PC. So I bought a splitter to split the cable signal in the bedroom into three, one for the Motorola cable modem, the second for the Phillips 13" television, and last for the Television Input device. Now all I had to do was get the Television Input device. Then Epinions graciously dropped one in my lap.

There are two primary types of models. PCI and USB.

PCI is a direct connection to the mother board inside your computer. Installing a PCI board normally requires that you unscrew the side panels on your PC and physically insert a very fragile and sensitive computer part into it.

USB is an indirect connection in the sense that all you have to do is plug in a cord to the back of your PC and that's it. Most newer computers these days come with what is called USB 2.0 which is a faster connection than the old version USB 1.1. In order to use a television input device properly you will need USB 2.0. Plus, USB devices also require an additional power source so make sure you have an available outlet in your surge protector.

In my case, Epinions sent a PCI version. I would have preferred the USB just because I don't like opening up my PC but I can't complain because they gave it to me for free.



REQUIREMENTS

* Pentium II processor 733MHz or faster
* Microsoft Windows XP/Me/2000/98SE
* Free PCI slot
* Sound card
* CD-RW or DVD writer (optional)



MY SYSTEM



HARDWARE INSTALLATION

In order to install the PCI board I needed:
* An available PCI slot, number 1 or 2 (more on that in the next paragraph)
* A workplace where I could stay grounded (to prevent static electricity which can kill the PC)
* A non-magnetic screwdriver
* Patience

My Dell came with one open PCI slot and luckily for me it was number 2 out of 4. The reason the number is important is some PCI boards won't work in slots 3 or 4 (normally builders put communication boards in these slots like a Modem or the Soundcard). The Hauppauge manual states that the board might not work if put in slot 3 or 4 (or 5, 6, etc.). Slot one was taken up by my video board (monitor) and the second slot was open.

In other words, be careful…before buying this product take a quick look at the back of your PC and looking at it from the top to the bottom look to see where you have an open slot (the slots are very rectangle and are normally located towards the bottom part of the PC). If the top two are taken you may have to shuffle the PCI cards around in order to install the PVR PCI board. This shuffle can be extremely nerve racking.

To begin my installation I first powered off my PC and unplugged everything from the back. Then I opened it up.

It is important to ground yourself whenever you are working on a PC. I then used a non-magnetic screwdriver to remove the cover covering the PCI slot, took the PVR PCI board out of its wrapping and then carefully snapped it into place starting with a slight angle and then pressed firmly to ensure it was installed properly. I then screwed the board in, replaced the cover for my PC, hooked the PC back up, and powered it up.



SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

After turning on my PC, Windows XP noticed that new hardware had been installed and notified me of such. As is typical with any new installation, Windows then asked if I wanted to search online, search my hard drive, or search the CD drive for the drivers required to use the new hardware. I clicked on the CD drive and then inserted the included Hauppauge CD-ROM into my PC.

Things were going smoothly until I came to the following prompt:

"The software you are installing for the hardware Hauppauge WinTV-PVR PCI has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatibility with Windows XP. Continuing your installation of this software may impair or destabilize the correct operation of your system immediately or in the future. Microsoft strongly recommends that you stop this installation now..."

I normally trust Microsoft when is suggests that installing something may be harmful to my PC. The Hauppauge manual brushes the prompt aside by simply stating "When the dialog box opens, click Continue Anyway". I feel Hauppauge should have discussed what this error means in relation to their product to reassure the installer.

Normally, I would have stopped at this point but I decided to continue anyway – so yes, I took and I am taking, a chance.

After pressing Continue Anyway the driver installation quickly finished up. To complete the installation I then had to manually Explore the CD-ROM and double click on the Install icon.

The next part was the longest as the Installer installs no less than 12 different applications. They range from crap like Microsoft HTMLhelp 1.32 (?) to necessities like WinTV Applications and WinTV Scheduler. Finally around four shortcuts were added to my desktop and I was off and running.



USER INTERFACE

WinTV 2000: is the hub for watching television on your PC. By default the program comes up in a small window that you can resize or launch in full screen mode if you prefer. The design is a little too industrial looking for my tastes (the interface looks steel with little bolts and screws to help add to the effect). The channel up and down buttons are clearly marked. The volume is a little cumbersome to find and use. The Menu and Pref (Preferences) buttons are easily viewable and allow custom changes to the program.

One of the more important custom changes is the ability to change the quality of the Live and recorded television. The Hauppauge 250 model supports:

* MPEG 1 VCD: using .65GB an hour
* MPEG2 2.0 MBits/sec: using .9 GB an hour
* MPEG2 12.0 MBits/sec: using 5.4 GB an hour
* DVD Standard Play: using 3.1 GB an hour
* DVD Long Play: using 2.4 GB an hour
* DVD Extra Long Place: using 1.2 GB an hour

I set mine to DVD Standard Play which uses around 3.1 GB an hour. With around 130GB free on my PC I can record around 40 hours safely.

WinTV Scheduler: is a straight forward interface to setting up timers to record television shows. It operates primarily like old VCR's. You set the date, time, channel, and length of the recording and it automatically starts recording when that date and time are reached.

TitanTV: An online site that works in conjunction with WinTV Scheduler to turn the Hauppauge 250 into more of a PVR like TiVo. After setting up an account you can view TV listings in your area and with a simple click of the mouse set up a recording.



REMOTE INTERFACE

The Hauppauge 250 comes with an included remote which helps when it comes to switching channels and turning up and down the volume but many of its features are either inactive or at least at this point too confusing to figure out. Part of the problem is that the remote is made to work with the Hauppauge models 150, 250, and 350 so some features of the remote don't work on the 250 I have, but may work on the 150 or 350 I don't have. The manual is no help at all. The picture of the remote doesn't even look like mine!



RECORDING TELEVISION PROGRAMS

Because it is on the same time as CSI and Point Pleasant I've been missing the current season of The Apprentice between the Street Smarts and the Book Smarts. TitanTV displays that it was coming on at 9pm so I clicked on it to set up the recording. The next morning before work I decided to scan through the program (really the board room is the only part worth watching). Because I use Winamp frequently, Winamp tried to play the file. It failed. I had audio, but not video. I then opened the file up using Microsoft Media Player. That worked, however it was not full screen. When I tried to watch it full screen, the program froze.

The quality was no different than what it looked like when watching television live. I could see the imperfections in the screen up close as I sat at my computer desk. When I back up several feet I can no longer see the imperfections. The quality could be a lot better but it is not horrible.



BURNING TELEVISION PROGRAMS

The Hauppauge 250 model comes included with Ulead DVD Moviefactory. If you have a DVD burner you can create DVD's of the televisions you have recorded. Although I do have a DVD burner, I have not yet fooled around with this feature and I am not sure if I will.



QUICK POINTS

* Continuing on how bad the included remote is you cannot change the viewer from full screen to window using the remote. This requires using the mouse.
* The program comes included with a snap shot feature. With the click of a mouse you can take a picture of whatever is currently being seen. This is how those insane fans of reality shows capture shots from the previews and then try to analyze what will happen next!
* I noticed a problem after listening to LAUNCHcast radio on my Yahoo! Instant messenger. After turning off the radio and then starting the television I could see a picture but could get no sound. The only way to remedy the situation was to completely restart the PC.
* There are additional Video out options including both S-Video and RCA audio/video outputs.
* Sadly there doesn't appear to be a Video/Audio input which would allow the ability to connect a VCR to transfer all my VHS tapes to DVD. However, I do believe it would be possible to connect the VCR through the coaxial input, tune to channel 3 or 4, and then use that signal to transfer audio/video from VCR to PC.
* There is an option to scan all channels which will open up a freeze frame of each channel as a little square on your screen. Unfortunately, it only captures a freeze - the pictures will not be in motion.
* The WinTV Scheduler allows you to schedule two programs next to each other (example: 8pm-9pm then 9pm-10pm on a different channel) but the system requires 30 seconds in-between recordings to operate correctly. To remedy you have to manually edit the second recording to start one minute later or edit the first recording to end one minute early.
* The included manual is overall not helpful and too general.
* There is a discussion on a File button which makes it easy to locate recorded programs. I cannot find this button on the remote control nor on the interface within the program. The only way to find my recorded files is to open up the My Video's folder located on my hard drive.



TIVO V. HAUPPAUGE

Season Passes
Hauppauge does not allow Season Passes. With a Season Pass you tell TiVo to record CSI and it will automatically search out all episodes of CSI and mark them to be recorded. You can tell Hauppauge to record the same channel and time each week but there is no guarantee that the program you want will be in that time slot next week.

Rewind Live Television
TiVo is constantly recording television and if it stays on the same channel for over 30 minutes it creates a buffer of the last 30 minutes that you can rewind through if desired. Hauppauge only begins recording something if scheduled to do so or if the television is paused. Therefore no matter how long you have been watching a particular channel if it is not recorded or has been paused you cannot rewind what you have already seen like you can with TiVo.

Program Guide
Both TiVo and Hauppauge have program guides. Both have search capabilities and both retain around two weeks of television schedules. Additionally, both are updated frequently and alert when it comes to changes.

Overlapping Alerts
TiVo will let you know that two recordings will overlap and allow you the option to pick which one you want to keep. Using TitanTV Hauppauge will do the same but without the option to pick which one you want. The first selected recording trumps all others. To stop the first from recording you have to power up the WinTV Scheduler program and delete the recording.

Television Descriptions
Both TiVo and Hauppauge have descriptions of the television show. It is a little easier to see this information on TiVo when watching the program. With Hauppauge you have to use a different window.

Monthly Cost
TiVo costs $12.95 a MONTH. Hauppauge costs $0.00, period.

Electricity Cost
TiVo is on all the time unless it is unplugged. The Hauppauge is on only if you PC is on. Plus you can set the PC to go to sleep to save power. The WinTV scheduler will awaken the PC when it is time to record a program.

Data Connections
TiVo requires the use of a phone line once a day. Or you can use a wireless modem so TiVo can get the downloads using an internet connection. The Hauppauge needs an internet connection only when using the TitanTV television guide. However without that guide, the Hauppauge acts more like an old VCR.

Skipping Commercials
TiVo uses a smart fast forwarding system. There are three speeds and each jumps backwards a few seconds when stopped. The theory is when fast forwarding you will stop when you see the commercials end but by that time you have missed some of the program so TiVo jumps back a few seconds to start from the beginning of the program. Hauppauge skips forwards in 10 second blocks only.

Paused To Changing Channels
If TiVo is paused on one channel and then the channel up button is pressed, TiVo simply changes to the next channel. With the Hauppauge however if paused it must first be caught up to Live television before the channel up will work. If paused and the channel up button is pressed, nothing will happen.

Additional features
TiVo has a media feature that allows you to play music and see pictures through it. Plus if you had two TiVo's you could transfer programs between the two. The Hauppauge has a picture feature too as well as Internet radio.



OVERALL

It is nice to be able to watch television on my PC but after installing and using the Hauppauge 250 I've come to at least one really important point, I'm glad it was free! I don't think the technology is good enough to warrant a purchase of $130 (the amount Epinions' may have spent on it). The biggest problem with the Hauppauge 250 is it is in no way designed (the manual, user interface, remote, etc.) for the computer novice. I learned the system completely by trial and error and I know enough about computers to keep going after the first program error, computer freeze, or restart/shutdown that may be required – but I also know plenty of others who when faced with any of these become very fearful of using their PCs.

The Hauppauge 250 is not recommend if you are a computer novice. But you probably are not one if you are buying a PCI version of it.

For those with a little more computer know-how The Hauppauge 250 is not bad. It records television and the quality is good enough, not great.

For those who want it to be a second TiVo for the PC it may be similar in the fact that it records television but it doesn't act at all like a TiVo. TiVo's are much easier to use!

My final recommendation is to not recommend it. The technology needs improvement and needs to be designed so that it is easier to use for those who are going to spend over $100 on it.


Regardless, I thank Epinions for the gift! Thank You!