Hauppauge Offers Windows Media Center Some Love

[Hooch Tan]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/hauppauge-officially-announces-hd-pvr-support-in-windows-media-c/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/...indows-media-c/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"If you're thinking about going the Media Center DVR route but can't or won't get hooked up with a CableCARD don't forget there's another option available to pull in those premium channels now that the $199 Hauppauge HD PVR is supported as a TV recorder in Windows 7."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1281100811.usr20447.jpg" style="border: 0px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>For those of you that are not familiar with the Hauppauge HD PVR, it is an external video capture device that interacts with your Cable or Satellite box.&nbsp; The difference between the HD PVR and most other external video capture devices is that it captures in HD (720p, 1080i) where others typically handle SD.&nbsp; This includes channels normally protected by your cable or satellite provider.&nbsp; Support in Windows 7 is great since Windows Media Center is really friendly and easy to use, and being able to record shows in HD will make your life just a little less blurry.&nbsp; While many speculate that the future is in digital distribution, cable or satellite will probably be the video distribution platform of choice for many years to come, so it is nice to see that technology is keeping up so we can enjoy it better!&nbsp;</p>

[freitasm]

Shame from the specs it's seen as just one tuner - ideally you should have two tunners, so you could watch a program while recording a second one, or record two programs at the same time. Or even more if the programs were to be in the same mux.

As it is, this product needs a bit of work to get close to a HDHomeRun...

[Jason Dunn]

Shame from the specs it's seen as just one tuner - ideally you should have two tuners...

Yeah, a single tuner is a pretty big fail - unless you're like me and hardly ever watch live TV. But not being able to record two shows at once is the problem I'd have...

[freitasm]

Yeah, a single tuner is a pretty big fail - unless you're like me and hardly ever watch live TV. But not being able to record two shows at once is the problem I'd have...

We almost never watch live TV. We time shift a couple of shows during the week to later during the evening, when our daughter is sleeping.

We probably watch no more than eight TV hours/week...

[Hooch Tan]

Shame from the specs it's seen as just one tuner - ideally you should have two tunners, so you could watch a program while recording a second one, or record two programs at the same time. Or even more if the programs were to be in the same mux.

Actually, the thing doesn't include a tuner, which is why its limited to a single channel. It just takes input from composite connectors and encodes it in HD. It relies on an external source, like your cable or satellite box, for the tuning. It does suck, but it is a limitation of the design. For two channels, you'd need two boxes.

The reason why the HD PVR exists, however, is that it works around certain recording restriction limitations through the use of an analog loophole. Having used WMC in the past, I've occasionally come across situations where I cannot record because of a "broadcast flag" on the show. From what I understand, the HD PVR gets around this.

[freitasm]

Actually, the thing doesn't include a tuner, which is why its limited to a single channel. It just takes input from composite connectors and encodes it in HD. It relies on an external source, like your cable or satellite box, for the tuning. It does suck, but it is a limitation of the design. For two channels, you'd need two boxes.

The reason why the HD PVR exists, however, is that it works around certain recording restriction limitations through the use of an analog loophole. Having used WMC in the past, I've occasionally come across situations where I cannot record because of a "broadcast flag" on the show. From what I understand, the HD PVR gets around this.

Wow... The level of suckage on this device just increased then...

[Hooch Tan]

Wow... The level of suckage on this device just increased then...

Unfortunately, at least within the US and Canada, if you want to record HD shows from your cable/satellite provider in HD and it isn't available OTA, this is one of the few options available.