Hauppauge 1120CN WinTV-HVR-950 Hybrid Video Recorder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased one of these new USB tuners earlier this week and have been playing with it for about 2 days now.

For reference, I have an AMD 4000+ single-core system with 1 GB RAM and an nVidia 7800 GT video card.

Install was a breeze.Included documentation was minimal but sufficient to get you "up and running".

GREAT video quality, but taxes your CPU if you can not use video hardware acceleration. Must use a dedicated USB2 port for best results.Do NOT use a hub if you can avoid it, especially if you have a USB WLAN adapter already connected to it! Using video card hardware acceleration causes image corruption and I have not been able to resolve this issue with drivers, etc.Still working on it.However, the CPU is able to handle the load (barely) with excellent image quality.PVR function is awesome.The ability to use TitanTV scheduling is very helpful.Recorded image quality exceeds that of what is displayed "live" on my machine, at least in full screen.Works for both analog cable & ATSC (OTA HD).

The included antenna for ATSC is not very good - invest in a better, amplified antenna for best results.It would probably be great for sitting in a big city airport terminal, though.

Overall - very pleased with the purchase.

12/22/06 Update regarding hardware acceleration: I still have not been able to successfully make hardware acceleration work with the combination of an AMD 4000+ processer and nVidia 7800 GT or nvidia 7950 GX2 video cards.This does not impact standard def programming at all, but HD programming can get a little choppy using only the CPU.However, hardware acceleration works PERFECTLY on my older Dell XPS2 laptop with a 2 GHz Pentium M and an nVidia 6800 Ultra video card.

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Product Description:
The Hauppauge 1139 WinTV-HVR-950 Hybrid TV Stick External TV Tuner/Video Recorder will bring high-definition television directly to your PC. This handy device lets you watch your favorite TV shows through your computer, and record them digitally for future playback using high quality MPEG-2. More economical and versatile than a DVR, or digital video recorder, this PC Video Recorder, or PVR, gives you virtually unlimited options for saving and playing back your favorite TV broadcasts and clips.
The Hauppauge 1139 WinTV-HVR-950 Hybrid TV Stick External TV Tuner/Video Recorder offers:

Ability to watch television on your PC in a window or full screen.
Portable, small size for on-the-go television viewing on your laptop.
Compatibility with digital and analog signals.
Acceptance of video feeds from a camera or satellite box.

The small, pocketable size lets you easily take it everywhere. View larger. Play and Record Television Digitally
The WinTV-HVR-950 is a simple-to-use device that brings over-the-air high definition ATSC digital TV as well as analog cable TV directly to your PC desktop or laptop. With the additional included antenna, it can also receive analog TV broadcasts, and it can also accept video feeds directly from a camera or satellite box.
More versatile than a DVR, the WinTV-HVR-950 is a pocket-sized device that simply plugs into your PC's USB port. It features a built-in digital ATSC over-the-air TV receiver. If you live in one of the more than 200 cities in the United States that receives ATSC digital TV, you'll have immediate access to as many as 1500 digital TV stations. ATSC digital TV is the over-the-air HDTV standard for North America. ATSC broadcasts range in resolution from standard definition up to the high definition 1080i format. (To check the ATSC digital transmissions in your area, input your zip code at titantv.com.)
A portable digital TV antenna, which can be used to receive digital TV up to 10 miles from an ATSC transmitter, is included with the PVR . (To check the ATSC digital transmissions in your area, input your zip code at titantv.com) If you live in an area where you can't currently receive ATSC digital TV, the WinTV-HVR-950 can still be used to watch and record analog TV from cable TV or a TV antenna. (The WinTV-HVR-950 cannot receive digital cable TV or digital satellite TV.)
Once the WinTV-HVR-950 is connected, you can begin to record your favorite shows in high-quality MPEG-2 directly to your hard disk using the Hauppauge SoftPVR MPEG-2 encoder. Television recordings will typically consume 5 GB of disk space per hour for ATSC high definition, while analog recordings will typically consume 1.5 GB of disk space per hour. You can also use the included WinTV-Scheduler to program your compute to record your favorite analog or digital TV shows for play back at any time.


The WinTV application offers an elegant interface to watch TV in a window or full screen. View larger. Compatibility with Microsoft's Windows Media Center means that you can watch TV as well as your recordings with Windows Media Center. The included WinTV application also lets you watch your shows in a window or on full screen.
More about PVR Technology
PVR stands for PC Video Recorder. The WinTV-HVR-950 is a PVR that allows you to play television through your computer and record the broadcasts digitally. PVR doesn't use standard videocassettes; instead, it uses your computer's hard disk to store the broadcasts.
Once you record a television show to your PC's hard drive, you can burn a CD or DVD that will allow you to play the show back on another computer or on your television. With video editing software (not included with the WinTV-HVR-950), you can even edit the shows. This is a great feature if you want to save clips from movies or sitcoms, or keep your favorite player's grand slam or TD kick-off return for posterity.
And just like a typical VCR, the WinTV-HVR-950 offers you several recording options, depending on your play back needs. If you want the highest quality recording for playback through your HDTV, all you need is enough hard drive space to support high-quality recording. By using the lowest recording option, you can use your WinTV-HVR-950, along with an inexpensive video camera, as a low-cost on-site video surveillance system. In fact, the possibilities of how you can take advantage of the WinTV-HVR-950 are endless.
What's in the Box
WinTV-HVR-950 USB 2.0 TV stick with cable TV or ATSC antenna connection; USB extension cable; portable antenna; software on CD-ROM; and quick installation guide.

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Avertv Hybrid Volar Max Tv Tuner Kit for Windows MTVHVMXSK Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've been using Media Center on a WinXP tower since 2004. My HP unit came with a built in tuner which could only receive analog channels and the 2004 version of MC that came with it only supported standard def TV.As the years passed, I was eagerly anticipating for a release of Media center that supported HD programming.Once that happened on Windows 7 (and perhaps Vista), I needed to find a tuner card that would work with it.

Over the years I would check release info on new products and read about one sad experience after another regarding the failure of available HD tuner cards on the market and issues regarding firmware, drivers, configuration settings, etc.

Knowing that most new technology needs a few years to get the bugs out, I didn't buy and waited. The last few months had me itching to try and finally set up a HTPC (Home Theater PC) system. When it comes to video quality, my assumption was that I'd get better performance from a PCI internal tuner card in a tower. Thing is, I don't have a new Windows tower but I do have an inexpensive netbook running Windows 7 Home Premium.As there's no way to install an internal tuner card I'm limited to using an external USB tuner.After reading the reviews on Amazon, I decided the Volar Max was my best bet (and at $55 I figured I could only go so wrong).

I remember going through error and configuration issues with Vista and XP in the past, the idea that this little flashdrive-sized gizmo was going to allow me to tune in analog channels, digital channels as well as actual hi res HD seemed suspect at the very least.I was dreading the thought of experiencing the usual whole night investment of getting a new peripheral up and running on Windows only to have it not work well.

I plugged the Avertv in the USB slot and it found & installed its driver automatically and quickly. It then gave me the option of installing it's own tuner/viewer software.I declined in favor of Media Center.

Now I can't say how this thing works with any other OS's but, with Windows 7 Home Premium, the Avertv Volar Max blew my mind.My laptop is connected to an LCDTV- I fired up Media Center, which found the Avertv right away.I selected it, went through the channel scan (like any tv) and was watching great quality analog & digital HD tv within minutes.It WORKED!And not only that, it worked without my having to do any manual installations or configurations. Windows media center rocks (and IMHO blows away Apple in this particular area).The picture and sound seems as good as any HDTV tuner I've seen built into HD televisions.I hooked up my HP Media Center IR remote and can now flip through channels, set DVR recordings, play music, etc. from my couch.

Maybe this shows my age, but I thought any kind of decent resolution tuner hardware needed to be relatively big in size. That this tiny unit does so much, so well and so easily is immensely impressive.

The age of HTPC's is definitely here.

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Product Description:
Thanks to the support of Digital TV (ATSC) or Unencrypted Digital Cable (ClearQAM*) reception;the AVerTV Hybrid Volar MAX is the ideal travel mate for viewing High Definition TV on the go.With Microsoft Windows Media Center, users will enjoy breathtaking and glorious TV viewing. Add this TV tuner to Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate) to turn your PC into a powerful Digital Video Recorder. Watch Analog and Digital TV channels plus radio and recordyour favorite programs.

Get 21% OFF

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