Hauppauge 1212 HD-PVR High Definition Personal Video Recorder by HAUPPAUGE
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Digital camera reviews of Hauppauge 1212 HD-PVR High Definition Personal Video Recorder
Digital camera Review: Doesn't capture from VCRs
Summary: 2 Stars
I've been looking for a way to convert family videos recorded on VHS and Hi-8 to a digital form. I've tried MPEG-2 capture and DV capture and haven't been happy with either result, so I had high hopes for the Hauppauge 1212 HD-PVR with its hardware H.264/AVC encoder.
Unfortunately, the HD-PVR is not useful for this purpose because the hardware locks up, hangs, or loses sync (resulting in a split screen effect that persists until the box is rebooted and the software reset) whenever there is a glitch in the video signal from the VCR. And unfortunately, there is such a glitch every time the camera was turned off and then back on again -- whenever recordings overlap, or there is a gap in the recording (tape taken out and later re-inserted). Also, pressing fast forward or rewind on the VCR to position the capture point while monitoring with the anemic software that's provided for capture/editing also causes the box to hang up. This makes it really hard to locate scenes on the tape: hit play, hit rewind, reboot the PVR, restart the software so you can monitor the input, press pause--whoops, another glitch, reboot the PVR, restart the software... you get my drift.
I contacted Hauppauge tech support and I was told that this is expected behavior -- the converter requires a stable video source and VCRs are anything but that. I considered getting a SIMA or ACE timebase corrector that performs full-frame time base correction, but those are not made anymore, go for a pretty penny on EBAY, and seem like overkill when the next generation of an encoder like this one might have TBC built in.
So, the HD-PVR is unfortunately useless for capturing from VHS, which as of this writing, the product description touts as a feature. And that's too bad, because the video I was able to capture between hangs was quite good. For that, and the ability to capture from component inputs (which works quite well, from what I understand, although I didn't try it), I'll still give it two stars. But zero stars for its VHS capture capability and mediocre software, which needs to be reinitialized whenever the box hangs.
<sigh> maybe the next version...
Digital camera Review: Doesn't play nice with Windows Media Center
Summary: 1 Stars
Windows Media Center (Windows 7) users beware -- this box might not work in the WMC environment. I hooked mine up using a Comcast (Motorola) STB and found that changing channels with the IR Blaster disabled the volume. Tech support didn't have any ideas except to blame it on the STB, but I was able to eliminate the box as a source of the problem by connecting the box to a TV and changing channels with the IR Blaster; in this case, the STB worked perfectly.
I am also critical of the setup directions for WMC users. No good explanation is given on how to integrate the directions that come with the unit and the directions that come with the MCE download. Here's a tip -- you can ignore the setup directions that come with the Hauppauge (unless you plan to use the Total Media Extreme program for recording or watching video) and simply follow the .pdf setup directions that come with the download for the MCE edition.
Outside of WMC, the unit seems to work well aside from being a bit slow on channel changes. As a high def video capture it's a good bet. But for Window Media Center users, my advice is to think twice.
Digital camera Review: EXACTLY what I was looking for.
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had my HD-DVR from my cable company for almost three years, and given the tiny little HD in it, it was starting to get pretty filled up. Ever time I wanted to record a new show, I had to seriously examine which past programs I'd recorded I could afford to delete. On top of that, the newer cable boxes were getting mixed reviews, and even if I were to upgrade, I would have had to get the content off of it.
I did some research online, and this seemed to be the ideal device, so I thought I'd give it a try at the very least -- I figured if it didn't work as I wanted, I could have always returned it.
...two months later, there is no way I'd get rid of this thing. Setup was simple: install software, plug in all the cables, and power it up.
I would highly recommend the firmware upgrade if you have any content recorded in Surround Sound -- I recorded a bunch of baseball games (like the last game at Yankee Stadium), and they are recorded in full surround. I wouldn't have wanted to give that up, because they channel the bleachers in the rear channels, and the full crowd as though you're sitting at the pitcher's mound -- if you turn down the front center (where the announcers are channeled), you literally feel like you're at the ballpark. Anyway, updating the firmware was also simple -- just go to the Hauppauge web site, download, run, done. At this point, the product may already have the latest firmware.
Recording is a cinch -- start the provided software (ArcSoft TotalMedia Extreme), and press record. Because it is a USB hardware, there are some glitches occasionally (it's a high volume of data it's trying to pipe through USB), but very seldom. You can choose the file format, all types of compression rates (standard creates a file about 4GB for a 1 hour program), and even specify the length of the program you want to record. The last feature is handy if you want to record while running errands or whatever. For the games I have recorded (2.5-3.5 hours), I can just start the recording, go about my day, then come back to have the file written.
What's also nice is that the files that you record can be in Blu-Ray format, so, you can burn them to any DVD (if it can fit), and play the file in a Blu-Ray player. Otherwise, I just mainly just connect my laptop directly to TV for playback.
The playback software (ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre) is decent. Nothing to write home about, but it does give you decent enough controls, although not the most intuitive interface. Point is, it does its job fine.
The compact size is nice as well. It's about the size of four or five DVD cases stacked. I suppose it could be made even smaller, but it is fairly small as is, and unobtrusive. When it is recording, the top portion (under the silver "lid") glows blue -- some people may mind it, I don't particularly care one way or the other.
Overall, I would give the device 5 stars if:
-it had more input/output connectors (no HDMI -- it does have SPDIF, however)
-the price was a little lower, although worth it in my opinion
Otherwise, highly recommended!
Digital camera Review: Easiest Recorder You Will Ever Use
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the easiest TV/Game console recorder you will ever use, in terms of HD I mean. It comes with everything you need, even another set of component cables, and is easy to set up. You just plug it into the wall, plug it into your computer, put your component cables into the input and the other set into the output, which then go to your TV. Next you install the drivers and software, open up the recorder, and start recording!
The only problem I had with it was the very unmanageable video formats. M2TS, TS, and MP4 are not liked by very many of the editors out there. Sony Vegas Pro. 9 and Windows Movie Maker seem to be the only ones that work well, I'm sure there are others but I haven't bothered looking. If this could record in AVI, granted I know it is an H264 recorder, I would be a lot happier, but I can live.
I also had a problem where the HD-PVR would stop recording randomly with a black screen and gave me an error message, but this was resolved when I lowered the recording bitrate. I can only assume that my computer wasn't fast enough to handle what the bitrate was before I lowered it (for 720p it was at 8MB/s, I set it to 6MB/s, everything worked).
What I can say about this: If you want to record your game console, and you have an editor that supports M2TS or MP4 files and have a good computer, I would get this. It works, it's easy to set up, and it is worth every penny I spent on it.
Digital camera Review: Easy Setup
Summary: 4 Stars
I am VERY impressed with this device. Now, I confess that I did not buy this from Amazon.com. Although, I would have, had I more time. But, I had to buy it from one of the brick and mortar electronic chain stores, and paid more for it. So, if you CAN wait, I recommend getting it from Amazon.com. As of this writing, no place on the web sells it for less.
Anyway, I got mine yesterday. Almost EVERYTHING that you will need comes in the box, even the Component Cables, which could run you a good $30 anyway. There's also an Audio cable; a USB (for plugging it into your computer to upload your recorded movies) cable; and a RF cable (to automatically change the channels on your cable box, when scheduling a recording). However, neither an S-Video cable, nor Composite cable are included. Don't even bother looking for a HDMI cable either, as this device will only record up to 1080i. Which shouldn't be a real concern for most users, since television broadcasts don't generally transmit at that high a resolution anyway, only a Blu-Ray disc currently encode videos in that capacity. Additionally, for televisions smaller that 42 inches, the difference between 720p and 1080p is virtually indistinguishable to the naked eye.
Setup was so easy:
1) Connect the Hauppauge 1212 to your cable box (or whatever device you be will recording from)
2) Plug in the power
3) Connect the Hauppauge 1212 to your computer
4) Power up your computer, and pop in the included CD
5) Run the software (first install the Driver software, and then the Application software - there's only these two options, too easy)
6) Reboot your computer
7) Start the software, press "Capture" to record
The included software comes with a player for you to watch your video(s) after the recording is done. This device features the ability to schedule a recording, or run a recording for a specific length of time. What is lacking on the recording aspect is a PAUSE button, there's only "CAPTURE" and "STOP". Easy, but a bit more control would be nice. I'm sure that you can use another application software to do the video capture if the included software is not to your liking. My goal is to edit the recorded videos and burn them to disc, someday. But, that's for the future. For now, I finally have something to put videos onto my computer, so that I can watch them on the road, without requiring an internet connection. I would have given this a rating of 4 and 1/2 stars, if that was an option. But, because of the missing cables and PAUSE feature, I can only give FOUR stars. Never the less, a HIGHLY recommended buy.
2011-04-11 UPDATE: Over the weekend, I went out and bought another one. This one will be used to download stored videos from a standard definition DVR, in my parent's place. Apparently, the device will automatically adjust to the resolution of the original source. My earlier device was downloading from a HD DVR, using the Component cables. This second setup was using a S-Video cable (purchased separately), and works just as well. Actually, using the Component cable was not even an option, as the Standard DVR did not have a component option in the back. I still had to purchase it from a brick and mortar store (another one), but would have saved more money from Amazon.com. Again, I just didn't have the time to wait.
On a bit of an odd note; the included video player that installed with the application software, did not have the permissions to open up the folder where the videos are recorded to. Indeed, it had no permissions to open even the account folder itself. This is curious, as I am the administrator on this machine, an HP Tablet PC. I had to play the videos using another player.