Hauppauge 1213 WinTV-HVR-2250 PCI-E x1 Dual TV Tuner by Hauppauge
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Our Price: $200.38 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Hauppauge 1213 WinTV-HVR-2250 PCI-E x1 Dual TV Tuner
Digital camera Review: Good product for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't have a lot of technical specs to share, but when I first plugged this in, I had a ton of problems trying to get it to work properly with Vista Media Center. After reading through a lot of forums and stuff, I saw that there was a pack that you had to download from Microsoft (but turns out, it will come with the regular updates). Then (and this is key), you have to go to the Hauppauge website and download the latest drivers for the device. This will allow you to use the tuner with the Digital signal (and download the proper guide).
Works great, no complaints.
Digital camera Review: Good tuners
Summary: 3 Stars
The WinTV-HVR-2250 comes with two dual tuners. It allows you to record up to two channels at once, either digital or analog, while concurrently watching either one. The board is easy to install, and allows you to connect a TV antenna/cable, an FM antenna, and an analog A/V source for capture or viewing. There is also an auxiliary A/V panel that allows you to connect a second analog A/V source.
The package also comes with a Windows Media Center compliant remote control, an IR receiver and an IR blaster. The included software gives you the necessary drivers for the tuner card, as well as the WinTV application, which allows you to record and watch TV, and capture content from an external device such as an analog video camera or VCR.
When Windows 7 beta was first released, I needed a tuner card and an RC that worked seamlessly with its Media Center. This tuner card worked very well and subsequent driver releases gave me stronger signals than I thought possible. The included WinTV software did not offer me much. But the card worked well enough with Media Center that I bought a second. That let me record up to four programs at once, watch/pause live TV, etc. The remote control had a tremendous range. I could aim almost anywhere and get it to work properly, even from the next room.
A review is only relevant if you get the same product. The two I got differed from each other, yet shared the same model number. The current stock differs from them both. Some manufacturers tout renamed products as improved, even if it's questionable whether it's better or worse than before. Others reserve the right to make changes. Hauppauge's changes could be seen as anything from cosmetic to deal breakers. If you already had the product or decided to buy it based on a review, you might be have been surprised to have received something different.
My first card had the two antenna inputs, an S-video jack, and a 3.5mm jack for audio. It had a second panel with three RCA jacks and a connector for an included A/V cable set. It had a USB IR receiver with a 1/2 inch by 2 inch front bezel and jacks in the back for TWO included IR blasters. It worked better than any IR receiver I had in any device. The next one I bought looked similar, but the configuration of the connectors changed. It was arguably cosmetic, but the mini stereo audio jack was gone. The new combination was less flexible but not a deal breaker. The product took away one option but replaced it with an extra RCA audio hookup. I didn't get what I expected, but somebody who expected to get what a reviewer touted might have had problems.
Buying the second kit was an easy decision. I was able to install the card in the same PC as the first and use the extra remote control and IR receiver with my bedroom TV and PC. That PC runs Windows 7 Media Center and is on a network, so the Recorded TV appears the same as on the PC with the tuners. Aside from its record button, a remote control is just as useful on remote media PCs that access the same content. The USB receiver worked out of the box without drivers. Getting the card and remote separately would have given me less for my money.
The current version of the WinTV-HVR-2250 kit has cards that look like the ones I got with my original purchase . The mini jack is now a connector for the IR receiver/blaster. It's arguably an improvement that frees up a USB port but it renders the remote control useless without the tuner card. Likewise, the elimination of an IR blaster is only an issue for those who bought this needing two. I can't say how well the dime sized bezel on the new IR receiver works compared to the larger ones that came with my remotes. But if I had based my rating on my earlier experience, it would have been under the assumption that the package still came with the same IR receiver.
Before I built an HTPC for my family room, my office PC did all the recording. I don't find a need for a remote control when seated at my desk. My bedroom TV is about 15 feet from my headboard, and connected to a laptop. The kit I purchased originally would have been the best way to upgrade the tuner in the office and provide a USB receiver/remote that works from far away. Ordering the same item/model number today could have given me something very unexpected. Finding out that you need an adapter could be a potential frustration. But realizing that a remote won't work without installing the tuner card might be worse when you have a laptop. If you use a media server for recording, and use other devices for watching your recordings, this might not be the best choice. But as tuner cards go, it works better than any I've used over the years. For a media center PC that needs tuners and a remote control at a typical distance, this might be the perfect choice. But I'd recommend downloading the Quick Installation Guide to be safe.
Digital camera Review: Good two-port card for watching TV on your computer
Summary: 4 Stars
This card goes into your computer to allow your to watch or record TV (over-the-air, analog cable, or unencrypted digital cable) on your computer.
Installation was easy (for the tech-savy; for the non-techies the instructions are very clear). Got it running in Windows Media Center (XP). Sadly, when Comcast shifted to a largely digital signal in our area we lost many of the channels, and haven't found a way to get them back (I refuse to pay for and use the extra set-top boxes needed to decode all the channels, though this card can automatically send the IR control signals needed to operate them). So, not perfect for our situation, but a good card nontheless.
Digital camera Review: Great
Summary: 4 Stars
Great card, records well from my cable TV, two shows at once! I use BeyondTV with it which is excellent for scheduling. Subtracted 1 star since bundled software isn't great, and I couldn't get the remote to work on Windows 7 64-bit.Digital camera Review: Great DUAL DIGITAL Tuner for Over the air TV signal
Summary: 5 Stars
Great product. I wanted this card to watch Over the air HDTV signals in Toronto, ON.
Pros: Took out of the box, installed driver, told Vista that I'm in Niagara Falls NY and voila, Media Center recognized and started using both tuners to record HD broadcasts. HD video is nice and flawless. Didn't think it was going to be so easy to have a nice HD PVR, even wife likes it. Remote Control is a big plus as according to Panasonic, my TV RC can 'mimic' windows vista Media Center RC but it never worked with the existing IR of my PC (Antec Fusion Black). MC remote provided with this card works flawlessly with the remote receiver of the chassis, no need to use the IR receiver provided with the card.
Cons: Don't know if it's a con, but according to my TV set signal meter, it received ~80% of signal strength of the available OTA channels. When installed, the card didn't bring any channels at all. Then I bought a cheap Nexxtech Video signal amplifier (around 27 dollars) that adds +14db and solved that problem (all channels are now 100%, receiving a couple more now)
For Canadian customers (at least in Toronto) maybe this would help. When using Vista Media Center I couldn't bring the guide for OTA Canadian stations after telling MC to use Canada's settings, but after entering the closest US city postal code (in my case, Niagara Falls, NY) MC was now able to configure the card (analog and digital) and bring all my local Canadian channel lineup (Global, CBC, CTV, CHCH, OMNI, etc with all the guide's features.
Final thought: I had no idea how useful is to have 2 HD Digital Tuners. This card wasn't really my first option, I was considering other 'dual' tuner cards that actually were digital + analog, not 2 digital at the same time. Then I decided for this one. In one week I already had to either record 2 HD programs at the same time, or wanted to watch one HD channel while recording kept another HD one. This is the only card that could've accomplished this.
I'm very happy with this card.