Hauppauge pvr250mce $95 shipped

[htpcguru]

Originally posted by: psxjunky
My card just shipped from Z-Buy today

I got in when the price was $81 and got the FedEx shipping notification this morning.

Hope others, who are on back order, will get their too soon.

You might want to call them, I bet they shipped you a 28552 not a 32552 card.

 

[psxjunky]

Originally posted by: htpcguru

Originally posted by: psxjunky

My card just shipped from Z-Buy today



I got in when the price was $81 and got the FedEx shipping notification this morning.



Hope others, who are on back order, will get their too soon.

You might want to call them, I bet they shipped you a 28552 not a 32552 card.

Actually that will be wonderful if they really did that ! SageTV just added support for the "Blackbird" cards in their latest Beta, and I would love to see what the boradcast decoder alongside the new encoder can do to SDTV recording

In fact, if they send me a 32552 and and someone else here gets the 28552, I will be more than happy to trade.

 

[htpcguru]

Originally posted by: psxjunky

Originally posted by: htpcguru

You might want to call them, I bet they shipped you a 28552 not a 32552 card.

Actually that will be wonderful if they really did that ! SageTV just added support for the "Blackbird" cards in their latest Beta, and I would love to see what the boradcast decoder alongside the new encoder can do to SDTV recording

In fact, if they send me a 32552 and and someone else here gets the 28552, I will be more than happy to trade.

You might be happy about it, but most others thought they were getting a real WinTV-PVR-250 MCE card (32552). Despite what z-buy.com or Snapstream might be saying, the 28552 is not a WinTV-PVR-250 card, and will not work with SageTV 1.4 nor MythTV, it will work with SageTV 2.0 and vesions of BeyondTV earlier than 3.4.4 ignore the encoder chip and do software encoding.

I did contact z-buy.com and it appears that they are shipping 28552 cards and not the 32552 cards that was purchased.

 

[ww4397]

What is the difference between the 28552 and 32552 cards? Which is newer? Better? Mine hasn't shipped yet and I'd like to know more about each while I still have time to cancel if I have to.

Thanks.

 

[htpcguru]

Originally posted by: ww4397
What is the difference between the 28552 and 32552 cards? Which is newer? Better? Mine hasn't shipped yet and I'd like to know more about each while I still have time to cancel if I have to.

There's a very good article at htpcnews.com describing all of the various PVR cards available, you'll find it at: http://www.htpcnews.com/main.php?id=pvr_card_id_guide

 

[TerryMathews]

I plan on using SageTV 2 anyway, so is there a reason to not use this card (Does it work under WinXP Pro?)

Also, is there anyone on the web selling it cheaper than $89?

 

[psxjunky]

Originally posted by: htpcguru

Originally posted by: psxjunky

Originally posted by: htpcguru

You might want to call them, I bet they shipped you a 28552 not a 32552 card.

Actually that will be wonderful if they really did that ! SageTV just added support for the "Blackbird" cards in their latest Beta, and I would love to see what the boradcast decoder alongside the new encoder can do to SDTV recording

In fact, if they send me a 32552 and and someone else here gets the 28552, I will be more than happy to trade.

You might be happy about it, but most others thought they were getting a real WinTV-PVR-250 MCE card (32552). Despite what z-buy.com or Snapstream might be saying, the 28552 is not a WinTV-PVR-250 card, and will not work with SageTV 1.4 nor MythTV, it will work with SageTV 2.0 and vesions of BeyondTV earlier than 3.4.4 ignore the encoder chip and do software encoding.


I did contact z-buy.com and it appears that they are shipping 28552 cards and not the 32552 cards that was purchased.

htpcguru: I really don't understand why you are bashing this new card !!! What makes the 32552 a "real" WIN-TV-PVR-250MCE and the 28552 card not ? They are both very genuine WinTV PVR 250MCE cards from Hauppauge ... one based on an older design (32552) while the other based on a newer, supposedly better, design (28552)

32552 and 28552 both use the EXACT same MPEG2 encoder Chip, Conexant CX23416 ... which contributes mostly to the quality of the encoded video anyway. The 32552 is based on the older Conexant reference design, while the 28552 is based on the new Conexant "Blackbird" reference design, which along with the MPEG-2 encoder CX23416, also uses the new Broadcast decoder CX23880, which is supposed to do a better job of filtering, capturing and decoding TV signals.

The only fault, if any, of the 28552 is that it is not suppported under Linux yet. So what ? Support for new hardware under Linux has always lagged behind Windows anyway and Linux users have learned to deal with it. Everyone knows the Linux drivers will for this new design will eventually be released anyway ... so it is just a matter of time.

Sure, if I was running Linux and MythTV, I wouldn't be buying the 28552 card TODAY; but I dare to make a guess that most people in this forum are Windows users, and both SageTV Beta V2 (which is VERY close to final release, their release candidate 2 will be out tomorrow) and BeyondTV 3.4.4 (as well as Windows XP MCE) has support for this new design ... so there is absolutely no reason for any Windows users to not be happier with the 28552.

I do agree that Z-Buy should have informed customers before shipping a different (better) product than what they had ordered; but on their webpage they advertised this mainly for Windows XP MCE anyway, which does support the new card.

Anyway, everyone should make their own judgement based on facts. If you ask me, my simple answer would be "If you are running Linux/MythTV, go for the 32552 ... any Windows users, you are better off with 28552"

Hope this helps everyone here.

 

[psxjunky]

In fact, anyone interested in a cheap, but very good quality, "Blackbird" card should also consider the AverMedia M150 card which Newegg sells for $75 shipped.

The Avermedia M150 is based on the same Conexant "Blackbird" reference design and uses the same two chip (CX23416/23880) solution as the Hauppauge "Roslyn" WinTV-PVR 250MCE card, and I have personally tested the video quality of this card against the retail WinTV PVR 250 and the quality is absolutely equal, if not better.

Personally, I would probaby still spend a little more and get the Hauppauge card, just because Hauppauge has a much better track record, which AverMedia lacks. But if anyone wants to save a few bucks and try it out, go for the M150.

 

[htpcguru]

Originally posted by: psxjunky

htpcguru: I really don't understand why you are bashing this new card !!! What makes the 32552 a "real" WIN-TV-PVR-250MCE and the 28552 card not ? They are both very genuine WinTV PVR 250MCE cards from Hauppauge ... one based on an older design (32552) while the other based on a newer, supposedly better, design (28552)

I do agree that Z-Buy should have informed customers before shipping a different (better) product than what they had ordered; but on their webpage they advertised this mainly for Windows XP MCE anyway, which does support the new card.

Anyway, everyone should make their own judgement based on facts. If you ask me, my simple answer would be "If you are running Linux/MythTV, go for the 32552 ... any Windows users, you are better off with 28552"

Hope this helps everyone here.

psxjunky: When or where did I bash the 28552 card? I've never said anything good or bad about it only stated the facts about what it will and will not work with, much the same as you have. Where's the bashing? My only gripe is that z-buy.com substituted one card for another, one that I know for a fact they paid less for than what they were paying for the 32552 cards. I was simply informing people about the switch and providing information so they could make an educated decision.

 

[psxjunky]

htpcguru: Sorry I didn't mean to be rude ! It's just that you called the 32552 a "real" WinTV PVR 250MCE, which I thought was indirectly implying that the 28552 is a substandard card ... which it is not and I just wanted to clarify that.

Anyway, sorry again if I sounded rude ... come on, lets have a hug

I do agree though that Z-Buy should have at least informed customers before switching the product ... even if they thought it was a better product. If I was a hardcore MythTV user and wanted the 32552, i would be mad at Z-Buy for not letting me know before switching the card.

Okay - all the facts are out there now. Anyone who ordered this card from Z-Buy, should call them and confirm what they are going to ship, and cancel the order in case you don't want the 28552.

 

[takeru]

i have both the 32552 and 28552 card in front of me. using the pvr250 drivers from hauppauge site winxp mce found the 32552 with no problems. however, mce could not recognize the 28552 card at all, and the hauppauge drivers for pvr250 won't work with the 28552 card. so now then, where can one get drivers for the 28552 card so it can be seen in windows?

 

[iwearnosox]

$85 shipped at z-buy again.

(Why doesn't buy.com sue the sh!t out of them for the logo?)

 

[htpcguru]

Originally posted by: takeru
i have both the 32552 and 28552 card in front of me. using the pvr250 drivers from hauppauge site winxp mce found the 32552 with no problems. however, mce could not recognize the 28552 card at all, and the hauppauge drivers for pvr250 won't work with the 28552 card. so now then, where can one get drivers for the 28552 card so it can be seen in windows?

You can download the 28552 drivers from:
http://www.shspvr.com/mce.html

 

[psxjunky]

Originally posted by: htpcguru

Originally posted by: takeru

i have both the 32552 and 28552 card in front of me. using the pvr250 drivers from hauppauge site winxp mce found the 32552 with no problems. however, mce could not recognize the 28552 card at all, and the hauppauge drivers for pvr250 won't work with the 28552 card. so now then, where can one get drivers for the 28552 card so it can be seen in windows?

You can download the 28552 drivers from:

http://www.shspvr.com/mce.html

Also note that you (most likely) need MCE 2004 edition to use the "Blackbird" cards

I haven't tried the Hauppauge "Roslyn" "Blackbird" 250MCE with my MCE 2004 system yet, but I am using the AverMedia M150 with my MCE 2004 and it works beautifully. The M150 is also a "Blackbird" card ... based on the same reference design as the new Hauppauge "Roslyn" 28552 250MCE cards

So this may or may not work with the original MCE, but will definitely work with MCE 2004

Finally, don't expect the 32552 drivers to work with the 28552. As I described above, they are quite different as far as the underlying hardware goes ... so you need the specific drivers for the 28552 cards. Otherwise it is like trying to run the VIA 4 in 1 drivers for an nForce2 based motherboard ... you are only inviting trouble

 

[iwearnosox]

Originally posted by: psxjunky

Originally posted by: htpcguru

Originally posted by: takeru



i have both the 32552 and 28552 card in front of me. using the pvr250 drivers from hauppauge site winxp mce found the 32552 with no problems. however, mce could not recognize the 28552 card at all, and the hauppauge drivers for pvr250 won't work with the 28552 card. so now then, where can one get drivers for the 28552 card so it can be seen in windows?

You can download the 28552 drivers from:



http://www.shspvr.com/mce.html

Also note that you (most likely) need MCE 2004 edition to use the "Blackbird" cards



I haven't tried the Hauppauge "Roslyn" "Blackbird" 250MCE with my MCE 2004 system yet, but I am using the AverMedia M150 with my MCE 2004 and it works beautifully. The M150 is also a "Blackbird" card ... based on the same reference design as the new Hauppauge "Roslyn" 28552 250MCE cards



So this may or may not work with the original MCE, but will definitely work with MCE 2004



Finally, don't expect the 32552 drivers to work with the 28552. As I described above, they are quite different as far as the underlying hardware goes ... so you need the specific drivers for the 28552 cards. Otherwise it is like trying to run the VIA 4 in 1 drivers for an nForce2 based motherboard ... you are only inviting trouble

According to z-buy's description the card works fine in windows XP non-MCE?

 

[psxjunky]

Originally posted by: Sifl
According to z-buy's description the card works fine in windows XP non-MCE?

Yes, it makes sense that given the correct driver, it will work on any XP (XP MCE is basically XP Pro at heart, with the MCE application slapped on top of it). But because this is an OEM card, it does not come with any APPLICATION SOFTWARE.

So you need _some_ kind of a PVR application (WinXP MCE, SageTV, BeyondTV, GB-PVR etc) to get any real use out of it.

 

[iwearnosox]

Originally posted by: psxjunky

Originally posted by: Sifl

According to z-buy's description the card works fine in windows XP non-MCE?

Yes, it makes sense that given the correct driver, it will work on any XP (XP MCE is basically XP Pro at heart, with the MCE application slapped on top of it). But because this is an OEM card, it does not come with any APPLICATION SOFTWARE.



So you need _some_ kind of a PVR application (WinXP MCE, SageTV, BeyondTV, GB-PVR etc) to get any real use out of it.

Or a usenet account.

 

[takeru]

Originally posted by: psxjunky

Yes, it makes sense that given the correct driver, it will work on any XP (XP MCE is basically XP Pro at heart, with the MCE application slapped on top of it). But because this is an OEM card, it does not come with any APPLICATION SOFTWARE.

So you need _some_ kind of a PVR application (WinXP MCE, SageTV, BeyondTV, GB-PVR etc) to get any real use out of it.

of those applications, which ones have an option to use the a/v line in jacks on a 28552/32552?

 

[psxjunky]

SageTV definitely does and I am pretty sure MCE and BeyondTV does too. I don't know about GB-PVR

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: psxjunky

Originally posted by: Sifl

According to z-buy's description the card works fine in windows XP non-MCE?

Yes, it makes sense that given the correct driver, it will work on any XP (XP MCE is basically XP Pro at heart, with the MCE application slapped on top of it). But because this is an OEM card, it does not come with any APPLICATION SOFTWARE.



So you need _some_ kind of a PVR application (WinXP MCE, SageTV, BeyondTV, GB-PVR etc) to get any real use out of it.

What are the differences between SageTV and BeyondTV?

I've seen screen shots of Beyond TV and it looks great.

I want best bang for my buck, easy to use and powerful.

 

[TerryMathews]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: psxjunky

Originally posted by: Sifl

According to z-buy's description the card works fine in windows XP non-MCE?

Yes, it makes sense that given the correct driver, it will work on any XP (XP MCE is basically XP Pro at heart, with the MCE application slapped on top of it). But because this is an OEM card, it does not come with any APPLICATION SOFTWARE.



So you need _some_ kind of a PVR application (WinXP MCE, SageTV, BeyondTV, GB-PVR etc) to get any real use out of it.

What are the differences between SageTV and BeyondTV?

I've seen screen shots of Beyond TV and it looks great.

I want best bang for my buck, easy to use and powerful.

SageTV supports multiple tuners. That is the major difference, as no other home PVR software supports multiple tuners (yet).

*You can kinda make myHTPC do it, but not with the suave of SageTV. SageTV works like a DirecTivo, where it automatically manages recordings and assigns them to tuners instead of the user having to do it.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: TerryMathews

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: psxjunky

Originally posted by: Sifl

According to z-buy's description the card works fine in windows XP non-MCE?

Yes, it makes sense that given the correct driver, it will work on any XP (XP MCE is basically XP Pro at heart, with the MCE application slapped on top of it). But because this is an OEM card, it does not come with any APPLICATION SOFTWARE.



So you need _some_ kind of a PVR application (WinXP MCE, SageTV, BeyondTV, GB-PVR etc) to get any real use out of it.

What are the differences between SageTV and BeyondTV?

I've seen screen shots of Beyond TV and it looks great.

I want best bang for my buck, easy to use and powerful.

SageTV supports multiple tuners. That is the major difference, as no other home PVR software supports multiple tuners (yet).

*You can kinda make myHTPC do it, but not with the suave of SageTV. SageTV works like a DirecTivo, where it automatically manages recordings and assigns them to tuners instead of the user having to do it.

Damn you!

Why would someone buy Beyond TV over Sage TV?

 

[psxjunky]

RossMAN: Take a look at this thread from AVSForum ...

PVR Software for HTPC : SageTV, SnapStream, MythTV, WinXP MCE, myHTPC, Freevo etc.

I have tried both BeyondTV and SageTV and found SageTV to be much better suited to my needs. Multiple tuner support was definitely a huge advantage, but I also found SageTV to be lot more stable. Sage hasn't crashed for me a single time yet ... even using the beta version, whereas BeyondTV locked up more than once a day during my trial period with them.

I have been using SageTV for over 6 months now and I couldn't be happier. I have a TiVo, a ReplayTV and a WinXP MCE machine ... but all I use now is my SageTV machine with 4 tuners

My only gripe about SageTV was the ugly user interface back in the v1.4 days. But SageTV v2.0 has done an awesome job of fixing it ... the interface looks beautiful now.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend SageTV.

 

[huesmann]

No, tell us how you really feel, psxjunky!

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: psxjunky
RossMAN: Take a look at this thread from AVSForum ...



PVR Software for HTPC : SageTV, SnapStream, MythTV, WinXP MCE, myHTPC, Freevo etc.



I have tried both BeyondTV and SageTV and found SageTV to be much better suited to my needs. Multiple tuner support was definitely a huge advantage, but I also found SageTV to be lot more stable. Sage hasn't crashed for me a single time yet ... even using the beta version, whereas BeyondTV locked up more than once a day during my trial period with them.



I have been using SageTV for over 6 months now and I couldn't be happier. I have a TiVo, a ReplayTV and a WinXP MCE machine ... but all I use now is my SageTV machine with 4 tuners



My only gripe about SageTV was the ugly user interface back in the v1.4 days. But SageTV v2.0 has done an awesome job of fixing it ... the interface looks beautiful now.



I'd wholeheartedly recommend SageTV.

This is DEFINITELY NOT universal. I have had Beyond TV crash only ONCE, and it was due to another app. Otherwise it has been flawless.

In addition, BeyondTV will soon support multiple tuners.


THe first killer part of Beyond TV is that it is accessible from anywhere. since it is web-based, watching live tv and recorded programs can be done at any computer with internet access (56kbps-10Mbps+)

The second killer app is batch encoding. It can be set to encode @ wma or divx nightly, without intervention.


Sage is Nice, but I am not about to buy it and wait; I absolutely hait the current interface.