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post #21 of 44
7/13/04 at 3:01pm
Thread Starter 
I saw this in the System requirements for the Hauppage:

USB port - 1.1 or 2.0 (performance is the same on either USB 1.1 or 2.0)

I was wondering if this is true. Cos if I want to record movies, I was thinking USB2.0 is a must as its much much faster than USB1.1
I was of the assumption that the quality of recording is gonna be diff with 1.1 and 2.0
Any thoughts on this ?
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post #22 of 44
7/13/04 at 6:38pm
Thread Starter 
anymore thoughts on the TV Tuner ?
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post #23 of 44
7/13/04 at 7:37pm
As of now, there are really only 2 quality "best bang for your buck" choices in the external tv tuner market:

The Transcend TV-Box USB 2.0 or the new ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0 which should be coming out later this summer.

Personally, i'm waiting for the new ATI to hit the shelves. It has been in development for a while so I imagine that it's going to have some quality software to really compliment the tuner and take full advantage of the usb 2.0's video capabilities.

Here's an in-depth review of the transcend tv box:

http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews/tvbox/
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post #24 of 44
7/13/04 at 7:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by raviloko
I saw this in the System requirements for the Hauppage:

USB port - 1.1 or 2.0 (performance is the same on either USB 1.1 or 2.0)

I was wondering if this is true. Cos if I want to record movies, I was thinking USB2.0 is a must as its much much faster than USB1.1
I was of the assumption that the quality of recording is gonna be diff with 1.1 and 2.0
Any thoughts on this ?
USB 1.1 is NOT as fast as USB 2.0 so that obviously means that video and audio will suffer if the device is not built for usb 2.0.
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post #25 of 44
7/13/04 at 7:59pm
Usb 1.1 maxes out at 11mbps, which is absolutely too low for video.
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post #26 of 44
7/13/04 at 9:03pm
Thread Starter 
Does the Transcend USB2.0 use software or hardware encoding ?
I read in some reviews that the ones with hardware encoding are better equipped for the capture/recording.

I found the Adaptec USB2 product

http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/pro...e+and+Creation

which does hardware encoding. Of course its around 140 bucks.
also the costlier ones from Hauppage employ hardware encoding.

any thoughts on this encoding business ?
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post #27 of 44
7/13/04 at 9:47pm
What to look for when buying an USB TV-tuner:

Hardware MPEG2 Encoding (if it is done by software it will require at least P42.0 GHz to be able to capture to Mpeg2 at 640*480 at 30fps, and if you want to be able to use your laptop for something else in the meantime, software encoding is not an option, no matter how fast your CPU is.).

USB2.0 support if you want full frams and best resolution.

I don't think there is a HDTV capture device (that captures in full HDTV resolution) right now due to restrictions(?) Atleast that is what is appears like looking at http://www.usbhdtv.com/specification_01.html
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post #28 of 44
7/14/04 at 4:08pm
USB-HDTV is nice but the price is steep. I am curious if the picture quality will be any better than transcend usa or the upcoming ATI TV Wonder tuner.

Any ideas when the ATI model will be available in the market?
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post #29 of 44
7/15/04 at 12:02am
Hauppage WinTV PVR USB2 has hardware encoding and can be found for ~$170. You can buy it from Snapstream bundled with their "Tivo"-ish software for $230. Anyone know if the Gainward TV2Go has hardware encoding? Anyone try the gainward or hauppage? Anyone try the sager internal tv tuner?

Thanks for the replies! Hope this thread isn't dead already!
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post #30 of 44
7/15/04 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 
I think the Gainward Hollywood@home TV2go uses software encoding according to the specs at their website

http://www.gainward.com/html/product...v2go/tv2go.htm

I placed an order for the Adaptec VideoOh! DVD Media Center USB2.0 which does h/w encoding for 145. I can try the Snapstream trial version on this and will decide if I wanna buy their software.
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post #31 of 44
7/15/04 at 2:05pm
eheh I use my RCA Lyra 2780 to record TV at 320x240 resolution...not the best solution in the world but I got it for free ;-)
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post #32 of 44
7/15/04 at 2:07pm
Thread Starter 
I think nothing beats "free"
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post #33 of 44
7/15/04 at 2:14pm
if you want software compatibility and high-quality recording, get the hauppauge. Most of the best PVR software for Windows supports their products. They've got the best bang for buck when it comes to capture devices, and the USB version is no step backwards. And yes, you'll need USB 2.0 to view it. It's an absolute necessity. BTW, my suggestions for software are Snapstream BeyondTV or SageTV. Both are highly advanced TV recording software.

Personally I've got a HTPC box running mythTV using KnoppMyth linux and a Hauppauge WinTV PVR-250. It's a great setup.
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post #34 of 44
7/15/04 at 5:33pm
Raviloko, I found some other software I posted here: http://notebookforums.com/showthread...549#post329549

Let me know if you like either of the paid or freeware software. They've all been rated about the same so I'd be interested in your take.
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post #35 of 44
7/15/04 at 5:41pm
From what it sounds like I'll probably end up doing a combo order of Hauppage WinTV PVR USB2+either SageTV or Snapstream depending on which I like in my tests and based on what you people think. Probably won't opt for the $110 included TV Tuner on the 4750 after hearing this
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post #36 of 44
7/15/04 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Air,

Will do that. but have to wait till i get my cl 56 and the Adaptec Tuner which employs hardware encoding, hopefully good quality. Snapstream supports the adaptec hardware as well.
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post #37 of 44
7/15/04 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
My order with ZZF got cancelled for the Adaptec DVD media center. I am looking for the Hauppage WinTV PVR USB2 but seems like its out of stock everywhere

Any clues on where I can find it ?
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post #38 of 44
7/15/04 at 6:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbc
That is real nice but it costs 249 bucks. If you do not have an HDTV quality screen, does this unit have a purpose.

I like ATI's solution, but when will it be available?
Please Note that HD is 1024 X ????, so YES you have a HD screen on your laptop.

About the Share overnetwork from ATI AIW, I question if that will immediately work since it seems that the regular ATI Radion drivers wont detect the M11 Mobile properly.
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post #39 of 44
7/15/04 at 6:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by raviloko
My order with ZZF got cancelled for the Adaptec DVD media center. I am looking for the Hauppage WinTV PVR USB2 but seems like its out of stock everywhere

Any clues on where I can find it ?
http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.js...&u=c&WT.mc_t=U

Or try messing around with SageTV or Snapstream, or read some reviews, and get a combo bundle for only $30 more than you'll pay for hardware only (unless freeware http://myhtpc.net/ is better than either of those two in which case don't get the bundle).
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post #40 of 44
7/15/04 at 7:13pm
Thread Starter 
Thx Air,

The bundle at snapstream is backordered. The sage TV bundle is available for 229.
I was gonna buy the Adaptec stuff for 140 and i am on a tight budget. do you think its worth to go for the SageTV bundle with Hauppage for 229 ?
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