Just got my TV Tuner card

Open discussion about any topic, as long as you abide by the rules of course!
Post Reply
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Just got my TV Tuner card

Post by Transient »

Picked up a Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 last night. So far I've been able to get it to play all the basic cable channels, and tinkered with recording/pausing TV. It works pretty well. I need to go back out and get an S-Video cable, though (I think that's what I need?), because I can't get all my other channels (about 400 of them).

Also, I've got a question. Should I use the preset compression options that the card offers for keeping filesizes to a reasonable level, or should I record at high quality and then use a 3rd party proggie to compress them? If the latter, what should I use? I know there's one out there that'll let me crop out segments (read: commercials) and do a bit of minor editing as well as reduce the filesize by a huge amount. I used it a few times in the past, but forgot the name of it. :(
Top
User avatar
PhoeniX
Posts: 4067
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2000 7:00 am

Post by PhoeniX »

a 30 minute show into around a 200mb avi should look good for TV Playback (though it depends what it is).
Top
SoM
Posts: 8489
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 1999 8:00 am

Post by SoM »

u shouldnt need the s-vid cable..

just run a channel scan and it should pick em all up, it did for my friend who has 600+ channels
[color=red][WYD][/color]S[color=red]o[/color]M
Top
+JuggerNaut+
Posts: 22175
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2001 7:00 am

Post by +JuggerNaut+ »

SoM wrote:u shouldnt need the s-vid cable..

just run a channel scan and it should pick em all up, it did for my friend who has 600+ channels
SOM's right for once, Svid has nothing to do with the amount of channels you're getting.

but, why the hell WOULDN'T you get an Svid cable?? quality difference over a composite cable is night and day. add to that, they're cheap as hell.
Top
+JuggerNaut+
Posts: 22175
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2001 7:00 am

Post by +JuggerNaut+ »

oh, and reply to this:
+JuggerNaut+ wrote:
Transient wrote:
riddla wrote:I'd probably eat beef again, little risk of mad cow this way.
Mad cow disease is bullshit.
oh, let's hear this one
Top
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Post by Transient »

I was just being a smartass. I think if forgot a smiley. :icon32:

BTW I still can't get the channels working. Hmm, I think maybe I have something plugged in wrong...
Here's a diagram of the spiderweb in back of my desk:

Image

The A/B switch allows me to watch extended cable in the A position, which I can record things on the VCR with, then switch over to the B position to watch basic cable at the same time. Currently the cable going from the A/B switch to the splitter is missing, as I didn't have enough cables. I forgot to pick one up while I was out. :/
I also need to get a 4-way splitter, as I'm using a 3-way ATM.

Can someone at least tell me whether that SHOULD work?
I can get all the basic cable stations, but nothing from extended cable (channels 126-900+).
Top
+JuggerNaut+
Posts: 22175
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2001 7:00 am

Post by +JuggerNaut+ »

so when you're watching from your pc, is that signal being routed through your vcr?

if so, that might be your problem.
Top
+JuggerNaut+
Posts: 22175
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2001 7:00 am

Post by +JuggerNaut+ »

wire that tuner card straight to the cable box and i bet it works. process of elimination.
Top
shadd_
Posts: 2512
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:02 pm

Post by shadd_ »

there must be some setting for this that you missed in the pvr control panel?
[size=75]i never meant to give you mushrooms girl[/size]
Top
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Post by Transient »

Alright, I unplugged the VCR from the bakc of the cable box and ran the TV Tuner card straight to the cable box. Now I only get channel 3, but it displays whatever channel I change it to on the TV guide. So now I use my regular cable TV remote, not the WinTV remote. :lol:

So I guess what I need to do is get a 2-way splitter and run the VCR in with the TV Tuner card into the back of the cable box. :)
[quote="YourGrandpa"]I'm satisfied with voicing my opinion and moving on.[/quote]
Top
+JuggerNaut+
Posts: 22175
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2001 7:00 am

Post by +JuggerNaut+ »

yeah, iirc, vcr tuners only go up to about 120-127 or some crap.
Top
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Post by Transient »

Crap, no audio. I forgot about that... Hmm...
Connecting a stereo audio cable from the audio out on the cable box to the line in on the tuner card doesn't work. WTF, work you stupid thing!
edit: nvm, it was just quiet
Last edited by Transient on Tue Aug 16, 2005 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Top
SoM
Posts: 8489
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 1999 8:00 am

Post by SoM »

Transient wrote:Crap, no audio. I forgot about that... Hmm...
Connecting a stereo audio cable from the audio out on the cable box to the line in on the tuner card doesn't work. WTF, work you stupid thing!
iirc the audio out from tuner should go into the line in on soundcard
[color=red][WYD][/color]S[color=red]o[/color]M
Top
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Post by Transient »

Ya, SoM, I did that and got perfect audio, but it was constant. Even when I wasn't watching TV on the PC it could be heard. That, plus anything I would have recorded would have been mute I think.

At any rate, it's working. It was just really quiet (plus I had music playing).
[quote="YourGrandpa"]I'm satisfied with voicing my opinion and moving on.[/quote]
Top
SoM
Posts: 8489
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 1999 8:00 am

Post by SoM »

make sure ur mixer settings are at full volume
[color=red][WYD][/color]S[color=red]o[/color]M
Top
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Post by Transient »

Cheers, that helped a bit.

I'm off to Radio Shack to return this S-Video cable I don't need, plus the audio stereo cable. I'll pick up a splitter while I'm there so I can watch stuff on my regular TV set, too. :)
[quote="YourGrandpa"]I'm satisfied with voicing my opinion and moving on.[/quote]
Top
User avatar
79DieselRabbit
Posts: 39
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2001 7:00 am

Post by 79DieselRabbit »

Most likely, channels 126+ are broadcast in "digital" or encoded so the Coax tuner on the PVR150 won't pick them up.
You can get them by running the S-Video cable from the cable box to the PVR150, but then that'll be a straight video signal. You'd have to switch inputs on the WinTV program (I assume thats what your using) and the channels will be tuned (changed) through the cable box and it's remote. The audio cables for this method should go into the PVR150 card. There are some registry hacks to adjust the volume the PVR150 encodes the audio at but I don't have the link on me and google is failing me right now. It's a common issue, I had to do it for my PVR250's.
Top
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Post by Transient »

Anyone know of a video compression proggie that'll let me crop out segments (read: commercials) and do a bit of minor editing as well as reduce the filesize by a huge amount? I used one a few times in the past, but forgot the name of it. :(
There's a specific one that I'm thinking of, but the name eludes me. *googles*

edit: I think I'm thinking of VirtualDub
Top
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Post by Transient »

Goddamnit, now I need an mpeg to avi converter, but none of the ones I can find are free... >:E

edit: sorted
Top
netrex
Posts: 810
Joined: Sat Mar 09, 2002 8:00 am

Post by netrex »

Be sure to test out DScaler. There is nothing quite like it.
[color=#DFB257][b]کΛFŦ | netrex[/b][/color] of [url=http://www.saft-clan.net/]S.A.F.T. - The Pride of [color=#FF0000]No[/color]rw[color=#0000FF]ay[/color][/url]
Top
Post Reply

Return to “General Discussion”