Hauppauge WinTV HVR-950 - ATSC HDTV receiver / analog TV tuner - Hi-Speed USB

Summary: I bought this pretty cheap $79, compared to the $129 I've seen anywhere else, at RadioShack. I wanted to record tv shows to watch later on my computer. Installing ...

Read more

Summary: I bought this pretty cheap $79, compared to the $129 I've seen anywhere else, at RadioShack. I wanted to record tv shows to watch later on my computer. Installing the software required was straightforward with the included 3.3b CD, using the default settings of that menu.

The WinTV software allows you to tune into digital channels; one bad thing is that the only information displayed within the program is the channel number. ATSC signals include the program name and program description, but the only way you can see this information is by going to a TV listings website to view what the stations are showing. Windows Media Center includes this functionality in its program, and it downloads program guides from a tv listings website, and shows the program name and information. Small drawback that both methods require an internet connection.

When viewing the digital channels in either Windows Media Center or the WinTV application, I didn't notice any difference between one or the other. Changing channels within either program occurred pretty quickly.

I tried using the beta version of WinTV available on hauppauge's website, but, as expected, there are some bugs that need to be worked out. Once those are done, the new version should be a nice program, however, still without displaying tv program information.

Show less

Summary: I would recommend this to anyone for a first time tv tuner, the picture is very good but the setup is a little tricky, I still can't get MCE ...

Read more

Summary: I would recommend this to anyone for a first time tv tuner, the picture is very good but the setup is a little tricky, I still can't get MCE to find the tuner even with the downloads from hauppauge. I am not an expert on these things so if I can set it up anyone could. So for 59.00 from circuit city it is a real deal.

Show less

Summary: I downloaded the beta version driver for vista, and it has been nothing but a nightmare. The version that came with the package is not bad, but still not the ...

Read more

Summary: I downloaded the beta version driver for vista, and it has been nothing but a nightmare. The version that came with the package is not bad, but still not the best. I would not recommend using accompanied software, the picture is awful compared to MCE. When using MCE you have to install an encoder for the tuner and download and install and MPEG decoder. If you are like me, you will have a lot of conflicts with codecs. Be sure to find a good how to online.

Show less

Summary: Installation sequence when using software
downloaded off the website:
1. Plug in device. Make sure to expand the little antennae to its fullest height.
2. Install drivers.
3. Run "Setup.



...

Read more

Summary: Installation sequence when using software
downloaded off the website:
1. Plug in device. Make sure to expand the little antennae to its fullest height.
2. Install drivers.
3. Run "Setup.exe"
4. Install mpg codecs off installation CD. 5.Install TV Viewer (Wintv 6 or Wintv 2000)

This sequence has to be followed even if you use the installation CD. Follow the directions on the quick install exactly. If something goes wrong, run the "clear everything" exe off of the CD, and try again!!!

Analog picture needs an excellent antennae to have a clear picture, otherwise it's going to be a little snowy. I only got a clear picture when I connected to my roof antennae.

Digital pictures are excellent, but you may have to move antennae around. Digital signals are "line of sight" dependent. If the pictures look strange or too large for your screen, navigate to the Wintv folder on your computer and click the Primary.exe and select "forced primary," or if this is already selected, try each selection until one works for you. This also may help if your laptop or desktop is a little underpowered.

If you cannot get the software to search for digital stations, make sure you have installed the mpg codecs off of the cd.

I used my old underpowered Toshiba 1.7 tablet. And it worked fine even when recording Digital TV, but used 95+ CPU power, with a few occasional "dropped" frames. A newer 2+core CPU should not have any problems at all doing multi-tasking activities. This little wonder, does not have any hardware decoding, so the computer's cpu and software are used.

"The Scheduler" works with the WinTV2000 version. To convert mpg's to ipod's or divx, you have to buy additional software for 24.00 USD.

There are a few YouTube videos on the installation of this device. The one I saw was pretty funny. He was out of sequence and wondered why nothing worked. He tried installing the drivers without plugging in the device first. Funny.

My thoughts:

Overall, badly written software installation package. Software interface is not logically positioned. Analog tuner is just adequate.

Digital pictures are very good (one of the free software tuners actually has a better picture). The pseudo Tivo (pause control) is cute but limited. The save files are huge, as expected.

Overall I love it, but took way too much time and eneryg to get to work properly.

Show less