I don't know where this post should go, in the hardware section or the wishlist section. First, I would like to know which boards are exclusively Media Center Edition boards, which boards are exclusively Windows XP and which work in both Media Center and Windows XP (like the 250MCE).
Secondly, I think it would be helpful for people exploring the sight that this information is posted next to the list of compatible hardware. I just bought a board that won't work in my computer which I am now reselling on Ebay. I'm not bitter; I'm just annoyed that it's so hard to find out which boards I can use.
Theres lots of obscure boards out there, but you're probably better off just going with the tried and true Hauppauge PVR250. Its well supported and works with most PVR software. The other manufacturer cards are a bit more hit or miss...
FWIW the PVR250 MCE cards are working great on my setup.
I actually was posting some general feedback on the website. I was hoping that the list of TV Tuner Cards on the home page could be more detailed. It would be nice to know which operating system the cards are designed for, if they're USB, PCI or something else, features these boards have (and don't have--such as FM Tuner and no TV-out), and whether or not these boards have been discontinued. Also, maybe in the future there could be a list of generic "Blackbird" and GO7007SB cards on another page.
I'm not trying to attack anyone; I'd be willing to put together a table of all the hardware if I knew all the info. I just got a little confused when I found out that 75% of the hardware listed was no longer being sold or was not compatible with Windows XP (and ended up buying the wrong one).
I understood the question. Unfortunately, I just dont know that much about most of the cards.
What card is not compatible with XP? As far as I know all the devices listed are compatible with XP. The only ones I know are discontinued are the AverMedia cards.
To be quite honest, GB-PVR is designed and developed for the Hauppauge PVR250/PVR350 and the Plextor M-402U. These are the devices I own. Any thing else is luck of the draw, and generally just supported through the fact they are clones of these hauppauge devices (and use the same conexant derived drivers). These other cards listed on the front page are clones devices which people have indicated function ok with GB-PVR. This is why my initial comment said to go for a hauppauge. If something goes wrong with one of these other cards, I can only be of limited help...
I did also briefly have access to a PV258 (blackbird) card, but this card has gone back to its owner.
Thanks man. I actually just did the smart thing and asked the manufacturer. The only reason I didn't do this earlier was that I'm pretty sure they're going to tell me that it is designed for Windows MCE and that they can't comment on whether or not it will work under XP (legal BS). I think I'm just going to resell this on Ebay and buy a PVR250.
MCE runs on XP Pro. It's just another application altho MS makes it difficult to get without buying a whole computer. If you have an MSDN subscription you get MCE with it and can install it on an XP Pro system assuming you have 'approved' video, capture, & IR hardware. If the board will work on MCE it should work on XP, since XP is the OS, not MCE.
I have MCE on an HP machine. I am seriously under-whelmed by MCE. It's very fragile and the support for it is practically non-existent. The MCE newsgroups are full of folks pleading for help (SP2 hosed many MCE installations, including mine). I installed GB-PVR about a month ago and haven't run MCE since. I think it's a much better package.
Could the problem be that I am running Home Edition? I always assumed that the core of Home/Pro/MCE was the same. Perhaps I'm wrong.
p.s. thanks for all your help.