HD PVR Experiences?

[zed]

Anyone else with experiences good or bad with the device?

I have one of the originals, I think it was one of the first batch shipped, and it has worked fine since day one. No problems at all with it. I use it to record off my cable STB then watch & delete. I'm still using the original drivers that were on the CD.

[smajor]

I was one of the ones that posted about the newer rev. Mine is a "D" series that only works with the beta driver on their site, which is causing some problems with GB-PVR since the beta driver does AC3 and not AAC by default. I originally had a C1 unit that was CONSTANTLY freezing up after about an hour or two of use.

I contacted Hauppauge via email and explained what was happening. Without any other info they offered to exchange it right away. Since I was still getting some use of it, I asked about an advance ship of a replacement if I secured the return of the defective one with a credit card. That wasn't a problem for them.

The new unit has been FLAWLESS. I'm a happy customer.

[bigstusexy]

I think the drivers matter too. I had it running for a week without it being installed ok and since I had never installed drivers for it on this OS I was going to stick with 1.0b but then I saw they had released 1.1 final so I've tried them and it seems to still be stable.

I also think that the drivers load software into the box it's self and should never mix and match dirver and always install from the program.


I have also noticed that with ever driver revision (1.0b, 1 beta, and 1.1) that the file structure seems to be different in each.
1.0b FFmpeg didn't like the files it made
beta, FFmpeg likes it, seeking is sometimes hit and miss with ffdshow.
1.1, ffmpeg likes, ffdshow is still hit and miss with seeking, Media Player Classic can't detect audio in it.

So far the 1.1 drivers have made me happy I just though that all this would be sorted out by now.

[SFX Group]

Hi

Ive just been looking at it, whats with the drivers and GBPVR? which work and which do not (non are listed on Hauppauge website).

Do i understand there is only 1 HDPVR and its NTSC and PAL? how do you tell it whcih signal (or does it do it itself?)

Does the IR blaster integrate with GBPVR as well? this would be VERY handy.

[ddoxsee]

I can't answer all your questions SFX, but I'll at least tell you what I've noted from other post's on this forum.

The drivers are still an issue with GBPVR because some of the new ones default to AC3 encoding for audio which is currently an issue (instead of AAC). The HD PVR 1212 isn't really "controllable" in the sense of PAL/NTSC or the resolution it records in, it records whatever it get's and that's determined by it in hardware and you can't set it. I have my cable box locked to outputting 720P so that's how mine always records, though the HD PVR is supposed to auto sense changes and adjust accordingly, I can't confirm how well this works.

I'm sorry for the lack of detail in some of my answers but it's caused by the fact that I don't use GBPVR in the same way most here do. I use a PS3 for playback and a "weak" computer + HD PVR as the recorder only. The only current drawback to doing this is the fact the PS3's browser has issue's with GBPVR's webserver (these are known and should be fixed in the future) so I have to use a PC to schedule recordings instead of the PS3. Once things I wish to watch are recorded, I can use the PS3's web browser to stream play them off the computer (it has HFS webserving them) or download them to the PS3 and play them that way. Stream play or download and play both work very well on the PS3 to TV or playback to PSP. To get this to all work nicely together I use the beta driver (for AC3 support) and a small batch file that changes the .TS file extension to .M2TS which the PS3 supports.

The IR Blaster port is on the HD PVR and it comes with a fairly short cable that you connect to the front of whatever your trying to control. I haven't used this feature since I control my cable box over firewire, but it supposedly works.

[bigstusexy]

I agree with everything ddoxsee says. I only have a few things to add.

in TME on the device settings of the recorder and look on the video decoded tab, there is a setting for video type. As thi says video decoder I'm not sure what this effects.

As far as the video detection goes it seems to go pretty well as long as your device is working, you just have to be displaying video not snow and thats about it.

All drivers seem to work with the 1.2.13 version. I've used 1.1 with it so far. I don't know why the ac3 audio isn't working with it, its probably something to do with the drivers and many programs not being able to detect the audio stream within the file for some odd reason.

The one bad thing so far (besides the fact that this thing is virtuall undocumented) that I haven't been able to remedy is that fact that it doesn't write I frames at regular intervals. ddosxee was telling me something earlier in this thread but so far it hasn't helped, if you are reading can you explain it more in detal?

I'm no stranger to graphedit and for sake of staying on the same page thats what I'll use to edit the codec's properties and I have tried the directshow codec ArcSoft Media Video Encoder and also the Video Capture Device Object for the HDPvr Device and netier do I see GOP written on there. I have changed it to the base profile and refference frams (if thoes are I frames) are set to 15 already. Less these changes require a reboot they didnt change the outcome of new recordings at all.

[sub]

The 1.3.7 version of the app should play the HD-PVR recordings from the new firmware with AC3 audio.

[ddoxsee]

I agree with everything ddoxsee says. I only have a few things to add.

in TME on the device settings of the recorder and look on the video decoded tab, there is a setting for video type. As thi says video decoder I'm not sure what this effects.

As far as the video detection goes it seems to go pretty well as long as your device is working, you just have to be displaying video not snow and thats about it.

All drivers seem to work with the 1.2.13 version. I've used 1.1 with it so far. I don't know why the ac3 audio isn't working with it, its probably something to do with the drivers and many programs not being able to detect the audio stream within the file for some odd reason.

The one bad thing so far (besides the fact that this thing is virtuall undocumented) that I haven't been able to remedy is that fact that it doesn't write I frames at regular intervals. ddosxee was telling me something earlier in this thread but so far it hasn't helped, if you are reading can you explain it more in detal?

I'm no stranger to graphedit and for sake of staying on the same page thats what I'll use to edit the codec's properties and I have tried the directshow codec ArcSoft Media Video Encoder and also the Video Capture Device Object for the HDPvr Device and netier do I see GOP written on there. I have changed it to the base profile and refference frams (if thoes are I frames) are set to 15 already. Less these changes require a reboot they didnt change the outcome of new recordings at all.

From Graphedit under the "Hauppauge HD PVR Encoder" filter hit properties. One side is the "Development" tab which allows you to change a few of the properties (on ver 1.1b drivers), you can turn off the bling lights and more importantly change the GOP type. Setting the GOP to "Simple 4/32/128" won't force an I frame but does help seeking in many programs and devices that can't deal with the more advanced default which is "No IDR".

GOP stands for "group of pictures" if memory serves, which should have to start with an I frame. I can't give you a lot of information on it, it was a setting that was recommended elsewhere and it seems to work just fine for what I'm using the device for. I don't know how Hauppauge is using the 4/32/128 part of that setting it may mean that the max size between I frames is 128 but there seems to be no documentation on the setting that I can find. It is supposed to help editing and seeking since without it some players and editors tend to crash (Virtual dub is mentioned as one that will).

[bigstusexy]

See thats the thing, I can't find "Hauppauge HD PVR Encoder" which category are you looking under?

I can find:
Directshow filters > Arcsoft Video Encoder
This doesn't have the options you speak of and the only Hauppauge filters I find deal with winTV for my 350
and
Video Capture Soruces > Hauppauge HD Video Capture Device
This too doesn't have the options you speak of.
Video Compressors > ArcSoft Mpeg and Realtime Capture
These do have some GOP setting area's but I think its more for the PVR series of cards that the HD it seems to be more mpeg2 focused.


I'm pretty sure its in some simple place right under my noose and I just haven't seen it yet.

[dark_half]

I was thinking of getting a HD PVR but from reading it records in a .ts format. If this is correct I am making the assumption that this will not work with a server/client setup to watch livetv. Can anyone confirm this?