2nd tv card

[todd]

Hey guys,

I just saw, that gb pvr seems to be able to capture 2 tv programs at the same time. So far, I have been using mhtpc, with which I could not record 2 tv programs which are broadcasted directly one after the other.

My system specs are:

pundit r
2.6 Ghz
256 MB
120 GB
1 TV Card PVR 350
2 TV Card Old Hauppauge 878 Chip set

I also cannot record with the 878, yet I am using the 878 to grab the epg signal from my cable company.

Now I am taking into consideration to change from myhtpc to gb pvr.

First, I will upgrade the ram to 512 MB
Second, I am willing to trash the 878 card and purchase another. Which one would you recommend?

Third, thanks for taking the time to reply to my questions!

Todd

[sub]

It'd be worth replacing that old Hauppauge card with a PVR150.

[todd]

Can I grab the epg with the pvr 150? Also, someone said that PVR 350 and pvr 150 are a mess?!

Btw, thanks for answering so fast...

[sub]

Can I grab the epg with the pvr 150?

What do you mean? The EPG is downloaded from the internet (or from a file for XMLTV), so it doesnt really matter what card you have.

Also, someone said that PVR 350 and pvr 150 are a mess?!

PVR150 and PVR350 work fine in the same machine, but depending what order you install things you may find the remote on your PVR350 no longer functions. This is only really a problem if you buy the PVR150MCE, since it doesnt normally come with a remote. This remote thing may have been solved by now - its been a long long time since I originally had the problem.

[todd]

i grab the epg with the analog tv card from my cable company, which I believe is pretty usual in Germany. However, where would i get the information over the web for german tv?

Shall I buy the PVR 150 or 150 MCE? I would really like to buy the one with NO problems:=)

Cheers,

Todd

[sub]

However, where would i get the information over the web for german tv?

tvxb is one option: http://www.tvxb.com/country.htm

Shall I buy the PVR 150 or 150 MCE? I would really like to buy the one with NO problems:=)

No card I've seen has zero problems, but the PVR150s are pretty good. I prefer the PVR150 over the MCE version, since it comes with a remote and IR Blaster.

[ShiningDragon]

The WInTV PVR-150 is NOT ABLE to get EPG-Data via german cable... This is the strength of your old BT878 Card.

Further could it be, that the WinTV PVR-150 can't display Videotext.

You should take yourself a WinTV PVR-500 (2 Tuner on a card and FM Radio) and hold your analog TV-Card (for Videotext/EPG)

[todd]

Dear ShiningDragon,

Is it possible to record tv programs with the pvr 500 device and set the resolution the way that movies of 1 hour need more or less 300 MB with decent quality?

So far I allways recalculate the movies which I record with the pvr 350 (using mytpc) to change the format from mpeg 2 to divx. And that succs!!!:mad:

Thx

Todd

[ShiningDragon]

Hello Todd,

i am not sure if i understood you correct. The TV-Card within your PC (PVR-150, PVR-250, PVR-350, PVR-500) would normal record everytime with mpeg or mpeg-2. With this CoDec it's really not easy to get a size from about 300 MB/h Movie.
I know, that you can record with your old analog TV-Card into different formats directly. A long time ago i used a WinTV Primio FM. With this Card i could use different CoDecs for recording.

[todd]

Hey ShiningDragon,

u r right, it's really not that easy. The point is, that I found out AFTER having bought all my components (not even to mention the previously purchased digital Cable TV Card, which I trashed after 30 minutes of usage :o ).

Never the less, I am trying to be smarter this time. Therefore I would like to invest my money into a system, which might be just a little bit more convenient.

My movie files became soooo huge, that my graphic card in my Pundit-R is having trouble displaying all the information without any errors. Now if I spend another hundred + x euros, I would at least like to finally have a really nice system, so that my wife likes me again:=)

For example, GB PVR seems to be working with external usb PVRs. Do you consider the configuration PVR 350, BT 878 and USB PVR something reasonable (or better said the optimum)?

Do you know, whether the WinTV PVR USB2 Model 960 card is the one I can use with the GB PVR software, or is the "Model 960"-code saying: in general good, just not this version??

I just don't want to have to sell the stuff afterwards:=)

Thanks for your timely responses,

Todd