Late to the game with PVR-350

[kmoore]

After doing some reading up on the 350's trouble with gbpvr I expect a good amount of folks will skip this thread entirely...but anyway...

On a whim, this afternoon, I decided to get into the PVR game with a real ancient PC I have laying around. It's an HP running a Celeron 400 (128k L2 running at fullspeed at least), 256MB ram, a Matrox Millennium II PCI video card and a Western Digital Expert 7200rpm 27.3GB drive with Win2k Server installed. I told you it was ancient.

After doing some research, I determined the PVR-350 card from Hauppauge would be able to handle encoding and decoding chores in hardware, leaving my weak-ass machine at least free enough to run the OS. It would be a dedicated system for the job, with no monitor or keyboard/mouse. The Win2k Server would allow me to at least control it remotely, once I get network connectivity next to my TV.

I found GBPVR from a link off another site and was real excited that it supported an OSD on the TV-out, since the Hauppauge software didn't appear to.

Then I found these forums and all the trouble the hardware TV-out of the PVR-350 is and I'm quite bummed out. Unfortunately, I did already purchase the card (about $130 shipped). I have hope, though, because this is a commercial machine and probably not a Via chipset, so maybe this hardware ranks among the "compatible" ones. We'll see.

Since I'm determined, I will certainly try using GBPVR but I'm afraid of what might happen. I'm so determined to use this hardware (the box is small and quiet, and using old, otherwise-useless hardware for useful things is just cool for a nerd like myself) that I might even try Linux if this experiment doesn't pan out.

Is there anything anybody can tell me to help me pull this off?

[sub]

All you can really do is try it and see. I suspect the user interface will very very slow though. It uses GDI+ for the interface, which is the primary reason for me recommending a 1GHz PIII class CPU or higher.

[-Oz-]

good luck if you try linux, PITA really. tried twice.

[kmoore]

Wow, fast response.

Slow interface, huh? That sounds pretty lousy.

If I had a 1GHz machine, I'd almost be at the point that it could handle decoding in software. Of course, I could still use the PVR-350 in software mode (via TV-out) if I decide to upgrade the hardware, right?

[sub]

Of course, I could still use the PVR-350 in software mode (via TV-out) if I decide to upgrade the hardware, right?

Yeah, but to be honest I wouldnt bother. I think the PVR350 is more trouble than its worth.

...but try it and see. It might suit your needs.

[kmoore]

You're probably right. I'm kind of pissed about my $130 impulse buy. God I hope it works.

[mrbigsteel]

Good luck to you. For what it's worth, I bought the PVR-350 too and have had no problems with it and GBPVR. I even have a VIA chipset that some people claim causes problems. I guess I got lucky? So keep your fingers crossed. It may still turn out alright.

[nia]

good luck if you try linux, PITA really. tried twice.

I'll second that. Wasted waaaaayy too much of my life trying to get that (and other alternatives) to work before I found GBPVR.

Use some of the countless hours you would spend trying to get the linux-stuff working on making money to buy a (used) slightly higher speced machine with a supported software TV-out. The other road is dark and paved in black with frustrations and disappointments :eek:

Just my 2c as a double 350-owner.

/Niels

[nitrogen_widget]

I have seen some amazingly weak machines running Myth & freevo with a 350 but as other's said, it's a pain in the but to get working.
now, I have used one of the myth based distro's to get a myth machine up & running easily enough.

however, getting it to do what I want & the way I want it after it's up a running is another thing entirely.

Which is a shame because i've actually gotten Myth & Freevo to make really nice recordings with a cheap software encoder card on a 750mhz PC.

But, as everyone has said, we can usually get GBPVR up & running in no time.

[cyclone05]

I have had no problems with the 350. I do get better quality recordings with an ATI Theater 550 Pro, but the difference in quality is minor, affecting mostly channels with reception problems. The tv out worked great for me until I upgraded to a hdtv and a cat's eye 150 and started using the 350 as a backup on an old machine.