GBPVR usage.

[seymoria]

Hi all.

With your help, I have successfully installed GBPVR.

1) Can you please inform how can I view my card's A/V input in GBPVR? (Devices connected through AV cable such as a VCR, DVD, Dish receiver etc.).

2) How to record from one channel while viewing the other? Or simultaneous and manual (non-scheduled) recording from two channels?

3) Also, I have a feeling that the picture quality looks somewhat not at par with that from Hauppauge's WinTV (more snow and lines).

Thanks for help and regards.
Amer

[Slice]

Hi Amer,

I'm along way from being an expert - a very long way
But I suspect you'll need to include more details on your setup, I assume from your post that you have a hauppauge card of some sort!

On question 1 anyway have you defined your source?

http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Config/DefineSource

Question 2 and 3 depends on your card and setup. It is possible to set the quality of live TV in your source config above.

[sub]

1) Can you please inform how can I view my card's A/V input in GBPVR? (Devices connected through AV cable such as a VCR, DVD, Dish receiver etc.).

Yes, you can setup a additional capture source for the composite/svideo inputs of the device. If they connected to a device that returns channels, like a Dish receiver, then you can setup a real EPG with channels, and use an IR Blaster so GB-PVR can change channels when you need to. Or alternatively, if you simpling want to view that input, you can manually create a channel called something like 'AV1' or 'Composite' on that capture source. It'll then appear as a channel when you're watching live tv.

2) How to record from one channel while viewing the other? Or simultaneous and manual (non-scheduled) recording from two channels?

Yes you can, but you'll need more than one device (or a dual tuner device) to be able to do this. You can however playback a recording, while it is recording something else, even on a single tuner.

3) Also, I have a feeling that the picture quality looks somewhat not at par with that from Hauppauge's WinTV (more snow and lines).

It'll come down to the video decoders you're using and/or video renderer.

[seymoria]

Hi.

I have successfully setup an additional capture source for the AV input and a new AV channel has been created.

If they connected to a device that returns channels, like a Dish receiver, then you can setup a real EPG with channels, and use an IR Blaster so GB-PVR can change channels when you need to.

Yes, I would very much like GB-PVR to change channels of my dish receiver. I mean, then I could use the dual-tuner card to record simultaneously from two different channnels. Please do correct my understanding. What is an IR Blaster and how can I go about doing this?

Yes you can, but you'll need more than one device (or a dual tuner device) to be able to do this.

I have a dual tuner Hauppauge PVR 500 card. How can I manually perform two recordings simultaneously?

It'll come down to the video decoders you're using and/or video renderer.

Recently a very unpleasant thing has happened creating a lot of hassle. After formatting windows, I have found that the picture quality of my WinTV software has completely been gutted. And same is the case with WinXP MCE and thus also GB-PVR. Can you addvise which software decoders should I install for bringing the picture quality to normal?

Thanks so much for all your help.
Best Regards.

Amer

[sub]

If they connected to a device that returns channels, like a Dish receiver, then you can setup a real EPG with channels, and use an IR Blaster so GB-PVR can change channels when you need to.

Yes, I would very much like GB-PVR to change channels of my dish receiver. I mean, then I could use the dual-tuner card to record simultaneously from two different channnels. Please do correct my understanding. What is an IR Blaster and how can I go about doing this?

An IR Blaster is a bit of hardware attached to your PC that fakes the IR signals normally produced by your Dish receiver's remote.

The most common ones are the USB-UIRT and MCE Remote/Blaster.

Yes you can, but you'll need more than one device (or a dual tuner device) to be able to do this.

I have a dual tuner Hauppauge PVR 500 card. How can I manually perform two recordings simultaneously?

Yes, this will be fine. Just setup two capture sources, one for each tuner, and it'll let you schedule two recordings at a time.

It'll come down to the video decoders you're using and/or video renderer.

Recently a very unpleasant thing has happened creating a lot of hassle. After formatting windows, I have found that the picture quality of my WinTV software has completely been gutted. And same is the case with WinXP MCE and thus also GB-PVR. Can you addvise which software decoders should I install for bringing the picture quality to normal?

If its doing the same thing in MCE, then maybe you're still using the generic videocard drivers that come with windows instead of the manufacturer ones?

[seymoria]

An IR Blaster is a bit of hardware attached to your PC that fakes the IR signals normally produced by your Dish receiver's remote.
The most common ones are the USB-UIRT and MCE Remote/Blaster.

An MCE remote control unit with a tiny (USB-based) signals receiver came with my TV card package. Is this the one you are referring to?

If its doing the same thing in MCE, then maybe you're still using the generic videocard drivers that come with windows instead of the manufacturer ones?

Currently I have also installed manufacturer's (Nvidia) drivers for the video card. But problem persists. Are there any known software decoders which work best with GB-PVR and Hauppauge combination? What other variables matter which may need to be reviewed?

I am mentioning this problem because when I connect my cable signal to my CRT TV, it gets a very clear picture. Same is the case with my VCR's built-in tuner which, when connected through the AV cable to my TV card again gives a very clear picture. My cable company's technicians have also checked the signal strength at the end of my cable connector to my TV card and the signal strength is excellent.

Hoping you may get some clue into this problem. I hope my TV card has not gone faulty because it was working great before I formatted my Windows XP.


Thanks and best regards.
Amer

[sub]

An MCE remote control unit with a tiny (USB-based) signals receiver came with my TV card package. Is this the one you are referring to?

Most of the common MCE remotes come with a receiver that has two sockets for pluggin in the IR Blasters LEDs. I'm not sure what MCE receiver you've got.

Currently I have also installed manufacturer's (Nvidia) drivers for the video card. But problem persists. Are there any known software decoders which work best with GB-PVR and Hauppauge combination? What other variables matter which may need to be reviewed?

If its doing it with MCE too, then its probably not going to fixed with a decoder. MCE has its own built in decoders that should work well with MCE, so if it sounds like something else to me.

[seymoria]

Hi.

Is it possible to connect my external devices to my TV card through the RF cable instead of the AV cable? I thought maybe it could be detected during channel scan as an RF (cable) channel. I tried it but without success. Could you please advise?

In fact, as mentioned in my above thread, my tv tuner card's tuners are not functioning properly and I want use the tuners of my external devices (Satellite Receiver and VCR).

I plan to use both the devices simultaneously, one through the AV and other through the RF cable.

Thank you for the advice.
Regards.
Amer

[sub]

Yes, you can create a capture source for that tuner, with the EPG set to 'none' and manually create a channel for the RF channel used by the external device. VCRs and STBs usually use CH2 or CH3.

[seymoria]

I created a new capture source for the tuner.

Replaced the cable input to my card with my VCR's input through the RF cable.

I then ran the tuning assistant. But it did not detect any RF reception (my VCR's playback). Can you please advise?

THanks and regards.