350 vs MVP

[zorro]

I bought an xcard and used it for a while and then I returned it because I wasn't happy with the OSD quality and response.

Now I need to decide between 350 and MVP. 350 is pricey but I get another tuner. I'm debating whether I should buy 350 or an MVP + 150MCE

What do you recommend? Is the quality of MVP comparable to 350? I only care about Live TV, recordings, EPG and scheduling. I'm not much interested on other stuffs.

So, do I loose any native GBPVR functionality if I use MVP?

Thanks

[reven]

i would recommend the 350. the osd is excellent, its quick, dont have to worry about connection timeouts etc, and well another tuner (of course you would get another one if you bought the 150mce aswell, but still its a good device).

[AOSandman]

I have a 150MCE, a 350, and 2 MVPs. Each has it's pluses & minuses. The output from the 350 is hands-down better than the MVP. Smooth & accurate playback, FF, RW, etc. For me, the only real downside of a 350 is that the PC needs to be near the TV. The remote can be a pain in the butt too. MVPs are small & silent, but the menus can be a bit slow to respond at times. Playback is generally smooth, but FF & RW can be a bit flaky at times. I switched to MVPs so I could move the PVR box to the basement. A couple of huge HDs for recordings seemed like a better investment than a nice case/mobo combo to make it look nice.

If all this has prompted more questions, let me know.

[reven]

Quote[/b] ]The remote can be a pain in the butt too

just so you dont get the wrong impression. i havent had any issue with the 350 remote. so this isnt always the case (it obliviously is in some cases, but not all).

[AOSandman]

It all depends on your setup. I had all kinds of little gotchas that kept tripping me up. My 350 came with the new 45 button remote, which means I have to use the Hauppauge IR software. It works great so long as you are logged in, the GB-PVR window remains active & in the foreground, and so long as the console doesn't lock. I'm running XP Pro as a domain member, no keyboard, mouse, or monitor connected, using RDP to administer the box. The main problem I had was that the console locks when you RDP into the box, & remains locked when you drop the RDP connection (this stops the remote from working). I got around this by using RealVNC instead of RDP, which allows you to leave the console unlocked during & after the remote session. Unfortunately RealVNC is a cpu hog so that wasn't an ideal solution for me either. Ultimately I didn't want the PVR box in my living room anyway, so I switched over to using MVPs only. Now, thanks to GB-PVR & it's MVP servers running as services, I don't even need to log into the box anmore. For me, problem solved.

On a side note, none of the challenges I experienced had anything to do with GB-PVR directly, they were all related to my specific setup. For anyone using a more basic hardware/OS/network setup, you will have far less difficulties.

[eurojojo]

AOSandman, the older RealVNCs were CPU hogs, but I find the most recent version to be much cleaner.

Also, my 350 outputs a signal that is mixed into the cable frequencies, and then fed with the normal antenna cables through the entire house. The Hauppauge remote is sent to the PC with small radio transmitters, that I installed near every TV in the house. Tip: put the radio transmitters in smaller boxes than they are sold in, and attach them under tables, in inconspicuous places... My living room now looks quite tech-free (the living room PC is now on the refridgerator in the kitchen, only a wall-mounted screen and Bluetooth mouse/keyboard are left in the living room), which is surprising to people who know me... And, if you buy a good remote replacement, you can teach it the Hauppauge commands (and DVD and whatever you got), and clean up the mess of all these separate remotes.

[nia]

Hi eurojojo

Also, my 350 outputs a signal that is mixed into the cable frequencies, and then fed with the normal antenna cables through the entire house.

How did you accomplish this? It's ideal, but are you using an external modulator or...?

Please describe your setup

Brgds,

Niels

[onestar]

Hi eurojojo



How did you accomplish this? It's ideal, but are you using an external modulator or...?

Please describe your setup

Brgds,

Niels

Same here, I use an RF modulator to take the 350 composite output and put out RF channel, into which I also feed the main RF input into, so they get merged, then put into a distribution amp to send around the house.

And for the record the 350 definately better than the MVP. The remote fine, even when GBPVR not in focus. Only thing I do need is to have the machine logged on (which is fine).

The MVP is good from the "to let the kids watch" their own stuff, while not tying up the sole output.

[I have other issues where the Antenna input is overcrowded leaving few free channels (once the sats/videos etc take up some). but hey]