Hauppauge USB TV Tuner - Software Alternatives?

[scorchio75]

Hi all,

I've just bought a Hauppauge WinTV-NOVA-T DVB-T USB tuner (on a whim, to be honest ) and I've been reading a lot of bad stuff about their viewing software. So, I thought I'd hit up you knowledgeable folk with a question or two:

1) Can I just install the drivers for the USB tuner and use something like GB-PVR to actually watch/record TV?
2) If (1) is a yes, what software (GB-PVR, MediaPortal, etc.) would you recommend, bearing in mind that I'm on XP Pro

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

s75

[CaptainCrash]

I don't have any USB tuners, but I have a Hauppauge HVR-1300 amongst others - yes, Hauppauge's bundled software is truly horrible, whether it's their own in-house effort or the equally ghastly PowerCinema.

The good news is, Hauppauge hardware is well-supported by third-party HTPC apps, so if you just install the drivers, both GB-PVR and MediaPortal should work OK. Personally, I've found GB-PVR is simpler to set up and more reliable, but they're both free, so you might as well give them both a go and see which you like best.

[scorchio75]

Thank you for the swift response, kind sir!

I'll be receiving the tuner on Monday, so I'll give it a go...although I'll probably be posting more questions then!

Cheers,

s75

[Funkstar]

MediaPortal is definitely worth a shot.

It's quickly heading for a v1.0 release, currently on 1.0 RC2

http://www.team-mediaportal.com/

Lets you do some very cool things when you use the TVServer installation

[scorchio75]

Thanks Funkstar - I'll try GB-PVR and MediaPortal to see what fits best.

Are there any other Windows-compatible solutions that you guys can recommend?

Cheers,

s75

[CaptainCrash]

I'm not aware of any other *free* alternatives that would really compare with GB-PVR or MediaPortal in terms of capabilities.

I've messed around with SageTV a bit, and it's very nice indeed - very slick and well-presented, with oodles of functionality. The fact that it costs nearly as much as an OEM copy of XP MCE or Vista Premium is a bit of a turnoff, although there's a trial version available (times out after 30 days IIRC).

There's always Vista Premium and XP MCE themselves of course, which have their own Media Center app built-in... very easy to set up and use, provided you just want standard-definition DVB-T (Freeview) support for no more than two tuners (things can get problematic with satellite reception and/or HD material).

I'd give the free options a go first, and see if they do what you want - I haven't actually used MediaPortal for a while, as it was a nightmare to configure when I last tried it, as well as being a hanging, crashing bugfest. I gather things have come on in leaps and bounds since then though, in terms of user-friendliness as well as stability.

[scorchio75]

Thanks Cap'n.

GB-PVR is looking like the first one I'll try - and I agree, MP looks a bit complicated, especially for me...

RE: XP MCE or VHP: I've actually got a retail copy of Vista Ultimate that I tried to install on my home-built system, but I had an absolute nightmare - 16 hours trying to get the install to work. I ended up reverting to XP Pro - although the PC's been exhibiting some funny behaviour since the failed Vista install...

Cheers,

s75