PVR software

[adams]

i don't know what the good ones are as windvr has been very good, but now the recorded sound is having some bad feedback and i can't figure out what to do about it. its just in windvr cause the app that came with the card when you record a movie with it, it doesn't have the feedback on it.

anyways, can anyone suggest one? thanks.

[DopeWeasel]

I use Hauppauge's PVR-250 and I'm pretty happy with it. There are several newer cards out there but this one works great for me so far. Just wish that I had 2 of them so I could record 2 shows at once.

A good friend of mine here just bought the PVR-250MCE wich is pretty much the same as mine but his has AM/FM radio as well.

For PVR software you should check out BeyondTV (snag the demo from hxxp://www.snapstream.com/). It has a really nice interface and scheduling features. Will even re-encode your recorded shows into Windows Media format at scheduled times.

[PCTech]

i was watching this thread and thought I'd ask a question as well, what kind of quality do you get with the pvr-250? Is it dvd quality stuff or so close you can't really tell the difference? Just curious as I would like to have one for my bday so I can record the show "3 - A Dale Earndhart Movie" (yah I know it comes out on dvd soon), and I would like to record some shows for the wife (soaps! AHHH). Thanks for the help, and BeyondTV looks cool

~PCT

curious can you have a standalone PC to record one show and watch a different on your TV? I dont see why not!

~PCT

[DopeWeasel]

Quality is of course dependant upon the cable signal. So if you've got static comming in from the cable company you're gonna have static on your recording. Unless you get an HDTV compatible PVR card and HDTV piped from the cable company, you're not going to get "DVD Quality" recordings.

I love my PVR-250 and the recording/watching quality is as good if not better then my other TV's in the house. It will generate a bit more heat in your computer though, mine seems to run a bit hot so I keep it a slot away from my other cards to provide better airflow in the case.

PCT - As to your second question, of course you can. Also, if you buy 2 PVR cards you can record 2 shows at once on the same PC or watch one while you record another. You just need a program that will control the whole thing. BeyondTV accually supports 4 (maybe more) cards in one PC. That way you could record 3 shows while you watch another... talk about addiction.

[belthazor]

Consider getting the PVR-150. The 250 has been discontinued and is becoming scarce. I'm VERY happy with the 150, and some feel the quality rivals the 250 and 350. With some tweaking, it's well worth the $99 price tag ( I got mine for that and then a $30 rebate.)

Also, as nice as Beyond TV is ( I bought it as I was very impressed with it), I believe you need a card with hardware encoding to use it. I don't think you have that on your Aver.

[adams]

probably not cause its a few years old.