A lot of people record TV shows these days, while most are using the cable/satellite digital DVR boxes. If you don’t know what you’re doing then the cable/satellite DVR boxes are fine, but for those of us that do know what we’re doing this is for you. Being able to add on a PVR card or USB device to our computers is a nice feature to have. It cuts down on the monthly added expense that the cable/satellite companies charge extra to have DVR. Plus, it makes it able to record your own TV shows and then burn yourself a custom DVD to watch for later viewing, unlike having a cable/satellite DVR box which you can’t do that with. From what i’ve seen those recorded shows are stuck on the cable/satellite DVR boxes until you delete them. Today we have the Hauppauge WinTV PVR USB2 tuner to review. Having a PVR is great to watch all your network channels, plus record them for later viewing. Some people might just use a PVR to watch TV on their PC, while others will record shows and burn them to DVD. PVR is becoming very inexpensive these days that almost anyone can afford it.

Introduction:
I love being able to watch TV on my pc while I work sometimes. Sometimes I connect both monitors I have and load Photoshop in one, and have the tv tuner going in the other. That way I have a little something to entertain me while working. The WinTV PVR USB2 tuner is a great package to have while using the USB on your PC. If you don’t have enough PCI slots available to use a PCI card version then the USB2 interface is the way to go. The package seems very nice because it has a lot of things that comes with it including a remote, TV tuner, FM tuner, and enough inputs to plug in any other device to record even more. The package is a great choice if you don’t want to open up your PC case to add on a PCI PVR tuner.

WinTV PVR USB2 Specs:

• Interface: USB 2.0
• TV Tuner: Yes
• FM Tuner: Yes
• Low Profile PCI Board
• PCI 2.1 Compliant
• Height: 2.56 in. (6.5 cm)
• Length: 6.60 in. (16.78 cm)
• Component Height: 0.57 in. (1.44 cm)

WinTV PVR USB2 System Requirements:

• Microsoft Windows XP/98SE/Me/2000
• Intel Pentium III processor 733MHz or faster
• 128MB RAM
• 10GB disk drive minimum recommended
• Available USB 2.0 or 1.1 port (works faster on USB 2.0)
• Sound card
• Optional: CD-RW or DVD writer for burning your videos or TV shows onto Video CD, S-Video CD or DVD

Installation:
Installing this USB tuner is quite easy, as it is with most USB devices. After you have taken everything out of the package, plug the USB A end into the WinTV PVR USB2 tuner. Take the USB B end and plug it into an available USB slot. Take the power supply and plug it into the WinTV PVR USB2 device, with the other end into a wall outlet. Windows now detects new hardware and launches the Found New Hardware Wizard. Insert the CD into your drive, and follow the instructions of the wizard to install the device drivers. Once that is done you must install the included software that came with the WinTV PVR USB2 tuner device. With all the drivers and software install you’re now able to use your new WinTV PVR USB2 tuner.

The software included on the CD is WinTv 2000, which is the TV tuner program for viewing tv channels. WinTV Radio, which allows you to listen to your local radio stations, once you set the included FM antenna where it needs to be. WinTV Scheduler, which allows you to program which channels and shows you would like recorded automaticly. And the Program Guide, which allows you to look up which shows are on at that moment. The program guide uses TitanTV for the EPG. If you don’t already have a TitanTV account, I would suggest you signup for a free account before you need to use the EPG. I have been using TitanTV for years now and I think it’s a great web based EPG out there, plus it’s free. TitanTV is hooked up through your programming software to the web, so you can use the recording function in the web based interface. After playing with the software for sometime now, I see that it is all very easy to use even for the least experienced computer person. Some programs are very complicated, or can be that way to some end users, this is not even like that. Each WinTV PVR USB tuner comes with it’s own set of accessories which includes;

• WinTV PVR USB2 device with 125 channel cable ready TV tuner, FM radio receiver, MPEG-2 hardware audio/video encoder
• Remote control
• 2 AAA batteries
• Wall mounted power supply
• 1 meter USB cable
• FM radio antenna
• WinTV PVR USB2 Software

After having this PVR tuner for a couple of weeks now and being able to get all of what I can get out of it, I am very happy with the end results of this USB PVR. It is nice being able to have a USB based PVR tuner to watch TV from and record some shows without having to open up my PC case to install it. I know that this might be the selling point for a lot of end users that don’t have the space inside their case to add on a PCI based PVR tuner card. A lot of people are stuck with havng very small mid tower cases from the name brands with not much space to it inside. Some may just want to have a USB based PVR for the sake of the install process, and the fact that they can take it anywhere with them. As far as portability goes this can be taken on a trip with your laptop and still be used just fine, besides the fact that you will need to find a COAX cable hookup for it to work. The included remote was a nice feature to have with this USB PVR, because who wants to change channels, or volume via the software interface? The only downside I found with the remote is when the WinTV 2000 program isn’t the selected program the remote won’t change the channel, or use any of the controls. I don’t know why it’s like this, but I thought maybe it was just a glitch, so I tested it out 5 more times to be sure. I find it strange that if the program isn’t selected, the remote won’t work no matter how close the remote is to the IR receiver. Maybe this is something Hauppauge will work on in the future. If you are like me and run a dual monitor setup and try to watch a little tv while working then you won’t be able to change channels or utilize any of the other controls, since the program isn’t the one selected.

On another note since this is a USB based PVR it does have optional inputs to add other devices to the PVR to record whats playing on the signal. The inputs include the standard RCA inputs (yellow, white, and red inputs), and a S-Video input. This option is nice as you can add a DVD player, or VCR to record some older movies, and output them to a different format. This would also be good to hook up a PS2 to it and record the game you’re playing, so you can show it to your friends, or anyone online for that matter. The WinTV PVR USB2 tuner comes with a stand so you can put the device on your desktop in a vertical, or horizontal manner. While watching and recording TV shows that I watched I noticed that the picture is very clear and looks execellent from what I see. I never had any problems with the quality of the picture from the USB PVR. As i’ve used the web based TitanTV EPG in the past, I can say that it is a very nice and free EPG to use. That is one thing that has kept me using it over the years with my other PVR. The included software for the tuner and radio work great, and do the job that is needed of them. The interface isn’t too cluttered that even basic PC users won’t get confused when using them. I find the interface graphic kind of bland. Maybe thats because i’m a designer, and I should be watching tv, and not judging the graphics of the interface. The package seems to offer a lot for very little, plus the USB interface, and portability is a plus.

Overview:
Hauppauge has really made a great USB PVR package, that is functional, not overdone, or over priced. At least I don’t think it’s overpriced, considering some PVR cards prices from the same maker. Everything runs very smoothly. Installation was very simple, that ever a basic PC user can do it without being frustrated in any way. The quality of the picture was excellent, and I have never seen anything that would indicate the hardware is messing up the picture. Sometimes there is interference, but that’s from my local cable company. I was able to pick up every radio station I listen to while i’m in the car. The signal came in very clear considering that the antenna was inside the house, by my desk. I really enjoyed testing out a USB PVR device, as for once I didn’t have to open up my case and install a card. A lot of people will enjoy this same product for that reason alone, as they might not have extra space inside their case, just want a USB PVR device, have no knowledge of installing PCI PVR cards, or want something to take with them on their laptops. For some people portability is a plus as a lot of people have laptop and would like to bring this with them. There are other laptop made TV tuners out there, but those don’t even have remotes with them that I have seen. The included software was very simple to install and use on an everyday basis. It may look ugly in my eyes, but that’s just me and my thoughts on it. Hauppauge has made a very complete package with everything that you will ever need, or at least until the next upgrade time. The WinTV PVR USB2 tuner tuner gets a 9 out of a 10, and a Must have Hardware Award.

I would like to further like to thank Hauppauge for the review opportunity, and sample WinTV PVR USB2 tuner for us to review.

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