[mythtv-users] PVR-250/350: How to determine tuner type

[Andrew Dodd]

Quoting Andreas Sahlbach <andreas at sahlbach.com>:

> Am 15.02.2004 12:08 schrieb "Thomas Börkel" unter <thomas at boerkel.de>:
> 
> > HI!
> > 
> > Adrian Phillips wrote:
> >>     Thomas> HI!  When I look at a PVR-250/350 at a shop: How can I
> >>     Thomas> determine which tuner type it has? Is the chip labeled?
> >> 
> >> I'm not sure, not without opening the box and check the tuner - just
> >> bought one myself, and I checked the box now and it had "model 988"
> >> (actually 988 was a label on top of the original 993 !). Whether this
> >> means anything I'm not sure.
> > 
> > I plan to open the box at the shop and look at the card, so it would
> > help to know where the chip is located.
> > 
> > Thomas
> 
> The tuner related stuff is shielded within a big metal case on the card.
> The
> good thing is: it's impossible to oversee it, believe me. The bad thing is:
> you cannot see the chips directly to check the model. I doubt the shop
> owner
> will allow you to open the metal case with a screw driver or anything.
> 
> But: I've bought my card end of last year and I had good luck: I just had
> to
> peel of the Hauppage sticker from the metal case and the original Philips
> sticker of the tuner module was visible then. So don't forget to take a
> look
> under the Hauppage sticker of the tuner module.
I think this is "normal" - the philips or temic tuner sticker is ALWAYS under
the Hauppauge sticker.

But the salesperson is probably not going to allow you to remove the stickers.  :(

Too bad Thomas lives in one of the few European countries where the new
incompatible tuner has been reported to exist.  (I THINK there have been a few
German reports in the ivtv list, I know they were all people in Europe.)