[mythtv-users] PCIe analog capture card recommendations

[Stephen Baker]

On Tue, 2015-02-10 at 11:00 -0800, Karl Newman wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> 
> 
> It appears that one of the tuners/encoders of my (9 year old!) PVR-500
> has given up the ghost (recordings are all 0 byte). I could replace it
> with an eBay version, but given that those are going to be a similar
> vintage, and the fact that I had to search around for a MB with PCI
> slots last time I upgraded, I want to go to PCIe for better
> compatibility. I only need analog SD capture. I can't use digital at
> all--cable has been encrypted for years and I'd probably need about a
> 300 foot mast to pick up any ATSC broadcasts. I don't need any IR
> support. I noticed the HVR-2250 was listed on the Wiki, and it looks
> like this supports dual analog capture which appeals to me as a
> complete replacement for my PVR-500 (who knows how much longer the
> other tuner/encoder will last). So, anybody using this card for
> analog? Or any other suggestions for cards (stability is the utmost
> concern). Ideally it will support tuning RF NTSC that my DTA box is
> putting out, because I don't know if that part is still working on the
> PVR-500 (the functional tuner is using composite+stereo). I could use
> a single tuner card as long as I can continue to use my PVR-500 as
> well (I know about stable device naming with udev).
> 
> 
> On a related note, I'll need to get a new case to accommodate this
> card. I'm currently using a low profile Silverstone LC-11M with a PCI
> riser card that turns the cards sideways. I no longer have the height
> constraints that I did when I bought that case, so my options are a
> lot broader. Silverstone or Antec or ??? Just looking for something
> black/dark that will blend in to the living room. Doesn't necessarily
> need a LCD display--I hardly look at it now--but it would be nice I
> guess. Needs to accommodate a microATX board, 3x 3.5 inch HDDs and a
> BluRay drive. My current case is relatively noisy with fans but it
> doesn't really bother us much, however quieter is always better.
> 
> 
> This failure is actually not all bad--it was overdue for a
> replacement, it's still partly functional (I was surprised I didn't
> have more conflicts when I removed the bad tuner) and this will get me
> on a path to my planned future setup with a single analog card tied to
> the STB so we can record the premium channels and eventually a
> CableCard Ethernet tuner (*still* waiting on the transcoding model
> SiliconDust...)
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Karl

Karl,

I have been using the HVR-2250 for some time.  It worked fine for clear
cable (back when Charter wasn't encrypting) and for composite from the
STB.  Now, I use it for ATSC broadcast from the primary transmitter
cluster and a HVR-1950 for the secondary transmitter cluster.  I also
use the HVR-2250 to capture composite from camcorder, too. 

There are some disadvantages to the HVR-2250.  The internal splitter
decreases the signal strength when compared to the HVR-1950.  There are
a few borderline channels that I can get with the HVR-1950 that I can't
with the HVR-2250 using the same antenna.  And, I have been reading that
Hauppauge has been shipping HVR-2255 cards in HVR-2250 boxes.  There
were no drivers for the HVR-2255 when I last looked.  It sounded like
there was no movement to port the Windows drivers, either.

I also use a Ceton InfiniTV 6eth to replace the STB.  Six tuners is
really useful at times.  Charter's price difference between multiple STB
and a single cable card incented me drop the STB.  I can live without
the on-demand.  The initial setup of the cable card was painful with
Charter because their telephone support don't understand how to pair a
cable card to anything other than TiVo and because I am literally at the
end of the cable (poor signal strength).

Stephen
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/attachments/20150210/6dc2df60/attachment.html>