[mythtv-users] Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick

Raphael rpooser at gmail.com
Fri May 16 23:46:45 UTC 2008


diane mittnik wrote:
> On 5/16/08, Michael Lynch <lynchmv at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Wow!  So how does this compare with the HVR-1600 from Hauppauge?
>>>
>>> I'm confused as I thought USB was not well supported in mythTV? You seem
>>> to
>>> be running a brand new USB capture device thats working fine for you?
>>> What
>>> more would one need than this device (hardware-wise) to do PVR on his PC?
>>> CL
>> I'm not sure about how it compares to the HVR-1600 since I don't own
>> one, but after a bit of reading and some previous knowledge, I was
>> able to get the stick running fine.  I posted the link to my setup in
>> a previous reply, but I'll add it again just for fun...
>>
>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/User:Lynchmv#Pinnacle_PCTV_HD_USB_Pro_Stick_notes
>>
>> I can record shows, watch live tv and do everything that MythTV does
>> with regular tuners with this nifty little USB stick.  It is the 4th
>> tuner in my system and I got it really just to see if it would work
>> and to see what OTA HD channels I could pick up out in the sticks.
>> The little antenna that came with it picks up ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX
>> and a couple of the sub channels also.  Overall I'm happy with it
>> considering I only dropped $45 on it.
> 
> Can more than one be used?  Assuming it's software processing (from
> the little I understand on the subject right now), will plugging in
> and using a second or even a third require a lot more cpu power, or
> will there be a problem with interrupts, or too much traffic on the
> usb bus for simultaneous two or three recordings? Please excuse my
> lack of knowledge in any of the three areas (cpu power, interrupts if
> it applies to simultaneous recordings and usb, or too much traffic on
> three usb devices for the computer).
> 
> Thanks!
> Regards,
> D.
> _______________________________________________

You can use more than one easily. I have this and a Hauppauge HVR 950 
which is literally the same piece of hardware and I do simultaneous 
recordings with both all the time.
If you record HD it requires no cpu power (~2% to write to disk 
perhaps). If you record analog you need cpu power for software encoding. 
  So having a ton of these running all at once doing analog would 
probably not be the best. If you had two running analog at once it 
probably wouldn't be a problem with a modern dual core cpu. I wouldn't 
buy this for the analog though - I bought it for OTA ATSC.
HTH
Raphael


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