Summary: The Hauppauge HD PVR is a very interesting product with a ton of features and capable software included with the bundle.

Without a doubt, the Hauppauge HD PVR is a very capable device, at least according to the manufacturer’s promises. The first thing that hit me though was; what about the recording media, there’s no hard drive in it? But then I understood that I had been somewhat fooled by the “PVR” part of the product name. This is not a traditional PVR with an internal hard drive, it’s more like a HD video transferring and converting device. For instance, you can record live TV or previously recorded media from you set top box directly onto your computer through the HD PVR unit. At the time of this review, TestSeek.com has collected a total of 9 expert reviews of the Hauppage HD PVR and the average score is 69%.

INTRODUCTION

Ever since the DVD media came into our lives, leaving the aging VHS standard behind, the option to record our favorite TV shows disappeared. It did not return until years later, when the first standalone DVD-R units came to the market, first through DVD-R discs and later through integrated hard disks. Nowadays, the protagonists are the DVD and Blu-ray standards. Hauppauge’s HD PVR supports both standards and the common HD resolutions 720p and 1080i. The main specifications of the Hauppauge HD PVR take from Hauppauge’s own product page:

Features

• Built-in hardware H.264 high definition encoder, for high performance, high quality TV recordings
• Component video input from most high definition cable TV and satellite TV receivers. Optical or stereo audio inputs.
• Record high definition video at up to 1080i resolution, 720p or VGA/D1
• Record at datarates from 1Mbs to 13.5Mbs, constant and Variable Bit Rate
• Make Blu-ray format AVCHD recordings, so you can burn your TV recordings onto a standard DVD disk (up to 2 hours of video at 5MBits/sec) and playback on Blu-ray DVD players
• Includes HD software video player, so you can playback recordings to your PC screen
• Audio / Video component video loop through to allow HD recording and viewing at the same time
• High Performance Noise Reduction Function
• NTSC,PAL and SECAM Support
• IR receiver for remote control
• IR Blaster to change the TV channels in your set top box

Record formats

There are three H.264 formats you can choose when recording a video:

• .TS, which is a generic ‘transport stream’ compatible with many digital media players
• .M2TS, which is compatible with the Sony Playstation3
• .MP4, which is compatible with the XBox360

The .TS and .M2TS files are AVCHD compatible, and can be used to burn Blu-ray compatible disk recordings. These files can be burned onto a standard DVD+R or DVD+RW disk for playback in a Blu-ray disk player using the included Arcsoft TME Disk Create application. Approximately 2 hours of HD TV recorded at 5Mbits/sec can be put onto a standard DVD+R or DVD+RW disk.

The included TME Media Converter program may also be used to convert the .TS file to other formats compatible for playback on an iPhone and Ipod.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hauppauge sent us the full retail package. The unit comes in a rather large cardboard box with all the specifications and features printed on it.

When I opened the box I found two compartments as you can see from the image below. The first one holds all the accessories and the second one holds the PVR unit. The included accessories are: component cables of high quality; remote control; USB cable;  AC power supply; documentation and CD with drivers and utilities.

HAUPPAUGE HD PVR IN DETAIL

The HD PVR unit is a rather light and small box. I really wanted to take a look inside the box but since it would probably mean destroying the device I managed to get a hold of my urges.

On the front of the unit we can see from left to right: the power button; the infrared receiver; a S-Video connector and a setup of composite connectors.

On the back side is where I found the more interesting connectors of the unit. From the image above you can see the component connectors for both incoming and exiting connections. To the right of the component connectors, you can see the digital audio connectors and the USB and power connectors. In these times when power costs are ever rising and one have to think of the cost of keeping all different technical gadgets running, it is reassuring to see that the Hauppauge HD PVR’s maximum consumption is only 10W.

INSTALLATION AND USE OF HAUPPAUGE HD PVR

The installation of the necessary drivers and software was a piece of cake. I just inserted the CD and followed the instructions. The whole process took no longer than a couple of minutes.

The software which Hauppauge has included in this bundle is the ArcSoft Total Media Extreme, which is a suite of programs that allows us to use all the HD DVR’s features and functions. As usual, the quality of the recordings is very dependent on the source we use, but generally I received the same quality as the source with my recordings. I was a bit disappointed that the unit wasn’t able to record the 1080p signal, but the other ones worked great, including 720p and 1080i HD signals.

CONCLUSIONS

The Hauppauge HD PVR is without a doubt a very capable product with many possibilities. The included software from ArcSoft is rather complete and allows the user to record audio and video and to convert the recordings to other formats. Hauppauge has done a good job in creating a unit which lets us move high quality HD media from a set top box over to a hard drive or a DVD-disc. I wouldn’t however call it a “PVR”, since in my view, a PVR is a unit you can plug in directly to an antenna and record from. I think of the Hauppauge HD PVR more like a media transferring and converting unit, suitable for those who want to rescue recorded HD media from a set top box or similar.

I wouldn’t say that it’s cheap at a cost of around $200 (180€ in Europe). But if you need something like this, you will not be disappointed by the Hauppaugue HD PVR.

The final score is 80 out of 100 owls.

Thanks goes out to Hauppauge for letting us test the HD PVR.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson

Summary: Hauppauge is back with another one of their magnificent tuners.  WinTV-MiniStick HD is an USB TV-tuner stick equipped with TimeShifting and timer recording.

Hauppauge has been amongst the market leaders for computer TV tuners for a very long time, I cannot remember when they were not there actually. I have been using their products for some years now and my experience is that one can always expect the best from Hauppauge. But as always, this is a new product and I shall review it as if I had never heard of Hauppauge.

INTRODUCTION

The WinTV-Ministick HD is capable of tuning in on TDT, radio DVB-T and TDT HD channels. This means Hauppauge hasn’t included an analog tuner with this product. Thus, the WinTV-MiniStick HD is aimed towards consumers in countries where the free channels are broadcasted digitally. Although Hauppauge tries to convince us that TDT HD is around the corner, the reality is rather different, at least where I am located (Spain). Here, only a few channels exist that broadcast in TDT HD. Nevertheless, the hybrid character of WinTV-MiniStick HD is a good thing and should give this product a longer active life span.

The technical characteristics of the product are pretty impressive, take a look:

• TDT HD (standard MPEG-4 H.264), up to 4 times higher definition than normal TDT
• TDT (MPEG-2)
• Timer function (WinTVScheduler)
• Remote control “Hauppauge TO GO”
• Recording in MPEG-4
• DVB-T Radio reception

Hardware requirements:

• 1.2 GHz Intel ® or equivalent for TDT
• For TDT HD: Core Duo processor or Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz or equivalent or if combined with a graphic card from nVidia 8 Series or ATI 10 Series the required CPU can be lower
• Graphics card with 64MB of RAM
• Soundcard
• USB 2.0 (it does not work with USB 1.1)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Hauppauge WinTV-MiniStick HD comes in an ordinary cardboard box. In the front, a small opening exists which allows you to see the product completely. On the box Hauppauge emphasizes on the hybrid character of the stick and that it can tune in on TDT HD channels.

On the box is also printed the minimum requirements, which as you could see above, are quite high, at least for the HD function. When I opened the box I found the USB stick and all the included accessories:  a manual; the installation CD-ROM; an USB extension cable; the remote control and the antenna with a mounting platform (magnetized).

HAUPPAUGE WINTV-MINISTICK HD IN DETAIL

WinTV-MiniStick HD is a rather small USB stick, it’s actually the smallest tuner I’ve come in contact with. I don’t know if it’s the smallest one available on the market, but I wouldn’t be surprised. It has a finish in black plastic and looks quite good.

Unlike other products from Hauppauge, this stick only has one antenna connector as you can see from the image above. That image should also give you an idea of how small the unit actually is.

The stick has two LEDs which keep you informed of the unit’s state of activity and if you are receiving a normal TDT or a TDT HD channel. In the middle of the stick, Hauppauge has placed the infrared receiver for the remote control.

INSTALLATION AND TESTS

The WinTV-MiniStick HD is easy to install. Basically, all you need to do, is insert the stick into a USB 2.0 port and connect the antenna to the unit. Of course you can connect either the included antenna or a stationary antenna if you are at home. Normally you will have a better quality if you use a bigger antenna (stationary). Finally, we installed the drivers and the WinTV7 program which we got with the bundle.

In order to find the best possible signal when using the table antenna, Hauppauge have included a tool called “SignalMonitor”. The program isn’t hard to use, just start it and move the antenna around to find the best signal. The signal should always remain in green otherwise you won’t be able to enjoy using WinTV-MiniStick HD.

When the WinTV7 is executed for the first time, you are prompted to select the country where you are located and then the program immediately starts scanning for DVB-T channels. When the search is finalized, all the available channels are shown in a list. The WinTV7 application is very simple and intuitive to use and you can use it as a regular media player as well as the program you use to watch TV on your computer. The WinTV7 has support for the “TimeShifting” and the “Timer” recording features of the WinTV-MiniStick HD and they are easy to handle.

The grouping of buttons in the center of WinTV7 allows us to make use of the TimeShifting function. This function allows you to watch TV in slow motion, to pause and resume the broadcast at any time.

Without a doubt, one of the best features with the WinTV-MiniStick HD is its ability to record television in real time or with the Timer function. The recording is controlled with a red button. Press this and the recording starts in the format you have chosen. Available formats are; MPEG-4 H.264 for TDT HD and MPEG-2 for TDT. The recorded media file is saved in a pre specified folder.

The WinTV7 is a very interesting application, offering functions like the TimeShifting and Timer recording in such an easy way. I think this program considerably increases the value of the WinTV-MiniStick HD.

CONCLUSIONS

The WinTV-MiniStick HD offers good image and sound quality both in TDT and TDT HD. I love the fact that WinTV7 uses the graphics card to diminish the load on the CPU. I am also very impressed by the included software, especially by how easy it is to operate. The WinTV-MiniStick HD goes for around 50€ here in Europe and isn’t currently available in the US as far as I know. This price is really good in my opinion. To be honest, I really expected the WinTV-MiniStick HD to be nothing short of exceptional and I wasn’t disapointed.

The final score is 90 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Hauppauge WinTV HD” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Don’t forget to check for alternate TV-tuners in our TV-tuner category, here are a few popular USB TV sticks:

Pinnacle PCTV DVB-T Flash Stick

Hauppauge WinTV HVR-900

Elgato EyeTV Hybrid USB2

Hauppauge WinTV HVR-950

Pinnacle PCTV Hybrid Pro Stick 340e

Thanks to Hauppauge the for letting us review the WinTV-MiniStick to us HD.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson