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View Full Version : Got PVR350 working with MCE!


Mako
02-16-03, 10:16 PM
After an unsuccessful try at getting WindowsXP Media Center Edition working on my home built system with my Hauppauge PVR 350, I started over and it worked.

My first time just did not work. The packaged application, WinTV 2000 worked with it just fine. It even would simultaneously output a full screen video stream ot the Video Out and to my TV. I liked that. But the WindowsXP MCE tuner would either freeze my system or give me an error message when trying to view TV.

After putzing around with many drivers and trying to uninstall and reinstall various versions of drivers and applications, not only would MCE still not load a TV image, but the packaged WinTV 2000 would not display any video either. It was wierd, because the Channel tuner would auto scan and detect the channels and even tell me when they were stereo or mono audio streams, but it simply would not display video.

I started over with a fresh install of the 5-in-1 disk and followed the instructions with the PVR250 file pack exactly. WinTV 2000 worked again. I had some updated drivers from Hauppauge that I then installed. It still worked. For grins, I tried Media Center Edition and tried to open the TV viewer. To my astonishment, it ran! I had TV.

Here in lies the problem though. The TV video quality with MCE is much worse than with WinTV 2000. This means that the card is not the problem. It is whatever MCE is using to display the video. My guess is that it is simply using a different method than the WinTV 2000 application. Perhaps WinTV 2000 is using the hardware directly while MCE is trying to use a DirectDraw codec or something. I am just guessing here. I really have no idea.

I am hoping someone out there might have the answer. I would also like to get the video out working again. I have no idea why that would stop.

Questions - Comments?

Michael
02-16-03, 10:17 PM
woot all I can say is congrats :)

AlphaAlien
02-17-03, 01:08 AM
MCE uses hardware, thats why only a few cards work for it. But congrats.

Mako
02-17-03, 10:25 AM
Originally posted by AlphaAlien
MCE uses hardware, thats why only a few cards work for it. But congrats.

Well, if MCE uses hardware, then you would think the quality would be better. I dont know why WinTV2000 looks so much better than MCE's video quality. Mind you, WinTV2000 was designed to work with this card where MCE is designed to work with a couple of cards. You can really see the difference when watching an animated show. I could see it big time in the Simpsons.

In MCE the video would display a lot of artifacts around animated items. With WinTV2000, the artifacts were nearly unpreceptable.

The only thing is I like MCE full screen much better. The title bar when you change channels is MUCH nicer. I could use WinTV2000 to record shows. At least that way, I could burn them to CD much easier =).

If anyone knows how to get the quality up in MCE, please let me know. Also... if anyone knows how to get the video out working on the PVR card, let me know. See my previous post for what is happening with that.

Thanks!

viperez
02-17-03, 09:06 PM
Where did you get the PVR250 pack?

Mako
02-17-03, 09:31 PM
I downloaded it from somewhere.. I forget where. It was another board that had information on WindowsMCE

viperez
02-18-03, 10:41 AM
Do you still have the file? Could you send it to me? Or, if you could, can you please remember the website?

Mako
02-19-03, 12:02 AM
Originally posted by viperez
Do you still have the file? Could you send it to me? Or, if you could, can you please remember the website?

I dont know if I can remember the site, but I can certainly send you the file. Message me with your e-mail address.

soulside
04-07-03, 07:40 AM
Hello,

Can you also send the pvr-250 driver pack for mce to me? soulside@tjohoo.se

Mako
04-07-03, 10:27 PM
Originally posted by soulside
Hello,

Can you also send the pvr-250 driver pack for mce to me? soulside@tjohoo.se

I hope your e-mail provider can handle 3+ MB attachments. But... if they can, its on its way.

konon
04-14-03, 05:27 AM
Hi, the site is http://www.xpmce.com

Spitfire
04-26-03, 11:06 PM
ok this is close to the subject her so.........
what cards work with mce so I can decide which to buy?

AlphaAlien
04-26-03, 11:12 PM
Hauppage WinTV PVR PCI II, PVR250/350, and Emuzed EvcapMaui Device

cronus
05-01-03, 09:35 PM
Hope this is OK to post here.


You can get the MCE drivers for this card at http://shspvr.com