Customer Reviews

Hauppauge 1198 WinTV-HVR-950 TV Tuner Stick/Personal Video Recorder with Remote Control (Black)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I run the Hauppage USB 950Q Tuner on a Windows Vista 32-bit system with a high end Nvidia 9800 640MB PCI-E video card, dual core Pentium 2.8ghz processors and a Creative Xi-Fi PCI soundcard, with 3GB's of system RAM. This is well above the minimum requirements.

My primary use involves plugging in the coaxial cable line directly to the USB Tuner, in order to record certains shows a couple of times a week.

I did some basic research and read the various reviews of what was out there. My video card takes up so much space, that I didn't want to fool with squeezing a PCI card inside the case, a USB card that I could even take on the road with my lap top easily, seemed perfect.

This version comes with (at this time) the latest Hauppage drivers on the CD. It's best to install the CD apps first before plugging the USB device in. If you don't, make sure to cancel the Windows prompt to find drivers on it's own.

I also had to install the WinTV application in order for Windows Media Center to recognize the signal. I prefer to use WMC because of it's very nice guide, genre summaries of "what's on" and the speed at which it operates. I still need to fool around a bit with the aspect ratio, as I have a widescreen 24" flat panel monitor.

After the 10 minutes or so it takes to scan all of the analog cable channels, I played the live TV and the picture was grainy, choppy, and kept stuttering out. It took me a while to figure out it was a bad signal from the cable line. Keep this in mind - if your picture is snowy, having blips or a white line running through it intermittently etc..., you probably need a Cable Signal Amplifier. I got a bi-directional cable TV amplifier from Radioshack for $34 and after plugging it in the right way, the signal and picture for analog channels was noticeably improved, and I am now reasonably happy with it. Make sure your fuzzy picture is not a result of this, if you have any splitters on your line, multiple TV's and an internet modem hooked up to your cable lines, an amplifier can work wonders. I haven't seen this obvious remedy mentioned in any other reviews, so wanted to make sure I put it in here.

I also tested the included atenna, and the local, free QAM or HD channels it picked up, looked fantastic, the analog channels were too choppy but clearer than the cable picture, I didn't spend much time with the antenna though. The problem is there are very few of these HD/QAM channels available, even here in a major city where I live, and they are just versions of the local network station (which I rarely watch). Literally 4-6 of these, if that.

If the day comes where everything is broadcast in HD, this card will make the picture rather remarkable, for obvious reasons being you don't have to convert an analog signal and the resolutions match hi-res PC monitors much more closely.

WinTV is very cumbersome and slow, I notice a slightly better picture with it at this point, versus WMC, but WMC's functionality make it the preferred application.

Unfortunately I cannot find a way to easily switch back and forth between the Antenna source and Analog Cable line, without having to re-scan everything - which takes 10+ minutes for WinTV, less for WMC. I don't think there is an easy way, even with another splitter.

So, buy a cable tv amplifier, (bi-directional if you use PPV or Indemand services etc..,) make sure you have a powerful video card (more important than your CPU - but they ultimately both work together) and at least 2GB of system RAM if you're on Vista ecspecially.

This should give you adequate results and feel this is probably one of the better, more affordable, PC TV with HD/QAM options out there, and should get better with time as broadcasts move to an all-digital signal.

Of course if you have a DVR or hi-def cable box, use the S-video connection if possible, and your HD channels and other digital channels will probaby look and play even better.

Hauppauge Model 1198, HVR-950 does not have Clear QAM as described in the title, and item information.

I am using this tuner as part of a Beyond TV setup with multiple tuner cards for receiving OTA HDTV broadcasts. Installing the tuner software was easy, and its tuning sensitivity seems as good as the other brands of HDTV tuner cards I have used. I have not tested the remote control with it, so I cannot comment on that part of it. I did not try the video-in option or the included antenna so I cannot comment on those either. I briefly hooked my analog cable up to it and it seemed to tune those channels well also. The included software suite is adequate and does what it says it does. Its compact size would make it great for travel and/or a laptop.

When you hook this up you may want to use the USB extender cable to minimize strain on your computer's USB port from the cable attached to the tuner weighing down on the port.

Needless to say, the only disadvantage of this type of product vs. a plug-in card or USB box is that you must chooses if you want CATV or OTA HDTV, since many of the cards and USB boxes offer separate F-connectors for cable and OTA signals. Their may be a way to combine both signals on one cable, but I did not attempt that. Video input is separate via a small port on the tuner stick, so that input can be used with either setup. Also, to the best of my knowledge this stick does not have a hardware-based MPEG-2 decoder. Some products require at least one tuner in their setup to have a hardware-based decoder, so you may want to double-check your application to be sure.

In short, this is a great product and I would buy another one. I've used Hauppauge products for years, and found them to be well designed and reasonably priced. This tuner continues that tradition.

This product has problems with Windows XP (and possibly ATI video cards). Could not get a picture at all on one computer but had sound. Audio had lots of static on another computer with a great picture. It would not work on one of our laptops at all. But, it worked great on a new laptop with Windows Vista Ultimate. Hauppauge's fix for these computers was an older driver in which the remote control would not work.

Bought to view cable TV on my laptop computer. Plugged into a coax cable and into usb port it works fine. Only issue is the audio sync with picture. If I work on an application on my computer then come back to TV the sync is off. I need to change channel then back to the show I was watching to fix the timing. But it does work well so I recommend this product.

if you haven't bought it, you're wasting time, you won't find a better tuner, I've tried several usb and pci card tuners and nothing comes even close. The dvr feature, the capture feature are amazing. the remote is a big plus, just be careful it's so tiny, I keep losing it, but I still love it. and HD is phenomenal and FREEE

I ordered the WinTV-HVR-950 for my laptop and when I got it in the mail, the box was still the WinTV-HVR-950 but inside it was the WinTV-HVR-950q which is the same thing except it also gets clear QAM which is a good mistake =].

The installation for the hauppauge software is a little tricky but I just read some review online on step by step how to install. The TV tuner works great, but their software sucks, or at least I don't like it. I find Windows Media Center to work a lot more efficiently & smoothly. With Window Media Center it's a lot faster and quicker to schedule recordings because it has a guide and you can just click on the show and click record, or record series, meaning every time that series is on it'll record, or you can just schedule recordings manually if you want a particular time.

I've read other reviews how pictures may not come that clear and suck but it really depends on where you live. I live in Troy, MI & get crystal clear pictures, but seeing other video reviews and such, some channels come slightly distorted but like I said depends on your area. I've heard of people using antenna amplifiers which helped others out in areas where it's hard to get signals. In general though, the TV tuner itself is great.

If are to get this, I do highly recommend to use Windows Media Center if you get this. I read a different review explaining how Windows Media Center will not recognize the TV tuner until the Hauppauge software is installed. Idk if this is true for everyone b/c I installed the Hauppauge software first anyways. If you don't have Windows Media Center the Hauppauge software still works fine, just the interface isn't appealing nor smoothe.

I use this to watch TV on my laptop in Iraq and have found it to be perfect for that. I was worried about the software issues from other reviews but it really wasn't a big issue. I have to admit that it took some fiddling to get the WinTV software installed on my machine (64 bit Vista), and it's certainly not the most refined software ever, but within 30 minutes I was watching UFC on AFN. I won't use it at home but, if you want basic TV capability when you're away, this will do the trick.

Works great! I use it on my Desktop and Laptop, and it's great.

I wish it would get the high channels on Comcast, but it just doesn't do it, when you install the software. It did when I use Vista only software but it didn't get the lower channels.

The modem works well and it will call up Media Center so I like this as that software is better than the one that comes with the hardware.

Hauppauge software doesn't tell you what channels names are you have to add them yourself. That is a real pain...

Length:: 1:46 Mins

The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q (with the letter "Q" at the end) does work on the mac, but you'll need to buy the latest version of the Elgato EyeTV 3.1.x software to get this TV USB Stick to work on the mac. This WinTV-HVR-950Q only came with windows software and no mac software. There is the mac-specific hybrid version of this TV USB Stick which comes with the "lite" version of the EyeTV software, but I got this one because it was cheaper and also because previous reviews said other buyers actually got the "Q" version of this TV USB Stick. I ended up spending more because I had to buy the latest version of the EyeTV software, but I wanted the "Q" version of this TV USB Stick for if I ever went back to using cable television and wanted in-the-clear QAM channels. Anyways, the WinTV-HVR-950Q does work with the mac as you can see in the video. You can go full screen for a full-screen DVR-like television experience. Or you can simply have the TV in a window as seen the video. To be clear, the video is of the WinTV-HVR-950Q using the EyeTV software version 3.1.2 on a Macbook. For those who are wondering, the Macbook's remote control works fine with the EyeTV software.

This amazon page says this is the WinTV-HVR-950 (without the "Q") and the box, which this TV USB Stick comes in, says WinTV-HVR-950 (no "Q"), but the actual TV USB Stick that I got from ordering from this amazon page is a WinTV-HVR-950Q (with the "Q"). That's what I got. Earlier versions of the EyeTV software are compatible with the WinTV-HVR-950 (no "Q") but the latest version of the EyeTV software is compatible with both the 950 (no "Q") and the 950Q (with the "Q"). The "Q" means that the TV USB Stick can handle clear QAM cable TV channels. Quoting the Hauppauge website: "Clear QAM are digital cable TV programs transmitted on your cable TV network 'in the clear'. Many cable operators transmit the high definition local TV channels using clear QAM." If you have digital cable or if the local HDTV channels are somehow included with your basic cable, then you will have to check this out yourself. I'm primarily using the WinTV-HVR-950Q with the antenna on my Macbook. When I bought the EyeTV software from Elgato, I got version 3.1.1 which when automatically updated became version 3.1.2. Again, there is the mac-specific hybrid version of this TV USB Stick that is sold here on Amazon but the EyeTV software that comes with that TV USB Stick is the "lite" version. You'll have to decide which version of this TV USB Stick that you'll want to get if you have a mac and how you'll want to upgrade the EyeTV software.

As for Windows, the WinTV-HVR-950Q also works fine on our HP notebook with Windows Media Center under Windows Vista. If you have Vista, then you should only install the drivers and do not install the rest of the WinTV software. Don't even bother trying to use the WinTV software as your TV software. I am disappointed with the WinTV software for this TV USB Stick. The WinTV software, which along with the driver software, is on a CD included with this TV USB Stick. The WinTV software for watching TV did not work for me. Some of the other reviews, here on Amazon, seem to indicate that the WinTV software may work but will probably still fail. Therefore, I would strongly suggest that for windows, you should only install the driver software from the CD, or download the driver software from the Hauppauge website, and then you should only use the TV functionality in the Windows Media Center software that is included with Windows Vista. As far as I know, Windows Media Center should also be included with Windows 7 whenever that comes out. For the remote control on the HP, I've been using the HP's remote control and not the remote control that came with the WinTV-HVR-950Q. I would suggest that you also not even bother installing the wintv remote control software since are you going to most likely want to use Windows Media Center if you are going to use this WinTV-HVR-950Q on a windows PC.

Whether you use the WinTV-HVR-950Q on mac or windows, you may have problems getting VHF ATSC digital over-the-air channels. This is NOT because of the TV USB Stick, but could most likely be because of the TV stations themselves. VHF channels, such as channels 8 and 10 in my San Diego County area, after the digital switchover became less powerful and therefore much harder to get whether using this TV USB Stick or using a DTV Converter box hooked up to a regular TV set. This could also be the result of distance, elevation, possible electrical interference, or any obstructions in the way. So, your actual results for getting local TV in your area may vary and differ from what I'm encountering. UHF channels seem to be more powerful and easier to get. This problem with some VHF channels is one of the unspoken dirty little secrets of the nationwide switchover to over-the-air digital TV. Awful. Have to try different antennas. I've had to use double antennas or somehow move antenna cables around for my DTV Converter boxes to get channels 8 and 10 for my regular TVs. I can barely get channels 8 and 10 when using the WinTV-HVR-950Q with my HP notebook. But I can't seem to get channels 8 or 10 when I have the WinTV-HVR-950Q connected to my Macbook. But surprisingly, I'm able to pull in the Los Angeles NBC station channel 4 and its digital subchannels plus also the Orange County public television station channel 50 and its subchannels when I'm upstairs. Getting HDTV on the computer is nice, but I really curse that the local analog channels had to be shutdown. Oh, I can get the other local TV stations (6, 15, 39, 51, 69) and any of their subchannels in my area in either HDTV or SDTV whichever happens to be the resolution at the time. And I can also get a low-powered analog local channel that didn't have to switch over to digital. Also, I can get a MyTVNetwork analog channel that is actually located in Mexico and doesn't have to switch to digital for maybe a couple more years. Plus I can get a bunch of digital and analog spanish-language TV channels from across the border in Mexico using this WinTV-HVR-950Q on my Macbook, but the HP using Windows Media Center seems to refuse to pick up the spanish stations because the TV program guide in Windows Media Center doesn't seem to recognize those channels as existing.

I do recommend getting this TV USB Stick but with the above caveats that you'll have to keep in mind. Thanks for viewing my video and also for reading this review.