Hauppauge: HVR-1600

[burchis]

Just became a registered user of this forum so here is my first post.

Beyond TV software has great reviews but what about the HVR-1600 TV tuner? Is this the best hardware to use with Beyond TV? I am setting up a HDTV PVR to record OTA HDTV. Also will I be happy with the Firefly remote?

Thanks for any helpful comments/suggestions.

[Fickey]

If all you really want to do is record OTA HD, I'd look for an ATSC dual tuner card, the 1600 has one ATSC & one NTSC tuner. However, I can't imagine going to the trouble of building a PVR without the ability to record everything, including NTSC. As always, tech marches on & Hauppauge has announced several new cards for 2008, no guarantee on availability or support, but I suspect they'll work anyway.

Two things to consider about the 1600 that don't directly relate to your post are:
1) It supports QAM recording (unencrypted HD via cable TV, which you may or may not receive, or continue to receive), a capability which is expected to be supported by BTV sometime later this year.
2) It supports Closed Captions, hard to find and a must for a significant minority of users.

Which Firefly, the IR mini, or the more substantial RF version? I don't have either. If you're really serious about a home theater, you'll probably want to look at Logitech's Harmony line of remotes. The lower end 520 or 550 are occasionally on sale for around $50. Their XBox 360 remote is a 520 with a few extra buttons, and can be a good solution. Other than that, Hauppauge's silver remote that's included with their non-MCE cards can be configured to control just about anything on your PC.

[schmoppa]

Originally Posted by Fickey

Two things to consider about the 1600 that don't directly relate to your post are:
1) It supports QAM recording (unencrypted HD via cable TV, which you may or may not receive, or continue to receive), a capability which is expected to be supported by BTV sometime later this year.

What is this expectation based on? I haven't been around these forums for a while, but clear QAM support on the HVR-1600 has been something I've been pining for. It's just that last I checked (Fall 2007 or so), there was no official talk of HVR-1600 QAM support, just a lot of BTV users clamoring for it.

[myktek]

As of right now, we do not officially support it yet.

There is Fonceur's utility where it will allow you to record from it though.

[Fickey]

No official 1600 QAM guarantees, but seems likely since many BTV users already have the card.

Fonceur's Negociator for a current QAM workaround.

[Banjo H]

I use the HVR-1600 for OTA HDTV and am very happy with it. I don't use the analog tuner, so that's wasted on me. I also have an HVR-950 USB tuner and that records OTA HDTV very well too.

The firefly remote works very well for me and I like that it's RF. Others report that they have interference problems.