Hardware Encoding=Better Quality?

[Elmiko]

While I understand that having hardware encoding tuner card, like the PVR 250 handle the video encoding makes life easier for your CPU, does it always mean that the quality of the recoding is better? I have both a WinTV USB and a PVR 250 and the difference is huge. Is it because of hardware vs. software encoding or just that the USB unit just isn't as good?

[SHS]

USB 1.1 is very bandwidth limit.
USB 2.0 on other hand is but that again PCI Bus bandwidth limit.
Harddrive bandwidth only at brust mode there not constant brust of data read and wirte.
That just min reson why only ture option is hardware compess codec being today 3GHz CPU can most do it and today memory speed are all most there but more speed is good but it the rest of sub system that where problem is.
The best you can hope for PCI-X 2.0 will take of some thoses downside.