SnapStream + WinXP Recommendations

[ebohling]

I recently heard about SnapStream .NET and being part of Microsoft's .NET Early Adopters program for the last 16 months, I'm sold on this system. However, I don't have the time or the energy to resource all the stuff I normally would to make sure I had all that I need to use a new technology. So what I'm asking the forum is this:

Given that I have a Dell PIII 1.0GHz system with 512MB RAM the standard Nvidia GeForce2 32MB card...what else do I need? I know I need a TV tuner card, but which one works best with Windows XP Pro? I've read problems with them all in this forum.

Anyone willing to help? Thanks.

--Brandon

[tjkraz]

Go with the Hauppauge WinTV Go.

If you see any notes on the support boards from users of this board, the source of the problem is likely a configuration issue or some other system tweak. I'm not aware of any outstanding technical issues with the Hauppauge card, unlike the many documented issues with ATI cards.

[ebohling]

Which would you recommend the PCI or USB version of Hauppauge WinTV?

Another question. If you don't have Satellite or Cable just network television, will SnapStream work with it? Or do you have to have some kind of cable or satellite?

Anything else a WinXP Pro user should know?

--Brandon

[tjkraz]

If you're not afraid of opening your PC, and don't have technical reasons for getting the USB version (like using a laptop), I would recommend the PCI card. The PCI card is about half the cost of the USB, and the PCI bus allows faster data throughput than using the USB.

SnapStream actually works BEST when there is NO digital cable or satellite service in place. The Hauppauge card is a legitimate TV tuner, providing most of the functions of a normal stand-alone TV set, obviously without the large glass display. So, if you have standard analog cable or even a rooftop antenna, you just plug that into the Hauppauge tuner card and you're ready to go.

If you had satellite service or digital cable, the configuration is much more difficult because the signal must pass through a receiver box before getting to your PC. SnapStream often cannot initiate channel changes on these types of setups, meaning that it's not a fully integrated solution (yet!)

For Win XP, just make sure you go to the Hauppauge web site and download the latest drivers before installing SnapStream. The most recent drivers are only a couple of months old. If you buy a card now, chances are it may come packaged with older non-XP software.

[ebohling]

So I was looking at this chart, http://www.hauppauge.com/html/chart.htm, and it appears that the WinTV Go PCI card you are recommending (and SnapStream uses in it's package deals), isn't very good. Or maybe I should say, doesn't have very many features. Is it true that it is mono? Wouldn't it be better to get the WinTV PVR PCI? Does SnapStream work with that card? In your opinion, is it worth spending the extra money?

Thanks for your assistance!

--Brandon

[tjkraz]

Personally I don't have a problem with the mono audio, but that's a personal preference thing.

I would do some research before jumping into the WinTV PVR card. I read quite a few negative reviews on the web. It's main advantage seems to be the hardware-level encoding of MPEG2 files. Well, SnapStream doesn't currently support MPEG2, so that feature is worthless in terms of a SnapStream setup.

I'd look at one of the lower-level cards that supports 2-channel stereo captures if that's what you're looking for. SnapStream won't encode in any more than 2 channels, so that's all you would need.

[oo7tushar]

I'm currently using WinXP and my TV tuner card is a ATI Wonder VE (that's the Value one, cost $70 CDN).

I've had problems with the ATI software but not with SnapStream. There's a lot of issues with installing the ATI software as none of it is certified but it seems to stabilize over time.

System spex are close to yours (Dual P4, 1.7 GHz, 1 gig of RAM, lotz of Hard drive space, yada yada (I like my games))

What is the resolution of these things? Will the WinTV-Go do full PAL or NTSC at full rate?

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by Albal:
What is the resolution of these things? Will the WinTV-Go do full PAL or NTSC at full rate?

I believe the Hauppauge cards comply with the normal NTSC broadcast resolution standards. Check their web site to be sure. They do have quite a bit of technical information on each of their products.

Regarding SnapStream, you may have to do a little fiddling. I believe most of the standard capture profiles are set to 640x480 within SS. Those can be enlarged to full screen using the Windows Media Player, but obviously you lose some resolution.

Alternatively you can create your own custom profiles and set the dimensions and FPS to anything you want. It's a very simple process.