Win TV PVR2, okay!! What is it I hear you ask?. Same question I asked myself.
I had got some money at Christmas and wanted to buy a piece of external hardware for my computer, that would allow me to transfer my analogue (pre digital) film, from my camcorder, into my computer for editing. Simple task I thought, go to the appropriate area of video editing, and look for something which can do the job and within the budget I had.
Well for a start there were various selections of external and internal hardware available which were able to do the job. However, there was only a few at or around the price I had in mind. So after spending about and hour deciding, I lifted the item of my choice and proceeded towards the checkout area. Ah ha!! What is this I see? Walking towards the checkout, I noticed an item on a shelf in a bright orange box! Stopping to look at it, I realised this is a piece of hardware which could display television on your PC! So what? I thought! I already have a card in my computer which does that! Or do I? This particular piece of external hardware, (which is also available as an internal card) produces a digital TV image. Okay! This that is better than my existing internal TV card. However, it also gives the same functions as offered by certain digital boxes as being able to pause live TV, rewind live TV, play in slow motion, record TV programmes to your hard disk for burning to DVD or VCD. It also always pre programming so you can set it, just as you would your video recorder to come on at a certain time to record your favourite programmes. It also has FM radio functions on it to. WinTV-PVR is a 125-channel cable ready TV receiver and with a built-in stereo FM radio receiver. TV can be viewed n a resizable window or in full screen. This can allow you to watch TV in a small box as you continue to do something else on the computer at the same time.
However, what has this got to do with hardware for capturing analogue video? Initially I went to buy a device to do just that, to capture video from my camcorder. However for a couple of pounds more, I ended up with a device which did just that that and can do much more. Win TV PVR stands for Windows TV Personal Video Recorder, and that is exactly what this is. This unit has the ability to allow Video camcorders/Video recorders etc to be connected to it via S-Video, or Composite Video connections, and has stereo connections for sound. This unit allows real time capturing of analogue video which can be compressed into various formats such as MPEG1, MPEG2, SVCD & DVD The unit also allows you to display TV on your computer with digital quality, it also is a digital recorder which will record live Televised programmes, which are saved to your hard disk. These can then be viewed at anytime or saved to a DVD (if you happen to have a DVD writer in your computer, or to VCD format (Video CD) to a standard CD if you have a CD burner on your computer.
** Setting Up ** As this particular model is external hardware there is no need to open up your computer and the installation is so much more straight forward. There is a manual provided on disk, and there is a quick installation guide provided in the way of a pamphlet. Using the quick installation pamphlet, I had it connect and was installing the software within about 3 minutes. The unit is connected via USB connection, and comes with it’s own USB cable!! Unlike many printers etc.. And is powered by a main power adaptor.
There are photographs on the pamphlet showing the various screen shots during installation, and it is therefore quite straight forward. After the software had completed installing, I directed the software to scan for TV Channels, and within a few minutes it had picked up BBC1, BBC 2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Had I been connected to cable TV the unit would have scanned for all the 125 channels available.
** Easy of use *** This unit is very easy to use. The software provided is very intuitive and there is a manual for back up if needed. A remote control is provided with this unit for ease of use. It is simple to pre programme this unit to record any programme at any given time. For instance I’ve set it to record a programme weekly, starting at 3:10am and finishing at 3:40, and did this with less hassle than setting my video. Additionally there is Mpeg editing software provided, which allows you to easily cut and rejoin your recordings, such as for cutting out commercial adverts. If that is too much effort for you, and you only want to watch your programmes at a later date, then you can just fast forward through the commercial break, and slow down or repeat your favourite moments..
Bear in mind though, in the UK, unless you are connected to cable TV, you still will only receive the standards channels such as BBC1 & 2, ITV, Channel 4 & 5, all be it with excellent picture quality. This unit is not a digital TV box which will pick up the “freeview” digital channels. However, if that is what you are after, then there is another version from the same manufacturer which allows to do that. This version is simply a Television unit / Video recorder, but delivers and records the images in digital, with far superior quality than any analogue PC TV card. It also can capture analogue video from an external source such as a Camcorder or Video Recorder.
If like me you have many magical moments saved through the years on camcorder, then the pluses for this unit are that as well as having a unit which can capture and encode your footage to standard DVD, you also get TV with digital clarity on your computer, and with the option to record your favourite programmes to your hard disk, which later can be saved to DVD or CD, (assuming you have a CD or DVD rewriter drive in you computer) ** Pros and Cons***
The Pro’s for me are:
• With an external unit, there is no need to open up your computer and is easy to set up. Much of the signal processing is carried out by the hardware, which takes some of the load off your Computers processor. Therefore it is not so labour intensive on your computers own resources.
• It comes with its own USB cable; no additional purchase needed and is easy to connect. Connects via USB1 or 2
• The build quality is good, it is robust and can be used laid flat on your desk, or if space is an issue, it has a stand to allow it to be used standing on it’s side. It is a sensible design with the video ports to the front on the unit for easy connection to an external source.
• It fulfils two jobs for me, allowing TV to be display on the computer in excellent quality, plus with recording facilities. It also allows the import of external video sources, Encoding to Mpeg2.
• It allows configuration of various Mpeg quality levels, which determine the amount of hard disk space required for recording & video capturing.
** Video Compression rates/hard disk space **
MPEG1 VCD .66 Gigabytes per hour MPEG2 2.0 MBits per second (Full D1) . 9 Gigabytes per hour MPEG2 2.0 MBits per second (Half D1) . 9 Gigabytes per hour MPEG2 12.0 MBits per second (Full D1) 5.4 Gigabytes per hour MPEG2 12.0 MBits per second (Half D1) 5.4 Gigabytes per hour DVD Standard Play 8.0 MBits per second 3.1 Gigabytes per hour DVD Long Play 6.2 MBits per second 2.4 Gigabytes per hour DVD Extra Long Play 2.5 MBits per sec 1.2 Gigabytes per hour SVCD Standard Play 2.5 MBits per sec .8 Gigabytes per hour **The cons for me are**
• It’s a little bit more expensive than some (not all) stand alone TV cards or video capture cards. • To capture video or record programmes you do need plenty of spare hard disk space, however this is true with regards to any digital recording, whether music images, video or DVD, and is not a let down by this unit as it does offer excellent compression rates. However, hard disk space needs to be considered if you want to record programmes etc.
*** Components Supplied ***
• WinTV-PVR-usb2 device with 125 channel cable ready TV tuner, FM radio receiver, MPEG 1 and MPEG2 hardware audio & video Compressor
Where I bought this, this unit was advertised as being in a sale from £129.99 down to £99.00. However, It can be found on the internet cheaper than this. I have seen it on one site for £80+ pounds sterling, with returned units being sold from around from £60+. Considering the Video Capture unit I was about to buy would have cost me £80, and my existing internal TV card cost me around £30 a few years ago, I did feel it was a reasonable purchase.
I have to say I am impressed with the quality of TV image I receive, it is far superior to what I have been used to from my existing internal card, and I now have an encoder to allow me to capture my old camcorder videos too.
The unit is made by Hauppauge and is called WinTV, PVR2, personal video recorder. www.hauppauge.com
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
