Hauppauge HVR -950 USB TV TUNER STICK - $79.99 at NCIX.com

[LonesomeDove]

Previously, it was on sale at BB for $89.99.
Is it a good tuner and does it work with Windows Media Center?
I am looking for a tv tuner for my laptop. Has anyone used something better?

[sporb]

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21058&vpn=1176&manufacture=HAUPPAUGE
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showing $105

[chaninator]

I have a Plextor ConvertX PX-TV402U that I bought from Surplus Sam's for $120 (http://www.buysell.com/inventory.asp?linkid=0001028551) in Burnaby (one of those places that sells Costco returns) and I really like it. The ConvertX performs DivX encoding (and more) in hardware so I use it with a really low powered laptop with very good results.

[tjumpfuzzy]

might want to check the min requirements...i heard you need a half decent pc.

[7jaii]

Why not buy Gamebridge if you're relying on CPU power. Otherwise buy a Hauppauge PVR since those have hardware decoders - no lag and frees up your laptop to do other tasks

[LonesomeDove]

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21058&vpn=1176&manufacture=HAUPPAUGE&promoid=1022

This is the link to the $79.99 price. It is part of the boxing week sale.

BTW, it is compatible with Windows Media Center Edition?

[prod]

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21058&vpn=1176&manufacture=HAUPPAUGE&promoid=1022

This is the link to the $79.99 price. It is part of the boxing week sale.

BTW, it is compatible with Windows Media Center Edition?

No, not compatible with MCE, this is software SD encoding only.

[hades]

Picked one up at BestBuy recently and tried it out. Where we live no matter what I tried, I could only pick up about 8 over-the-air analogue channels with very bad reception and 0 digital channels. The brochure recommended that I purchase a decent antenna with it, which sort-of defeated the purpose of a small portable USB stick. So I am returning it... :(

hades

[AllWheelDrift]

I've got this and I can't really recommend it. It won't work with Media Center. The Hauppauge software does run on XP Media Center but it's crap. I have it working with Sage TV now though. Digital TV looks great but CPU useage is rather high.

[LonesomeDove]

My choices for my new laptop are:

The Hauppauge HVR - 950 USB TV TUNER STICK - $79.99

Hauppauge WinTV USB 2.0 PVR - $129.99

ADS USB Instant Deluxe TV Tuner -$30.97 (after rebates).

My new laptop will be running Windows Media Center Edition.
All of these tuners will be off-sale in a day or two.

Of these 3, the Hauppauge WinTV USB 2.0 PVR, have the best reviews but is the most expensive. I guess you get what you pay for. The 950 TV Tuner Stick appears not to support Windows MCE and takes up a lot of the computer resources. The ADS Instant tuner seems to be a older discontinued model and will not have latest drivers to run MCE.

So, which one would you choose? Anyone have past experiences with these 3 tuners?

[D-3vil]

My choices for my new laptop are:

The Hauppauge HVR - 950 USB TV TUNER STICK - $79.99

Hauppauge WinTV USB 2.0 PVR - $129.99

ADS USB Instant Deluxe TV Tuner -$30.97 (after rebates).

My new laptop will be running Windows Media Center Edition.
All of these tuners will be off-sale in a day or two.

Of these 3, the Hauppauge WinTV USB 2.0 PVR, have the best reviews but is the most expensive. I guess you get what you pay for. The 950 TV Tuner Stick appears not to support Windows MCE and takes up a lot of the computer resources. The ADS Instant tuner seems to be a older discontinued model and will not have latest drivers to run MCE.

So, which one would you choose? Anyone have past experiences with these 3 tuners?

No experience with those 3 tuners you mention, but I would buy both the Hauppauge 2.0 and the ADS. If you can make the ADS work with MCE, return the Hauppauge. If not, return the ADS.

I've had a few cable & satellite Hauppauge tuners over the years (currently running a Nexus-S DVB card), and I can honestly say that they make a great product, after you spend some time to do a little tweaking, as the software that is included with them will not be cutting edge. But then again, you'll probably find yourself using 3rd party software to watch TV anyway.

[LonesomeDove]

No experience with those 3 tuners you mention, but I would buy both the Hauppauge 2.0 and the ADS. If you can make the ADS work with MCE, return the Hauppauge. If not, return the ADS.

I've had a few cable & satellite Hauppauge tuners over the years (currently running a Nexus-S DVB card), and I can honestly say that they make a great product, after you spend some time to do a little tweaking, as the software that is included with them will not be cutting edge. But then again, you'll probably find yourself using 3rd party software to watch TV anyway.

Thank's for your suggestion! It sounds like a good idea.