Hauppauge Colossus HD-PVR - Page 8

Hey, I'm trying to get the colossus to work with MCE but the tv channel scan stays at 0%? Any suggestions on how to fix it? I tried turning off MCE and then back on but it didn't work. I didn't install the IR blaster, just the driver and MCE setup.

Yeah, I've had the same problem with Arcsoft Showbiz. It insists on re-encoding the files, which drastically increases the size and also drops the quality. (I've noticed that the re-encoded video no longer has DD 5.1 audio; it converted it to 2 channel AAC...maybe Arcsoft Showbiz can't handle Dolby Digital 5.1?)

My workaround has been to use MultiAVCHD to create a AVCHD folder structure that I burn using ImgBurn.

I also own the Hauppauge HD-PVR which came with Arcsoft TME. The files created by the HD-PVR could be burned using TME without re-encoding. At some point I'm going to take one of the Colossus video files and see if TME can generate an AVCHD without re-encoding the file. This would help prove whether it's an issue with Arcsoft Showbiz or with the structure of the video file generated by the Colossus.

Weird, it should actually show "100%" all the time.

Here's from the instructions under "know issues":
The scanning percent complete indicator is not working. The indicator will
show 100% however the channel discovery process is still in progress. We
suggest you wait until the channel count does not increment for 15 seconds
and minimal hard disk activity is observed before clicking on Next. After the
setup is complete media center will rescan the database please wait till the
hard drive stops before leaving the settings screen.

Ok, a few dumb questions. I'm preparing to build my HTPC which will include a Colossus. The HTPC will be hooked up to my AV Receiver (and hence to my TV) via HDMI. The Colossus will be used exclusively to record things that are stored on my DirecTV DVR (things I decide I want to archive, such as sporting events or music concerts), which will be hooked up to the Colossus via component video and Toslink.

Am I correct that the component/TOSLINK output from the Colossus is only for passthrough of the signal for someone using component video/TOSLINK as their source to their HDTV, and is totally unnecessary in my situation? Am I also correct in assuming that, when recording, the preview pane in Showbiz will display through the normal HDMI output of the HTPC to the TV and that I don't need to have the component/TOSLINK out connected?

Also, once a program is recorded in an H.264 file, I assume I can replay it normally like any other H.264 file (using any suitable software such as WinDVD Pro 2010 or the like) and have no further need for the two programs provided with the Colossus. If that's correct and the included software is only needed to record shows (and I don't need it for tuning channels, scheduling recordings, or the like), can I just install one of the two programs and skip the other (I assume I would install Shobiz and ignore WinTV, but please tell me if this approach is faulty.) (By the way, does WMC natively play H.264 files, or, if not, can I add codecs so that it will?)

Lastly, should I be installing the newest Colossus drivers, or is some previous iteration preferable?

Thanks very much for the help.

Yes, it's not an output, it's a loopthrough of the input.

Just wanted to share something. For Windows Media Center, the actual optimal resolution to use when playing HDPVR or Colossus is 59hz and not 60. If your graphic card supports it of course. My Radeon 6850 does support it.

Here's where I found the info:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...3#post18544923

Found it when trying to find out why my recordings were at 59fps.

OK.. glad I found this. I actually logged in today to update my experience with my Hauppauge Colossus for documentation purposes regarding your very issue so that someone might find the information helpful. I also experienced the "TV Channel scan frozen at 0%" issue and quickly resolved it. I came to this forum several months ago regarding my new foray into video capture cards. It started ugly (with an AverTV card - nightmare). I returned it and bought the Hauppauge Colossus. Its been a great experience thus far. The one exception is that I found the WinTV 7 software would crash my system occasionally. Crashes occurred when the Colossus was being used whether by WMC or WinT. Crashes went away when I did not install the WinTV software whether on a clean OS or an old installation of Windows 7. I have a test rig I use to find the source of problems and I have determined that the WinTV 7 software, its dll's, and the services it runs is the cause of the infrequent yet annoying crashes. I switched to Windows Media Center and I haven't looked back. Its been amazing for me.

Here's the solution to the TV channel scan problem.

First of all, let me say that I am running the Hauppauge Colossus on a clean installation of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1 fully updated via Windows Update as of May 27, 2011.

After installing Windows I did not install WinTV 7 and have not and will not. Instead, you need to download this - http://hauppauge.lightpath.net/softw...-col-29111.zip

1. Install your Colossus into a PCI slot. Install Windows.
2. Extract the hdpvr-mce-col-29111.zip file to a folder and browse to that folder with Windows Explorer.
3. Browse to "DRIVER" folder and right-click to Run as Administrator on "HcwDriverInstall.exe".
4. Browse to "IR32" folder and Run as Administrator "IR32.exe" and then "IRBlast.EXE".
5. Browse to "MCE" folder and Run as Administrator "setup.exe".
6. Restart the computer.
7. Click the Start button, click on the "Hauppauge" folder, run "HDPVR MC Setup".
8. In the "WMC Config" tab, tick the box next to "Colossus...".
9. Tick the box next to "Show Advanced Details" and click "Start WMCService".
10. Click "Apply All Changes".
11. Click the Start button, click on the "Hauppauge WinTV" folder, run "BlastCFG" to set up the IR remote.
12. Restart the computer.
13. Run "HDPVR MC Setup" again just to check that the WMCService is running.
14. Run Windows Media Center and the guide should download completely in just a couple of minutes (appx 593 channels with FiOS, although I needed to click the "scan for channels" button a couple of times to fill out the list).

Finishing Steps 7-10 and then restarting the computer is the key to getting Windows Media Player to download your guide properly. Of course if you already have Windows installed and WinTV installed you can still follow the steps above beginning with Step 2 although you might experience infrequent crashes as well. Good luck!

This is true for all TV captures in the US. Everything is either 59.94 or 29.97 FPS.

This is driving me nuts! I just bought a new computer and had the store install the Colossus. When I attached the computer to my home network and plugged the component 'out' (passthrough) to component cables to my tv, I got a signal (it displayed the computer screen just like a monitor would). When I got up the next day, there had been an automatic Windows update and now I can't get any video. From the above post, I gather that the component output is a 'passthrough'. If that is the case, how do you get component video out of the computer (using the Colossus) after you have recorded a show? Do I need to get an HDMI to Component converter? What am I missing?

AIUI the Colossus is an INPUT/Capture card only (the Component output is purely a loop-through so that you can continue to watch your Component sources directly and not via your PC) - unless it differs significantly from the HD PVR in that respect (I thought they were very similar - with the Colossus also having HDMI inputs for non-HDCP sources like camcorders).

You need to connect your PC to your HDTV separately. If your HDTV has an HDMI input, then use that? If your HDTV doesn't have an HDMI input then you will need to look at DVI (and sort audio separately), VGA (again sorting audio separately) or Component (some Video cards have component outputs - on mini-Din type connectors for use with a special cable)

Thanks for the speedy response. I have a dvi out on the computer. I need to have component out to my 8x8 component switch. I assume that this will work : http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

Edit : I see that this is only for ATI cards... and mine is an Nvidia...

I think my problem was that I didn't tick Colossus or it's the IR blaster which I didn't initially install. The guide and channels were just working but I just installed the IR blaster and manually entered keys because my DCX700 wasn't on the list. The sound doesn't work now and I still can't change channels within WMC or with the hauppauge remote.

I'm trying to get the optical audio to stick outside of WinTV or Showbiz. I'm using NPVR. Is there a way to change the audio defaults on the Colossus? I understand setting the TotalMediaExtreme software on the HDPVR works. I've got both the Capture software in ShowBiz and WinTV set to optical yet the Colossus converts everything to ACC stereo in NPVR.

can i use this card to record tv shows ( TBSHD) to pc?

You can record whatever channel you have access to on your STB

hdmi does not work on encypted channel. only component cable works for encypted channel. is that correct?

I think it depends on your STB. I know for my STB I cannot use HDMI with this card, but I know others who use it successfully (maybe DirecTV or others?)

Does the colossus have a better PQ than the 1212?

My MSI 7411 blew up and I had to plug the cable box in to the tv through component input. I am actually really surprised at how good the PQ is directly out of the cable box.

I've used m 1212 with sagetv client and arcsoft tme codecs. I haven't found a good 264 codec that does everything.

Not in my experience. If there is an increase in PQ, I simply cannot see it, and I have both.

What is the best approach and necessary software to use the Colossus to take an HD concert from TV and make an MP3 or AAC audio-only file for my iPod?

I'd like to be able to make some high quality portable music files from Palladia or UHD or the like using the Colossus's digital audio capture.

Thanks.

Yes. Component allows you to view and record encrypted channels

I am currently using the component input from my directv dvr. But I have also used HDMI successfully. I depends on your provider. Apparantly, directv is not encrypting the HDMI output. Some providers do. In that case you could only use the component input.

Any ideas on how I can get the IR blaster working with Motorola DCX700? The audio randomly started working, so if I can get channels to change withing WMC then I could record stuff easily.

Edit: Got it to work, I guess the sensor has to be right against the box.

Yesterday I uninstalled HD-PVR 1212 from my HTPC and install Colossus HD PVR 1414. I like it better than 1212. I don't have to worry about forgetting to turn the box off when I turn my HTPC off. I like ArcSoft ShowBiz much better than ArcSoft TME that came with 1212. ArcSoft ShowBiz responds much faster and doesn't lock up when I slip forward, FF, or rewind video on my DTV box. I can go to as high as 20 Mbps for recording compare to only 13 with 1212. Quality is great using component connection. So far so good.

Would it be better for me to go with the Hauppauge WinTV HVR-2250 Media over the Colossus? I want to record programming off my STB using component cables and save to my HTPC, but at the same time I would want to record one program while watching another. Does the colossus offer this feature?

The colossus will look better capping broadcasts over 13.5 Mbps, but I don't know that there's much of that out there.

I just got the Hauppauge Colossus Video Recorder PCI Express card version. Installed and everything works fine, I even got it to work in Windows Media Center in win 7. But my problem is that the HD picture quality is quite poor. I have it hooked up to a Verizon FiOS set top box through component cable. You can see lots of artifcats. Colors are skewed and you can see major tiling. It basically looks like a low bitrate divx video quality. I configured Windows MC to display at 1920x1080 (native resolution of my lcd monitorm which is connected to my Radeon 6970 thru DVI). All the HD channels look poor. Is there a setting that needs to be changed to increase the PQ? Can you change the bitrate of the live tv stream? Again I have Verizon FiOS and the source looks great on all my other TVs. It just looks real poor hooked up to my Hauppauge Colossus Video Recorder. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

If you are talking about digital cable, that does not work with the HVR-2250 or any QAM/ATSC tuner for that matter. It is for standard cable with QAM support to get your unscrambled local HD channels and maybe a few more HD channels.

If that's why your adding a HVR-2250, then by all means pick one up.

The Colossus is basically a capture card that WMC and other software see as a "tuner", that's why it works with STB boxes. It offers no internal tuning.

The Colossus is ideal for Digital Cable installs and both small dish networks that offer HD content via set-top box.

Ok guys,

I have been reading up and following this thread (yeah, I am a lurker most of the time). I am building a home media server based off of the following components:

Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7 MB with 16GB Ram, ATI RAdeon 5770 Video cArd, Happague WinTV 2250 MCE Kit & Happague Collosus capture card.

I am using two different video sources, hence the two cards.
The 2250 is connected up to Comcast Analog/Digital cable via coaxial connection for Digital/Clear QAM signals & with no external cable box.

The Collosus is connected up via Component connection to a Dish VIP211 reciever.

I can change channels in media center for the 2250 without issues. When I try to train the Collosus card using the IRBlaster software (Blastcfg) and then try to get the blaster to change the channel, the dish vip211 doesnt change the channel.

At first, I had fits trying to get the blastcfg software to see my remote. I ma not sure exactly what I did, but I finally got it to the point where I could 'train' the blastercfg/irblaster but when I go to 'test' what I just trained, it doesnt change the channel.

I am thinking of getting a USB UIRT to use it as an external solution until Happague develops a better blastercfg tool, but need to if I will need any special software with it.

Basically, I want to be able to change channels on both the comcast feed & the DishVIP211 feed with the MCE remote that came with the WinTV 2250 card.

Any help would be appreciated.

btw - I have contacted happague support, but they were not much help. They couldnt even get windows media center to scan for channels correctly with both cards working in the same box. What I ended up doing to resolve the problem where media center crashes when scanning for channels was to go into the collosus utility, remove the checkmark to disable the collusus signal. I then went into Windows 7 media center, setup the tv signal using manually, selected the collosus as my sattelite source, then selected the Winv 2250 as the analog/digital sources. I then scanned for channels and it found all of them without bombing out. Once you have your channels in the listing, you exit media center, go back into the collosus utility & enable the collosus. You then restart your computer and it all works in media center (except the blaster for changing channels in the collosus)

Thanks

Tried my Collosus for the first time, and I must say that my first reaction is that I am very pleased.

Hooked it up by component and optical to my DirecTV DVR, and only installed Showbiz.

Turned the DVR to HBO something (I think the movie I Spy was on), opened Showbiz, it had detected everything except the audio source which I had to change from composit to optical. Hit the capture button, recorded a few minutes, hit stop, Closed Showbiz, opened Windows explorer, clicked on the file, Windows Media Player opened and played it in quality as good as the original in perfect DD 5.1.

I obviously have to learn a lot more about it, and especially how best to manage and playback the recordings, but right now I'm pretty happy. It seems to painlessly make excellent recordings. Since I just want to use it to archive TV shows, music concerts, and sports, I think this is going to work really well.

It certainly is a lot easier and higher quality than my old JVC DR-MX1, that's for sure.

Thanks for all the education and help provided in this thread.