AVS › AVS Forum › Video Components › Home Theater Computers › WMC alternative
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

WMC alternative

post #1 of 9
5/1/12 at 1:24am
Thread Starter 
I've been using my 08 HP laptop running Vista as a very modest htpc with a USB Hauppauge 950-Q that actually supports NTSC Analog Cable, Over the Air TV, ATSC Digital Over the Air HDTV and Clear QAM Digital Cable TV.

But for some reason WMC can't merge them all, I'm being forced to choose only one wich is very annoying!

Is there any alternative to WMC for Vista that will actually let me watch and record my over the air Analog/Digital and basic cable channels?

Thanks in advance!!
Reply
Reply

AVS Top Picks

post #2 of 9
5/1/12 at 4:51am
Sounds like you just need more tuners. Has nothing to do with WMC.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 9
5/1/12 at 7:03am
If I remember correctly (950 non-Q owner), you cannot use the analog and the digital tuners at the same time. However, I think this is a limitation in WMC, and not in Hauppauge's own WinTV software? Not sure.

You may try VLC, it used to have some tuner support that worked with the 950.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 9
5/1/12 at 9:56am
Does Hauppauge software allow you to use both tuners at once?

I have the one that was packaged with Nero, and you can only use one or the other. Same with Magyka tuners. One of the USB stick tuners is NTSC/ATSC/QAM/FM tuner, and I can only use one feature at a time.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 9
5/1/12 at 10:00am
Card limitation. My ATI 650 is the same.

From the Hauppauge FAQ: Can I record one show while watching another with the WinTV-HVR-950Q?
No. The WinTV-HVR-950Q will only be able to record the program that is being viewed using the supplied software.

You will not be able to watch a digital channel and record an analog channel simultaneously or vice versa due to the fact there is only a single tuner on the WinTV-HVR-950Q.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 9
5/1/12 at 10:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evildude View Post

Is there any alternative to WMC for Vista that will actually let me watch and record my over the air Analog/Digital and basic cable channels?

Thanks in advance!!

I assume you want to record both using your OTA antenna and your cable on the same tuner. This can't be done, you will need a second tuner (or third,,or fourth, or...)...as you found out that within WMC you can only assign each tuner to one type of connection.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 9
5/1/12 at 10:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by csmith View Post

I assume you want to record both using your OTA antenna and your cable on the same tuner. This can't be done, you will need a second tuner (or third,,or fourth, or...)...as you found out that within WMC you can only assign each tuner to one type of connection.

This isn't exactly it - the 950Q is what is usually called a hybrid tuner. It can do both analog/digital and cable/ota, just not at the same time. There is only one tuner on board.

A dual tuner actually has two distinct tuners on the device. The phrase combo tuner gets thrown around too, and that normally means the same thing as dual. It just depends on the manufacturers marketing people.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 9
5/1/12 at 11:34am
Thread Starter 
The reason I think the problem is WMC related is because I have the 950Q connected to my imac using El Gato's EyeTV and in there I can watch and record Basic cable,Analog & Digital OTA without issues,

Channels 2 to 76 are basic cable (SD) and it plays them fine, something WMC is very laggy at.
I have almost 28 OTA channels and almost half of them are analog and on the mac it switches just fine, but WMC doesn't even show them together.

I have tried many things on WMC but I always end up in the same place, I don't care about 2 tunners as I have a cable box where we normally watch while the HP computer records another show.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 9
5/1/12 at 5:06pm
For alternative software have a look at:

DNTV Live -www.digitalnow.com.au/dntvlive/index.html
DNTV Scheduler - www.digitalnow.com.au/DNTVscheduler.html

Not sure if your tuner cards are supported but you can download trial versions of the software to check. There is also a support forum as well.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Home Theater Computers

AVS Top Picks

AVS › AVS Forum › Video Components › Home Theater Computers › WMC alternative