[augerpro]

I've read a ton of threads, and, though my head hurts, I'm still confused. I just bought WinTV pvr150. I will use this htpc strictly for recording SD tv and playing dvd files I've ripped to harddrive. Many ppl have suggested different frontends like beyondtv or sagetv, but are these software pvrs? Will recording through them override the hardware encoding one the pvr150?


Is the included wintv scheduler not that good? Why switch to a different frontend?


I want a media manager that I can just use the remote to play dvd files or recorded tv files. Can I use the included software for this? Any better suggestions?


Thanks for the help! I plan to get this thing running this weekend.

 

[bullgates]

MCE, Sage, beyondtv, etc...


go do some homework

 

[mdubrow]

I have the PVR150 MCE edition, so mine didn't come with any software (just drivers). However, I've read that Hauppauge's PVR software is pretty poor, especially compared to interfaces like MCE, BeyondTV, and SageTV. These are just user interfaces to make using the PVR/multimedia functions easier. They do not replace the hardware encoding of the PVR-150 (in fact, they wouldn't work without the 150--or equivalent tuner--installed).


With respect to your objective of being able to use a remote control to play recorded TV and DVDs, I'm not sure if the Hauppauge software lets you playback DVD's or just recorded TV shows. The other packages--MCE, BeyondTV, and SageTV--are all-in-one multimedia solutions that let you watch TV, DVDs, view pictures, listen to MP3's, etc. from within the user interface. MCE has its own remote control system to control the MCE user interface and a separate cable/sat set-top box (if you have one) and is not compatible with 3rd party IR receivers like USB-IRT. (You can however program a universal remote to replace the MCE remote.)


BeyondTV and SageTV cannot be controlled with the MCE IR hardware. These require 3rd party solutions such as Firefly, USB-IRT, etc. I *believe* that the remote included with the PVR-150 can be used with these packages. The easy way to tell is by downloading BeyondTV and SageTV: they both have free trail periods (unlike MCE). Then you can decide which user interface you want to use, or if the Hauuppauge bundled solution is fine for you.

 

[Jupp]

I have Meedio Pro installed here and it does all the things I need, like DVD, TV with time shifting, EPG, scheduled recordings, watching movie files, etc. and I can operate Meedio with the Hauppauge PVR150 remote without a problem so far.


The learning curve might be a bit steeper than with MCE but on the other hand you have more flexibility and in the end you should have a solid piece of software for your HTPC that does all the things you want it to do.


The only problem I had so far with Meedio is that radio tuners are not really supported yet.

 

[augerpro]

Thank you for the info! I'll start playing around with these next week, see what I like.