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    WinTV HVR 850, Gaming? Netbook useable?

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by Mysticales, Jul 30, 2009.

  1. Mysticales

    Mysticales Notebook Evangelist

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    Hey was at radioshack saw a good deal on the HVR 850 65$
    http://www.happage.com/site/products/data_hvr850.html

    Was wondering is this a good model? Work on netbooks you think? Also what about the AV inputs? Can Dscaler work or where there is no audio video lag if you use a game console? Thanks. =)
     
    Mysticales, Jul 30, 2009
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  2. Jayayess1190

    Jayayess1190 Waiting on Intel Cannonlake

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    I got the newer 950Q for $70 on Amazon., it is a better deal The 950Q supports "Clear QAM Digital Cable TV" which the 850 does not.
     
    Jayayess1190, Jul 30, 2009
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  3. Mysticales

    Mysticales Notebook Evangelist

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    Which means what? Dont know the term heh.

    Also does it work for a game console?
     
    Mysticales, Jul 30, 2009
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  4. Jayayess1190

    Jayayess1190 Waiting on Intel Cannonlake

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    From Hauppauges website:

    Wikipedia also explains it clearly.
     
    Jayayess1190, Jul 30, 2009
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  5. Mysticales

    Mysticales Notebook Evangelist

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    Yea was just reading up on it. At work atm heh. So tell me, would the 850 still look sharp? Or not really? I heard of some ppl with the OTA HD that it looks very clear.

    Still doesnt let me know tho if it works on netbooks fine and if gaming consoles work on it well.

    Edit: Question QAM is only used for a cable hookup, is that right? Cause im looking more just for OTA for when I am at work or traveling. =)
     
    Mysticales, Jul 30, 2009
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  6. Mysticales

    Mysticales Notebook Evangelist

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    Another side question as I cant find too much detail spec wise. I have the Dell Angel USB TV Tuner from my E1505 that always worked well. Which is better the 850 or the Angel one I have? Im not sure if the Angel does ATSC, dont think it does HD but correct me if I am wrong?
     
    Mysticales, Jul 30, 2009
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  7. paper_wastage

    paper_wastage Beat this 7x7x7 Cube

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    QAM is cable (check wikipedia)

    as long as you have ATSC support, and a good enough antenna (check http://antennaweb.org for the antenna you need vs distance)... the small included antenna should work for <10 miles

    for consoles, usually these things have lag... you need to either find a box (YPrPb-> VGA/DVI), or get a PCI TV TUner with hardware acceleration

    i have this USB Volar Max (sample recording of OTA inside)... Volar is available for under $40 on amazon(Volar Max has QAM, Volar doesn't... VolarMax is aboul $75)
     
    paper_wastage, Jul 30, 2009
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  8. Mysticales

    Mysticales Notebook Evangelist

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    Yea not the 1st time I saw Volar be mentioned to me. (For my E1505)

    But really, anyone have any reviews how these work on a netbook if at all?
     
    Mysticales, Jul 30, 2009
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  9. paper_wastage

    paper_wastage Beat this 7x7x7 Cube

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    OTA ATSC @ 720p/1080i takes 20% of my T8300 power, plus some GPU acceleration...

    if your netbook can view 720p/1080p clips decently, i think it's good enough

    thing with ATSC is that it broadcasts via MPEG2... to record, the processor just needs to 'read' the file stream from the tv tuner and dump it into the hard drive (this step doesn't take much processing power, <5% on my T8300)

    to watch MPEG2, you need to decode... hence, to test if ATSC works on netbooks, can someone with a netbook download my OTA ATSC sample and view it? it you can, then ATSC+TV Tuner would probably work

    NTSC (analog), on the other hand, probably won't work unless you have a hardware accelerated TV Tuner
     
    paper_wastage, Jul 30, 2009
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  10. Mysticales

    Mysticales Notebook Evangelist

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    Ill try once I get home if I can watch your clip.
     
    Mysticales, Jul 30, 2009
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  11. bjcadstuff

    bjcadstuff Notebook Consultant

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    you can check Hauppauge's website for hardware requirements. I just got the 950 myself but haven't installed it yet. IIRC you can watch analog signals without much cpu power but you need more power to decode HD, but for recording it is just the opposite.
     
    bjcadstuff, Jul 31, 2009
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  12. paper_wastage

    paper_wastage Beat this 7x7x7 Cube

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    any luck? i do want to know the results, as i'm writing a Tv Tuner FAQ for my website
     
    paper_wastage, Aug 2, 2009
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  13. bossier330

    bossier330 Notebook Consultant

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    I have the HVR-950. I hooked my XBOX up to it with a slight lag. More importantly, the resulting video quality isn't very good. I mean it's good, but when you try to use it for gaming, it just doesn't look the part.
     
    bossier330, Aug 4, 2009
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  14. runtohell121

    runtohell121 Notebook Deity

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    TV Tuner is pretty laggy on netbooks. I wouldn't bother installing it unless you can deal with a bit of lag even while just watching TV on it.
     
    runtohell121, Aug 4, 2009
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