[mythtv-users] Capture device for S-video

Taco Mel taco_mel at yahoo.com
Thu Nov 15 22:58:39 UTC 2007


I recently switched from analog cable to satellite and
I am having ongoing audio quality issues with my
Hauppauge PVR-500 tuner (currently fed by 2 S-video
inputs from 2 boxes).  Even with the workaround in the
wiki, and even with my update to that workaround,
still result in about 1 in 10 of my recordings having
the "tinny" audio sounds.

I am therefore considering eBaying the PVR-500 and
replacing it with something else.  The alternatives I
have seen are:

1. Hauppauge PVR-150.  I have one of these connected
to a third DirecTV box and have had no problems with
it but it has seen only very limited action, as it's
on a remote slave backend.  However, I know that the
500 is essentially just two 150's on the same board. 
So I would suspect that the 150 has the same problem
as the 500 even though I have yet to see it.  Can
anyone confirm if this card does have this problem, or
post anecdotal "evidence" to suggest that it does not?

2. Plextor USB hardware encoder.  The con is that $150
times 3 is a lot of money.

3. Software encoders.  I've got enough horsepower in
the backend (core 2 duo @ 2.66 GHz) to consider
software encoding.

4. Output the signal from the boxes on RF and then
capture that as analog which I would guess might work
since I never had the "tinny" audio problem in 3+
months of recording analog cable.  Con is the
degradation in the signal quality.

5.  Stay with the PVR-500 but apply a "better"
workaround or a permanent fix that I don't know about.

Please recommend a cost-effective and reliable way to
get the S-video signal out of your set top box and
into MythTV.

Relevant software versions: CentOS 5 with stock
kernel, ivtv 1.0, MythTV subversion 0.21, no other
tuners physically in that backend (but it is serviced
by a HDHR).


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