pvr-250 vs pvr-500

D

d94

Gawd
Joined
Sep 4, 2005
Messages
681
iv been presented with the opportunity to trade my pvr-250 for a pvr-500 strait up...i just bought the 250 for $60 shipped
and upon looking it up there's a $15 difference between the two!!!!
so, is there any reason i shouldnt do this?
i mean is there any difference other than dual tuner between the two..?

thanks
-d94
 
honestly, you'd be getting a much better deal. the PVR-150 is basically just a more refined version of the PVR-250, and you'd be getting two on one card in the PVR-500. I have a PVR-500 right now and I LOVE it to death.
 
svet-am said:
honestly, you'd be getting a much better deal. the PVR-150 is basically just a more refined version of the PVR-250, and you'd be getting two on one card in the PVR-500. I have a PVR-500 right now and I LOVE it to death.
Click to expand...
also, iv looked around..do two versions exist?
ie a MCE version and a reg version?

thanks!
-d94
 
It doesn't matter, if there was a non MCE version then it would work just the same. I have no idea why anyone would trade a PVR500 for a PVR250 but go for it before they come to their senses!
 
So? The old remote that came with the 250 wasn't that good, the new one that comes with the 150 is pretty decent. I perfer the MCE remote myself (no you don't need to be using MCE for it too work).
 
CrimandEvil said:
So? The old remote that came with the 250 wasn't that good, the new one that comes with the 150 is pretty decent. I perfer the MCE remote myself (no you don't need to be using MCE for it too work).
Click to expand...
ohhh so the pvr-500 MCE does come with a remote? :)
 
i wanna know where you got the 250 for 60 bucks, or the 500 for only 15 bucks more. i can only find the 250 usually around $140 unless i try ebay.
 
Probably from a friend, why are you looking for a PVR250 when you can get a PVR150 for $50?
 
if you are running mce 2005 edition, do yourself a favor and get the mce edition.cheaper, better connectivity. also, if you plan on watching tv, buy/get an mpeg2 decoder because the one that ships with the 150/150mce doesnt work and is not on the compatibility list.
 
CrimandEvil said:
You don't have to run MCE to use those version of cards you know.
Click to expand...

Does the pvr500 work with XP at all, and if it does, is it right from the get go or do you have to modify something ?

And do you use any software with your mce remote ?
Like to predefine what you want it to do ?
I have that remote but it doesn't always control my systems volume unless i click on winamp.
And since I haven't been able to afford the pvr500 yet. It seems kinda useless at the moment.

Thanks for your time,
J32P2006
 
the 500 works with XP out of the box as long as you use an app that supports it. you can use the wintv 2000 from hauppauge or mediaportal for free. Or pay for something better like Sagetv.
 
CrimandEvil said:
Probably from a friend, why are you looking for a PVR250 when you can get a PVR150 for $50?
Click to expand...

cause the software i have, beyond tv 3, says that the 250 has hardware encoding for like mpeg-2 or something but the 150 doesn't. but why would i get the 150 for 50 bucks if this guy can tell me how he got the 250 for 60? :p
 
Everfalling said:
cause the software i have, beyond tv 3, says that the 250 has hardware encoding for like mpeg-2 or something but the 150 doesn't. but why would i get the 150 for 50 bucks if this guy can tell me how he got the 250 for 60? :p
Click to expand...

any of the PVR series will work just fine with Beyond TV, and they all have hardware encoders. The 150, 250 and 500 in retail, oem or MCE version will all work.

 
Everfalling said:
cause the software i have, beyond tv 3, says that the 250 has hardware encoding for like mpeg-2 or something but the 150 doesn't. but why would i get the 150 for 50 bucks if this guy can tell me how he got the 250 for 60? :p
Click to expand...
Then upgrade or stop using BTV in favor of a better app, the card is a hardware encoder.
And do you use any software with your mce remote ?
Click to expand...
Your software has to support the remote, eg: SageTV supports some, but not all, of the buttons on the remote but support for it can be extended in a few ways.
 
hehe
i got the 250 off this forum..in part trade for a item
the seller gave me cash plus the tuner for a BT kb/m

the trade is on another forum
 
d94 said:
hehe
i got the 250 off this forum..in part trade for a item
the seller gave me cash plus the tuner for a BT kb/m

the trade is on another forum
Click to expand...

darn



ok, so besides cost, why should i get the 150 over the 250? is the 250 not worth the cost, as in no notably new features or what?
 
It's old, the PVR150 has better, newer upgrades for better image quality.
 
wait..how is the 250 old? wouldn't it be newer in the line since the model number is higher? hmm
 
That has no bearing on if the card is good or not, look at the PVR350. It's has exactly the same chips as the 250 but with the added functionality of also having a hardware based MPEG decoder and Svideo out onboard.

This doesn't make it a better, it actually hurts it since the drivers for the hardware decoder are flaky and the Svideo out isn't support by most software bundles. It only finds a home in the linux community when it's paired up with an Epia system.

The lower model on the PVR150 means nothing other then that it's a cheaper card to make, this is like basing a PSUs worth on total wattage numbers alone. They can't go about rebranding it as a PVR250 or anything like that since it would only cause confusing with the older models laying around.
 
yeah, the 150 is newer and slightly better, as well as cheaper. The hauppauge models are Fed up, just trust us. there is only one reason for the 250, and that is more mature and stable linux drivers. though I have heard the 150 drivers are making progress.
 
Okay, Does the PRV500 and PVR150 both have the same chips on them ?

Actually , I only care about the PVR500 but want to make sure it's the same as PVR150 x 2 ?
Because I definitely want the best image quality.
 
J32P2006 said:
Okay, Does the PRV500 and PVR150 both have the same chips on them ?

Actually , I only care about the PVR500 but want to make sure it's the same as PVR150 x 2 ?
Because I definitely want the best image quality.
Click to expand...

Yes, the PVR-500 is just two PVR-150's on one card. I'm using a PVR-500 in my rig as I type this. There are some special notes about how the PVR-500 is constructed if you're a Linux user, but under Windows it works flawlessly and identifies in Device Manager as "Tuner 1" and "Tuner 2"
 
svet-am said:
Yes, the PVR-500 is just two PVR-150's on one card. I'm using a PVR-500 in my rig as I type this. There are some special notes about how the PVR-500 is constructed if you're a Linux user, but under Windows it works flawlessly and identifies in Device Manager as "Tuner 1" and "Tuner 2"
Click to expand...

Thank you sir for your time,
J32P2006
 
:p now that this thread has been sufficiently hijacked and is far enough away from the OT, anyone wanna help me troubleshoot my rig and why it's not liking anything *except* my PVR-500?
 
Sure, why not. lol

Whats the problem, what hardware are you running and what software are you using?
 
Here's what I sent to Hauppauge support:
I am using the following hardware:

ABit KG7-RAID Motherboard
2x512MB GeiL PC3200 DDR SDRAM (matched pair) [in slots DIMM4, DIMM3]
Hauppauge PVR-500 [PCI 6]
Highpoint HPT370 RAID Controller [on motherboard, but effectively PCI 5 due to sharing issues]
Creative Labs Audigy1 Gamer [PCI 4]
3COM 3C905B NIC [PCI 3]
ASUS V9980 nVidia FX5950 Ultra [AGP]
Motherboard chipset: AMD761 Northbridge, Via 686B Southbridge

On the Highpoint controller, I have a Western Digital 400JB (40 GB ATA/100) HDD as Primary Master. I also have a Western Digital 3200JB (320 GB ATA/100) HDD as Secondary Master. The Highpoint controller is being used (and is configured) exclusively as additional IDE channels, *not* as RAID. On the onboard (via the motherboard chipset) IDE channel, I have a Sony DVD-ROM as Primary Master. The onboard secondary channel is disabled in BIOS. Floppy controller is disabled as I have no floppy disk.

With this configuraiton, everything works fine. I can install Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) and install all of my drivers/software and everything works fine. However, as soon as I install my PVR-350 (in slot PCI 2), upon reboot, Windows goes to 'low colour' mode and I get many errors about Display Settings. In the Hardware Manager, the nVidia 5950Ultra now appears with an exclamation point. Looking at the Hardware Properties, Windows reports that it cannot allocate sufficient resources for the video card. If I remove the PVR-350, everything goes back to normal.

Here's what I've done to troubleshoot.

I have disabled the HPT controller and run just a hard disk and DVD-ROM from the on-motherboard IDE controller. Then, I removed all expansion cards from the computer except for the PVR-350 and the nVidia controller. Under these conditions, the error still occurs. No matter which PCI slot I install the PVR-350 in, the conflict between it and the nVidia card still exists. To confirm that this is not a 'Windows Issue', I attempted to boot into the following Linux distributions: Fedora Core 4, Xandros 3.0, Knoppix 3.7. Under all of the Linux distributions, the installer failed to identify the nVidia card, however they identify the PVR-350. Removing the PVR-350 from the system allows the Linux installers to identify the nVidia card properly again.

For additional troubleshooting, I retained the same 'stripped down' configuration and tried all of the various permutations described above with a Gigabyte nVidia 6600GT AGP video card. Under these conditions, the exact same errors are seen.

I tried the above testing procedure using an AGP nVidia Geforce 2 MX 400 video card. Under these conditions, *all* combinations work properly. Additionally, when using the GeForce2 MX 400 card, I can also install the PVR-350 card successfully so that everything works. Under these conditions, the working configuration is:

ABit KG7-RAID Motherboard
2x512MB GeiL PC3200 DDR SDRAM (matched pair) [in slots DIMM4, DIMM3]
Hauppauge PVR-500 [PCI 6]
Highpoint HPT370 RAID Controller [on motherboard, but effectively PCI 5 due to sharing issues]
Creative Labs Audigy1 Gamer [PCI 4]
Hauppauge PVR-350 [PCI 2]
3COM 3C905B NIC [PCI 3]
XFX Geforce2 MX 400 [AGP]
Motherboard chipset: AMD761 Northbridge, Via 686B Southbridge

My final testing moved all of the hardware from this computer to my wife's computer, which is running on an ASUS K8N-E Deluxe (nVidia nForce3 250Gb chipset). Under this configuration, the hardware is:

ASUS K8N-E Deluxe Motherboard
2x512MB GeiL PC3200 DDR SDRAM (matched pair) [in slots DIMM4, DIMM3]
Hauppauge PVR-500 [PCI 6]
Highpoint HPT370 RAID Controller [on motherboard, but effectively PCI 5 due to sharing issues]
Creative Labs Audigy1 Gamer [PCI 4]
Hauppauge PVR-350 [PCI 2]
3COM 3C905B NIC [PCI 3]
ASUS V9980 nVidia 5950Ultra [AGP]
Motherboard chipset: nVidia nForce3 250Gb

With this configuration, *everything* works together, including the PVR-350 and nVidia 5950Ultra in the same system.

Why are the PVR-350 and the nVidia FX5xxx and higher cards conflicting in this way when in my HTPC? As I've detailed above, I've narrowed it down to a direct conflict with the PVR-350 and this series of nVidia cards when used with the ABit motherboard. Is there any way to explicitly allocate the resources for the PVR-350 and the nVidia card so that they are each happy?

Since the PVR-500 works fine and it's just two PVR-150, I've debated about abandoning the PVR-350 and replacing it with a PVR-150. Would this work? Is there any way to make the PVR-350 work in my system? I'd like to keep it since it has the nice MPEG decoding feature.

One idea I had is that the PVR-350 has onboard MPEG decoder and the nVidia 5xxx series and higher have onboard MPEG decoders. Could this be causing the problem?

UPDATE: My wife got antsy about not having three tuners installed like I had promised, so I ran down to the local electronics store and picked up a PVR-150. I figured that the PVR-150 would work just fine since the two PVR-150's on the PVR-500 are working just fine. However, voila! The exact same problem as the PVR-350. Now, I'm thinking that it cannot be the onboard MPEG decoder on the PVR-350. However, I *am* thinking that it might be the onboard IR remote controller on the card since, at this point, that's the only thing the PVR-150 and the PVR-350 have in common. Since it didn't work, we returned the PVR-150 and my wife is going to pick up a PVR-150MCE on her way home from work. Before we open it, do you guys think I'll run into the same thing all over again?
 
I'd probably head over to PC Alchemy and order a no FM PVR150 but yeah I would just get a different tuner since the 350 is kind of old now (would work great in a client Linux box though ;) ).

What I'm thinking is that it might be a problem with the Abit's chipset, I believe there were issues with running the 250.350 cards on those older AMD chipsets. I would suggest picking up a NF2 mobo to test against.
 
CrimandEvil said:
What I'm thinking is that it might be a problem with the Abit's chipset, I believe there were issues with running the 250.350 cards on those older AMD chipsets. I would suggest picking up a NF2 mobo to test against.
Click to expand...

if that's true, why did I also have troubles with the PVR-150 I just bought? the PVR-500MCE I have is working fine and it has the FM tuner on it. Strange...

It is interesting to note, though, that I'm not having any of the stutter, DMA, timing, etc. issues that people normally associate with the Via chipsets. I guess that just goes to show that it's the Via Northbridges that are the problem, not the whole chipset.
 
Yeah I thought that was werid too, maybe the chipset just doesn't like having another similar device in it (tuner cards).

From what I understand the problem with VIA mobos has been with the southbridge, it would the IDE controller would corrupt the recordings from a PVR500. I have no idea why your hardware is acting so weird, maybe it's just as simple as using different driver sets?
 
CrimandEvil said:
Yeah I thought that was werid too, maybe the chipset just doesn't like having another similar device in it (tuner cards).

From what I understand the problem with VIA mobos has been with the southbridge, it would the IDE controller would corrupt the recordings from a PVR500. I have no idea why your hardware is acting so weird, maybe it's just as simple as using different driver sets?
Click to expand...

Right now I'm running SageTV on Windows because my wife wanted things up and running quickly (and because Windows allows me to diagnose the PVR-350 compatibility quickly). However, this incompatibility crap with the PVR-350 and PVR-150 also shows up under Linux. Anaconda and the other hardware detectors find the PVR-350 when it is installed, but fail to find the GeForce 5xxxx or higher cards. Since it's happening under Linux as well, I doubt that it's a driver issue.
 
Well, my PVR-150MCE was delivered about 20 minutes ago. I popped the case off the HTPC , installed it, rebooted and ..... voila! exact same thing as every other time. At this point, I was pretty much flabergasted. A combination of being pissed off/confusion/frustrated flowed through me.

In the middle of it, I recalled a post from www.shspvr.com's forums where someone suggested playing with the AGP Aperture settings in the BIOS. I'm running a GeForce FX5950Ultra with 256MB RAM, so I had initially set my aperture to 128MB. Figuring that the advice from the forum couldn't hurt anything, and the machine was already 'down', I'd give it a whirl. I lowered the Aperture size down to 32MB (the lowest possible in my BIOS) and it WORKS! The PVR-150MCE powered up just fine with all of the other gear in the box. Thinking that I may be on to something, I went and grabbed my PVR-350....now it works too!!

I have not played around with AGP Aperture settings, but I know that at least this configuration works. Playing with AGP Aperture was the LAST thing I ever would've thought of. It might work stickying this little tip to help other folks out.
 
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