Hauppauge HD PVR USB High Definition Video Recorder 01228

I seriously did my homework before ordering the Hauppauge HD PVR. AvForums was full of useful comments, good and bad I may add. But overall most folk believed it to be a good piece of kit and having used it the past day or so, I agree. I can't comment on recording from SkyHD or other sat boxes but I can say the quality of recorded footage from my Xbox360 is excellent. It's simple to set up via Windows XP and even although my laptop isn't dual core, recorded footage on 720p plays well enough. I used Windows MovieMaker to edit footage after having converted it to WMV via the supplied software on the Installation CD. The software from ArcSoft is good and it's very simple to use if you're capturing footage that is right in front of you. As for scheduling recordings etc. I can't comment. The component (HD) input is "outed" again to your HD TV without any lag or delay, there is however obvious lag on your laptop or PC monitor by a second or two but what does that matter? If you want to use this device for more than capturing PS3 or 360 footage then I'm sure it will be an excellent purchase for you, particularly if you have a good spec laptop/PC which will handle the full HD recording and playback. The HD footage can be recorded to DVD or Blu-Ray using the software supplied. If I ever upgrade to SkyHD and the box has component output then the device would probably pay for itself considering how much I could archive. The component input/output is not protected/encrypted in any way so there is no problem catching what you want. Sorry I can't comment on all the devices capabilities, hence why I've only given it 3 stars. It does exactly what I want it to do, but giving it 5 stars would be unwise considering I'm not exploiting all the functions. A worthwhile purchase at a decent price for an item that will capture and record HD footage...

I purchased this product and it worked fine in normal resolution. However, I had to return it to Play due to it not being able to record HD from Freesat using Humax HD Freesat box. Play were superb in handling the return as at the time it appeared faulty. However, I have now learned that the box was not at fault - the problem lies in the freesat signal and Freesat HD boxes. The freesat system carries a signal on the HD stream that specifically switches off the RGB signal in Freesat boxes so only HDCP compliant signals via HDMI are output. This is why the Hauppauge could not be used as this uses the RGB out. This signal is present on BBC HD and ITV HD signals. This device works superbly on normal and HD signals from other sources but NOT Freesat HD. I have since also learned that in order to record from BBC HD it is possible to tune in to it on other sattelite sources which do NOT have the signal mentioned as they are not broadcasting the the Freesat spec. ITV HD cannot be found elsewhere. Why does Freesat do this? Apparently this signal was designed into the system for future 'premium' services and can be switched on and off at source. But the BBC and ITV have elected to have it switched on permanently thus creating this problem. Very annoying.
Just to repeat that this is not a problem with the Hauppauge box nor Play.
I hope this information proves helpful.

this is a great piece of kit as it can record my fuzion klutches and my randy rushes then i can edit it and produce a montage so i can get known on gb and maybe even join a clan as i am a random badkid but haters make me famous so i dont mind i would buy this PVR its pricey but great to record my 1v2s i i dont klutch ofter but i am fuzion flutch beast but i like to drop 0-6 0-6

I have just ordered this nice peice of kit, i will be using it for recording xbox 350 gameplay, I have two other friends that have them and say that it is amazing. There quality is also really good. I am very excited about getting mine.

I purchased this felling slightly worried that it would not do what i wanted it to, but as soon as i took it out of the box and set it up between my TV and my Xbox 360 it worked brilliantly.

It comes with everything you need to set it up including the USB cable, the power cable and the HD component leads to connect the PVR to your TV.

It is also compatible with the MAC OS as i found out due to owning a Mac and not a PC. You cannot use the software provided on the CD for Mac as it is in windows format, however, you can get hold of programs that will record just as well as the CD provided software. An ideal program is EyeTV which is available from the Hauppauge website.

The quality of the recordings is very good and as i record in 720p, the rough file size for a 6 minute file is 500MB. If you are going to be recording a lot of HD video either from you Xbox, PS3 or Satellite box, then i would advise getting a Hard Drive that is at least 500GB because you will find that you will soon fill up anything that has a smaller capacity.

Have fun recording and i hope you found this review helpful.

I had been looking for some time to find a HD recording device that didn't need to be installed into a PC or Laptop, this ticked the boxes.

The recording device is so simple and easy to use. It took no time at all to install the software and drivers on my Laptop that came with the Hauppauge HD PVR. The software its self is easy to use, anybody with a little bit of computer knowledge should beable to work with the software in well under 30mins.

My main reason for purchasing this item was so I could record my Online Gaming Footage from my PS3, mainly playing Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. It can record footage on either 720P or 1080i via Component lead. I can record the footage and play at the same time with no lag or any other issues.

An excellent piece of kit, worth every penny just go and buy it!.

Also on a little side note PLAY.COM are quickly becoming my favourite online retailer. Their massive stock holding, competitive prices and really quick delivery with no hassle means I will use them time and time again. Keep up the good work :) .

This is a great bit of kit, I use it to record gameplay, and the picture is so clear XD, just to maybe sort of warn people, play sent this via the Home Delivery Network, I hadn't heard of them before so I decided to check them out ont he net, and they had terribel comments, but my parcel came on time and it wasn't thrown over the fence or left in the rain, but that's just my experience lol

Anyway yeah back to the hauppauge it's great it does work on the mac but you will have to buy some software to be able to record, either eyetv or the Hauppauge HD PVR Capture software =)

Id highly recommend.

This hd pvr is perfect for people who capture games etc.
only one small fault (im not sure if this applies to everyone who bout it), i hooked up my ps3 and xbox 360 to this via the component cables, and when using the output of the pvr the quality of the image is slightly reduced. not by much (on a 32 inch tv), but when i got the pvr connected to my HD projector it was clear that i had lost some quality.
its very minute and i wouldnt think it would make much of a difference on a screen size of 46 inches and below.
recodring to pc/laptop is straight forward, the only thing that takes very long is converting the file to another type.
This pvr codes in MTFS (what ever that is) and to change the type can take a very long time.
just over 20 mins footage of a gta IV multiplayer game took 1.13gb of my hard drive.
i still do not know the figure of the converted file type yet, but im sure it will be very large.
the playback quality it very good and the recording is also.
i definately recommend this to anyone looking for a good pvr capture card.
one more bad point is play.com used the home delivery network to send this parcel and that courier service is terrible.
they aparently had my package at my local depot for 2days, and on both days they had loaded my parcel onto a van.
it wasnt delivered until the third day!!!..
oh well i have it know and it works great

I would have gladly given this a 5 star rating, as the quality and ease of use of this is astounding (and the price isn't too bad when you consider £80 for a Low Def Dazzle that takes a week to get working). Such a shame that this piece of kit had to give up the ghost and die on me after 1 day of use. Now I can't even authorise a return on Play.com due to an error on the returns page (no button) and can't contact them to arrange a return and replacement!

This is a fantastic product, but I just wish it had HDMI. Then it would be perfect! Please please please Hauppauge, make a HDMI PVR :)