my leadtek tv2000xp didn't work in vista properly so i tossed it out

looking to get a new one that works with vista 64bit properly and can get all the channels broadcasted over clearqam. i have one free pci-e x1 slot which i'd prefer to use

i tried getting a ati tv wonder 650 ( http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=205728807 ) but received a DOA product with transistors and shit broken off in the anti-static bag (it was obviously a returned product because the batteries were in the remote and they sent an extra IR receiver and everything), but now that I returned it, wondering if I should get the same thing again or reconsider adn get another one

any opinions?

got no love in the perpetual new computer thread so i made a new thread

11/1/2008 11:08:37 PM

I have the Hauppague HVR-1600 on Vista-64 and it's generally been a pretty good card for me. It does Clear QAM, although Hauppague's software sucks ass. But, built-in MPEG-2 encoder, so yay for that.

Works fine in WMC, and although you're probably aware of this issue already, I've had to use the hacked version in order to get QAM channels to show up. Otherwise, it's back to WinTV, which is just. awful.

Hauppague's remote works seamlessly with WMC though, so overall it's a good card for the money.

11/2/2008 1:03:00 AM

i love my avermedia m780 (combo)...it's pci x1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100015

11/2/2008 8:23:11 AM

ordered another of the same - it works in WMC by default without having to ghetto rig it so i hope only the piece i got was bad

11/3/2008 1:50:28 AM

bttt the card i ordered seems to kill my x-fi audio card when it's plugged in. i just get no audio. it's really weird

anyways, back to the drawing board

Quote :

"I've had to use the hacked version in order to get QAM channels to show up"

nope wasn't aware of any issues - hacked version of WMC?

Quote :

"i love my avermedia m780 (combo)...it's pci x1"

do you have an aftermarket sound card? does it work in WMC?

11/7/2008 12:18:38 AM

Quote :

"nope wasn't aware of any issues - hacked version of WMC?"

Basically, WMC that comes with the non-OEM Vista doesn't have QAM support. However, some OEM releases are coming with a new version of WMC which does. Unfortunately, Microsoft has announced that it has no plans to distribute this version to the broader, non-OEM user public. Which is kind of retarded, but whatever.

So, apparently some nice folks out there have come out with a hack solution for it - it amounts basically to a patch or two. I'll see if I can't dig up a link for you later - I don't have one immediately on-hand. However, I did this and I can get 13 QAM channels to show up for the Raleigh TWC lineup - not exactly impressive, but not exactly a slouch either.

(There may be more, so this may be an imperfect solution.)

11/7/2008 12:45:16 AM

Here's the links I have:

Description of the WMC upgrade pack from MS:

http://www.contentagenda.com/articleXml/LN860935454.html?industryid=45173

Working with the patch / install

http://www.jakersblog.com/2008/08/20/adventures-with-kb953272/

Instructions for patching the setup for the Hauppague HVR-1600 card

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/permalink/281492/297360/ShowThread.aspx#297360

And finally, the torrent for WMC TV Pack 2008

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4336208/Media_Center_Tv_Pack_2008_RTM_x64

11/7/2008 12:26:49 PM

nice, i didn't know that was available

11/7/2008 1:01:05 PM

If you don't have WMC, are there any good free options for tuner software? The ATI software that came with my 650HD card is basically useless and crashes all of the time.

11/9/2008 8:57:50 AM

I've been using Media Portal for video files. Don't know how it works with a TV tuner though. It's free if you want to check it out.

11/10/2008 2:15:49 AM