NVIDIA DualTV MCE - only one coax required

[korben_dallas]

http://www.nvidia.com/page/dualtvmce.html

Internal splitter for RF with in-line signal amplifier - only a single RF input is needed for the two internal tuners

Sounds like a high quality card. But it only lists Window MCE as compatible operating system. And it doesn't give much info on capture quality:

# Dual-stream MPEG2 A/V encode with MediaSqueeze technology

* Video: MPEG2 MP@ML, 720x480 (standard definition)
* Audio: MPEG1L2

# Uncompressed A/V capture

* Video: 720x480 (standard definition)
* Audio: PCM (16-24 bit per sample, up to 48 KHz)

[mlbdude]

Sounds like a nice card, but the Hauppauge 500 also only requires a single RF in for both tuners.

[aperry]

Originally Posted by mlbdude

Sounds like a nice card, but the Hauppauge 500 also only requires a single RF in for both tuners.

I was just thinking the same thing...

[White94Cobra]

Cool... it's finally out. Now, who wants to be the first to try it under Sage? I'm looking forward to get rid of my PVR-500's.

[gplasky]

Looks like Philips chipset. Don't think it will work out of the box. I don't think you'll see any appreciable difference between this, PVR500 or even the Powercolor 550. They're all working with the same source-analog TV. Curious to see what this "MediaSqueeze" technology can do.

Gerry

[dagar]

Originally Posted by White94Cobra

Cool... it's finally out. Now, who wants to be the first to try it under Sage? I'm looking forward to get rid of my PVR-500's.

LOL, PM me when you want to sell it

[dbfresh23]

I haven't compared the card to the single tuner card, but if it's the same chipset and just a dual tuner version it's probably not worth looking at. All of the reviews of the single tuner version have indicated that it is not a good card and doesn't live up to the Nvidia name. The two best in the reviews seem to be the ATI 550 cards and Hauppauge cards.

[White94Cobra]

I've found that the quality on the PVR-550's is not nearly as good as my old 250's or USB2. Several channels look horrible compared to the live feed.

[dbfresh23]

I just installed an XTASY ATI Theater Pro 550 yesterday and so far I am noticing some improvement over my Hauppauge PVR500. I'm probably going to dump the 500 and order another ATI 550.

[Polypro]

Can you adjust static and motion blur with those 550's...or is it what you see is what you get? Can you access Brightness, Contrast, Color, etc.. through Sage? I'm looking for another tuner card.

P

[bhyman1]

Originally Posted by mlbdude

Sounds like a nice card, but the Hauppauge 500 also only requires a single RF in for both tuners.

Very true. But I'm looking at the fact that this only takes up one slot when you are going to use the video/audio in connectors. No need for a bracket for input #2 like the 500.

[dbfresh23]

Originally Posted by Polypro

Can you adjust static and motion blur with those 550's...or is it what you see is what you get? Can you access Brightness, Contrast, Color, etc.. through Sage? I'm looking for another tuner card.

Out of the box I think it's what you see is what you get, luckily what I saw was pretty good. You can use christweak to adjust some of the settings like brightness and such though.

[Narflex]

This card works with V4.1.6 Beta or higher. Just tested it today. Video quality is superb (it's got a ViXS chip which does MPEG2 encoding at much better quality than the Conexant chips, IMHO you get about the same quality at about half the bitrate).

EDIT: I no longer stand by the statement I made here regarding bitrate. This was based off previous results I had seen with some reference design boards a few months ago. Testing with an actual DualTV board vs. a PVR250 is not giving me the results I'm expecting. While the DualTV quality is great. I am NOT seeing the same quality at half the bitrate. Actually, at lower bitrates, the PVR250(Conexant) is somewhat better (sub 2Mbps). My sincere apologies for this information being inaccurate. I'm going to look more into this to see what the results really show.

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by Narflex

IMHO you get about the same quality at about half the bitrate).

Thats impressive. I like to see some screenshot comparisons or small video clips. The NVIDIA DualTV MCE is listed at $169 from the nVidia store. That's not too shabby or that much more than the PVR-500, which is about $139.

Edit: i just noticed that the NVIDIA DualTV MCE includes the Pure Video Decoder, so that makes the price even more appealing if you don't already own Pure Video.

Also, there's a $219 bundle NVIDIA DualTV MCE with remote control: http://store.nvidia.com/product.aspx...&culture=en-US

[Polypro]

Originally Posted by Narflex

...IMHO you get about the same quality at about half the bitrate).

1.6 GB/Hr at same quality! That would give me 200Hrs on my recrding drive

I'm always looking for the best quality from analog cable...I don't recall if the Hauppauge has a comb filter or not. Then again, with analog, I'm sure there's a point of "There's only so much you can do". Can't wait for some reviews.

P

[White94Cobra]

Originally Posted by Narflex

This card works with V4.1.6 Beta or higher. Just tested it today. Video quality is superb (it's got a ViXS chip which does MPEG2 encoding at much better quality than the Conexant chips, IMHO you get about the same quality at about half the bitrate).

Great news! Any testing done with more than one card?

[SHS]

Another option is AVerMedia AVerTV Purity 3D MCE 500 PCI TV Tuner which run $40 cheaper for $130 at buy.com

[korben_dallas]

Originally Posted by Narflex

This card works with V4.1.6 Beta or higher. Just tested it today. Video quality is superb (it's got a ViXS chip which does MPEG2 encoding at much better quality than the Conexant chips, IMHO you get about the same quality at about half the bitrate).

Was this on MCE? Try it on XP?

[White94Cobra]

I ordered one today. I'll let you guys know my findings once I get it installed and have some recordings to compare.

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by SHS

Another option is AVerMedia AVerTV Purity 3D MCE 500 PCI TV Tuner which run $40 cheaper for $130 at buy.com

That card is supported in 4.1.13 or higher (note that 4.1.13 is not out yet as of this post). Actually, it'll work in 4.1.3 or higher with a minor registry edit.