Additional input connector for PVR-500 (case slot bracket)

[Opus4]

This is now in the Hauppuage store:

A/V Cable Set: Add an additional audio/video input to certain model WinTV-PVR's

This appears to be the answer to the fact that the PVR-500 is a dual tuner yet it only has a single svideo input, since this bracket has additional connections for svideo/composite/l-r audio & connects to the header on the card.

I don't have a 500, but maybe someone around here would be interested in this add-on.

- Andy

[JUC]

So, with this, since I use DTV and not cable, I can finally get the 500 and use it for two discrete inputs? This would be great for my 1 slot PCI shuttle case!!! Just in time for my next purchase.
JUC

[JUC]

hmm, I just checked the link--looks like it needs another PCI slot--but I can easily get around that, but what does this mean?

"The switching of the sources from one input to the other can be done with the WinTV2000 application or via the WinTV Select program"

Can you still only use one input at a time? Kind of defeats the purpose
JUC

[dbfresh23]

Probably means you can switch via software - if you hook it up to a single tuner card like the 150 or 250.

[Crashless]

If you have a 500, it gives you two separate capture cards that can use RCAs/svideo in. Before they made this available, 500 users were limited to one input w/ svideo, and another with COAX. You can imagine how much that sucks, so this add-on will be very popular around here.

[Outvit]

I've been waiting for this since I bought my SageTV bundle from PCAlchemy. It was announced there would be one coming out either here or some other forum and I finally have one ordered and on the way. Now I can use the second tuner via SVIDEO. Thank you for the news of its release.

I'm one of the users Crashless was referring to, but no more!

[PaulG]

I placed an order on Hauppages website a couple of days a go to order 2 of the 'AV Cables' & I got the following response...


Dear Mr Gibson,


The A/V cables you have ordered are a brand new addition to our product range and we are waiting for stock to become available outside the US. We will hold onto your order in the meantime and will contact you with shipping costs and details once we are ready to ship these. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.



Kind Regards



Henry <surname removed>

Hauppauge Digital Europe





Does anyone else have issues like these ???

[DynamoBen]

So let me ask an obvious, possibly stupid question. I have two PVR250 cards, what value would these extension cards offer me as a sage user?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by DynamoBen

So let me ask an obvious, possibly stupid question. I have two PVR250 cards, what value would these extension cards offer me as a sage user?

Probably not a whole lot. It seems more useful for the pvr-500, since it has 2 encoders, but comes with only 1 external svideo connection. For a 250, I suppose it might be used to share another svideo input with the same encoder instead of connecting/disconnecting when you needed to use an alternate source, but in source setup, you wold have to make sure the 2 sources don't overlap or use the same EPG provider.

- Andy

[cmaffia]

This kind of seems useless... you end up using (for some users depending on their cases) 2 PCI slots. Wasn't the whole point of this product that it was 2 tuners on ONE card, thus saving space? My Asus Pundit-R case only has two PCI slots. It also says that access to these additional ports is done through their software. I would imagine SageTV would have to be updated to access these additional ports yes?

Originally Posted by Opus4

Probably not a whole lot. It seems more useful for the pvr-500, since it has 2 encoders, but comes with only 1 external svideo connection. For a 250, I suppose it might be used to share another svideo input with the same encoder instead of connecting/disconnecting when you needed to use an alternate source, but in source setup, you wold have to make sure the 2 sources don't overlap or use the same EPG provider.

- Andy

[Crashless]

You have a point about taking another slot. I agree it's pretty silly, but you don't _have_ to put it in a slot. You could say, dremel your case and put it somewhere else.

As for accessing it, when I was setting up my encoder properties in Sage, one of the tuners had 2 sets of RCA inputs, and one only had one set. This is because the card has 2 headers and one adds a second set for the 1st tuner, and one adds a first set for the 2nd tuner.

So long story longer - you don't need to worry about accessing the inputs. They're already there.

[TheMightyEd]

I currently have Sage running with a 500MCE. The dual tuner works great with my analog cable signal. However, now that I have a new digital STB, I'd like to add a second card to my setup for recording the higher numbered channels through the STB.

Could I:
A.) Add a 250 or 350 card to my setup and configure Sage to use those for the higher channels. If so, which one should I use and would there be a conflict with the 500 that is present.
or
B.) Add another 500, use one tuner to act as a 3rd analog tuner and use the new cables mentioned earlier in the thread to record from the STB.

Any feedback would be most welcomed.

Thanks,

Running a P4 2.4GHz
1GB RAM
WinXP Pro
SageTV 2.2
Hauppauge 500

[Crashless]

It depends on 2 things:

1. Do you want 2, 3, or 4 channels recordable at once?

2. Do you hav the $ to get another 500?

I use a 350 with a 500 right now. but I don't use the IR port on the 350. Those that do use it, have reported problems when integrating a 500. If you don't use it, don't worry about it. AFAIK there isn't any problems integrating a 250 either.

As you know, the 500 has a set of RCAs, and a coax built in, so you could conceivably have 2 STBs via RCA (one to each 500) and 2 analogue coax basic channels. OR 2 STBs, and 1 analogue (using a 250/350 w/ your 500). OR just stay with your 1 analogue and route the STB to the RCAs you have, or get the break out cables and get 4 STBs and go crazy.

You have lots of options, it basically comes down to how much you want to spend.

[TheMightyEd]

Thanks for the feedback. I have a few extra dollars to spend and wouldn't mind having 3 Analog and 1 STB. This will also help me with padding as it seems most broadcasters can't (won't) set their start and end times properly.
I imagine since the drivers for the 500 are already installed, adding a second card should be easy.

Will I have to boot with Sage off or is it OK to shutdown, install the card and boot up?

Thanks

[Crashless]

Yeah, you 'should' be able to just shutdown, install it, and boot up. Then go to the setup wizard in sage and see if they show up.

I only say 'should' as a disclaimer. I have found that when I say 'will', things always go wrong.

[TheMightyEd]

Thanks Crashless, I did have to restart Sage (I ended up restarting the entire box to be safe) one more time because it took some time for Windows to take care of the "New Hardware" it discovered. I think Windows wasn't finished by the time Sage launched. After a reboot, the new card showed up as Tuners #3 and #4 in the source setup. Eveything is working great now.

[Crashless]

I'm really glad to hear that!

Now go watch some TV!

[geogecko]

Originally Posted by cmaffia

This kind of seems useless... you end up using (for some users depending on their cases) 2 PCI slots. Wasn't the whole point of this product that it was 2 tuners on ONE card, thus saving space? My Asus Pundit-R case only has two PCI slots. It also says that access to these additional ports is done through their software. I would imagine SageTV would have to be updated to access these additional ports yes?

But, the beauty of this is that you get to CHOOSE which PCI slot it takes up. For instance, on my motherboard, I have 3xPCI slots, 2xPCI-E 16 (8 or 1) slots, 1xPCI-E 1 slot, and 1xPCI-E 4 slot.

Since I think the PCI slots are more valueable slots right now, I have my 500 in one, and the adapter in the next slot, which happens to be the 2nd SLI PCI-E slot. So, I still have 2 PCI slots available. When more stuff starts to go PCI-E, and I upgrade, I can then move the slot over to a PCI slot, and regain a PCI-E slot.

[mdmint]

Originally Posted by cmaffia

This kind of seems useless... you end up using (for some users depending on their cases) 2 PCI slots. Wasn't the whole point of this product that it was 2 tuners on ONE card, thus saving space? My Asus Pundit-R case only has two PCI slots. It also says that access to these additional ports is done through their software. I would imagine SageTV would have to be updated to access these additional ports yes?

Most cases have more slot punch outs than motherboards have slots. In the case of a limited mini-case get creative. The adapter doesn't actually use a MB slot or even need to be mounted in the case back at all.

FWIW the first PVR500 I bought from PCAlchemy didn't come with the adapter. The one I bought 2 months ago from Buy.com came with it.

[waynedunham]

Originally Posted by mdmint

FWIW the first PVR500 I bought from PCAlchemy didn't come with the adapter. The one I bought 2 months ago from Buy.com came with it.

I was pleasantly surprised when my 2nd PVR-500 (whitebox OEM) ordered from NewEgg arrived with the 2nd input connector. I just checked and it is noted in the package contents section of the NewEgg listing. I just hadn't noticed it when I ordered it.

Unfortunately NewEgg's fabulous standard shipping (ordered late on the 19th) is going to be a waste since I won't get a chance to plop it in the machine and get it set up until Sunday.