Any advantage to Hauppauge 350?

[gwynethh]

In sage TV or recorder is there any advantage to a Hauppauge 350 over the 250?

Thanx

[fidget]

Two words: hardware decoder. I have never been a fan of the quality of software MPEG decoders and mixing them with the S-Video out on a viedo card just adds to the problem. The hardware decoder in the PVR-350 gives a crystal clear image and the OSD looks really nice.

There is a drawback in that the PVR-350 only plays MPEGs. If you want to display those then you will still need to have your video card connected.

[ErsatzTom]

The 350 has a hardware mpeg decoder which means that you can hook your tv up to the card and you will be able to decode mpegs on that box, displayed through the 350, with very little impact on the cpu.

Advantages:
Some people find this to produce a better picture than a software decoder
Lower cpu usage which is especially helpful if you have a slow computer

Disadvantages:
Can't display encrypted dvds through it
Can't display your windows desktop or other windows apps that don't specifically support the 350 through it
Can't do HD output, only SD
Some people have serious hardware conflicts with -15 250s (but then again, the same thing happens when the two types of 250s are mixed as well)

Also, if you are planning a client/server configuration keep in mind that this card is definitely only beneficial when output to a tv so won't do most people any good in a server in the closet.

t

[fidget]

Originally posted by ErsatzTom
Also, if you are planning a client/server configuration keep in mind that this card is definitely only beneficial when output to a tv so won't do most people any good in a server in the closet.

t

My server contains only PVR-250s, I reserved the -350 for my set-top box. I would recommend the -350 for a set-top box configuration (in order to minimize the noise).