Any analogue capture hardware that captures 16:9?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Any analogue capture hardware that captures 16:9?

jpfree

45 posts

Geek

#30742 19-Feb-2009 19:52

Hi all

I've currently got a Windows 7 Media Center PC setup and working with DVB-S Freeview very nicely (no DVB-T coverage where I am!).

The next step is to integrate Sky which I'd really like to do, mainly to have one super integrated EPG and to make recording multiple shows a little easier.

I found an old PVR-150 I had around however from what I understand this only captures in 4:3, even if a 16:9 source is input. What this means is that Media Center will display 16:9 Sky programmes squashed into a 4:3 frame. (I've got a 16:9 TV)

Has anyone got their Sky STB working satisfactorally with their Media Center, and what hardware / settings are you using? Or are you just manually adjusting the zoom every time you change channels (not satisfactory IMHO)?

Cheers!

jpfree

45 posts

Geek

#196765 19-Feb-2009 20:01

Actually I'll also point out that I thought about the option of decoding the Sky signal in PC, however I've got a 17xx card so that's a no go (as far as I can tell from the extremely long thread about that!)

RustyGonad

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#196776 19-Feb-2009 20:39

I'd strongly suggest you go the internal decoding method.

The PVR150 is about as good as it gets with analog decoding, so all the points you notice with 4:3 etc etc will be around forever. Add to that the times the IR Blasters miss the channel changes, the marginal picture quality, jumble of cables, audio syncing issues etc etc etc.

A couple of guys on here have managed to get their cards replaced with 45xx cards.

Under Windows 7 the card based solutions work very very well, including HD channels. Decoding/channel changing is fast, and the picture quality will beat any current Sky decoder including MySky HDi.

The only current downside is that its only single tuner (ie only one Sky channel), and the guide is currently a bit messy to setup. The guide should be sorted in the next few weeks, hopefully multi tuner isn't that far off either.

Nety

2584 posts

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Retired Mod

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Lifetime subscriber

#196779 19-Feb-2009 20:46

Yeah I looked into this a few weeks ago. The only option is to zoom the picture back out to widescreen which workes OK but you then have to remember to unzoom it whenever you watch freeview, videos, dvd's etc. which quickly becomes a drag.

I still find it amazing that there is not support in the drivers/media centre to tell it that the inputed signal is 16:9.

Media centre PC - Case Silverstone LC16M with 2 X 80mm AcoustiFan DustPROOF, MOBO Gigabyte MA785GT-UD3H, CPU AMD X2 240 under volted, RAM 4 Gig DDR3 1033, HDD 120Gig System/512Gig data, Tuners 2 X Hauppauge HVR-3000, 1 X HVR-2200, Video Palit GT 220, Sound Realtek 886A HD (onboard), Optical LiteOn DH-401S Blue-ray using TotalMedia Theatre Power Corsair VX Series, 450W ATX PSU OS Windows 7 x64

jpfree

45 posts

Geek

#196791 19-Feb-2009 21:37

Hmm shame about that. A solution I just thought of is to do component input into something like the Hauppauge HD PVR, but that thing's so expensive that it's really just not feasible - I assume a component input would be 16:9?

I don't want to get too off topic or fragmented here, but what the hell - what's the best method to get a 45xx card? Try to get a silver box and hope the installer decides to swap the card?