WinTV-HVR-1600

Watch HDTV on your desktop PC

WinTV-HVR-1600

WinTV-HVR-1600 brings over-the-air high definition ATSC digital TV, clear QAM digital cable TV and analog cable TV to your PC. Watch and record TV in a window or full screen using high quality MPEG-2.

Clear QAM TV channels are unencrypted digital TV channels broadcast by your local cable operator. Many cable operators in North America are transmitting the high definition ATSC channels on their cable networks. They also broadcast the basic cable channels in using clear QAM. You can use either Windows Media Center from Windows 7 or the WinTV v6 or v7 application to watch and record these channels.

ATSC digital TV is the over-the-air HD digital TV for North America. ATSC digital TV typically requires an antenna for reception, and is currently broadcast in 200 cities, with over 1500 TV stations. ATSC broadcasts range in resolution from standard definition up to the high definition 1080i format. The WinTV-HVR can be used to watch and record all ATSC formats.
Note: ATSC digital TV is NOT digital cable TV or digital satellite TV. The WinTV-HVR-1600 cannot receive digital satellite TV.

ATSC digital TV brings you sharper pictures and enriches your PC’s multimedia experience with near CD quality sound. WinTV-HVR’s ATSC digital TV tuner adds great features to your TV viewing: high definition TV reception, automatic identification of channel names plus records high-definition digital TV programs to your PC’s hard disk in an MPEG-2 format without any loss in quality.

Create your own personal Digital Video Recorder! Record cable TV or ATSC digital TV shows to disk with MPEG-2. Use the WinTV-Scheduler to schedule the recordings of your favorite analog or ATSC digital TV programs. Play the recordings back to your PC screen at any time.

Control your cable TV or satellite set top box with WinTV-HVR-1600’s IR Blaster. Both the WinTV2000 and WinTV-Scheduler can automatically control the channel on your set top box, so you no longer need to manually change set top box channels.

Are you using Windows XP Media Center Edition or Vista? If so, you can add WinTV-HVR-1600 as either the primary or as the second TV tuner. The Microsoft Media Center application* supports up to two TV tuners, so you can watch one TV channel while recording another! And WinTV-HVR-1600 has Windows Vista Premium certification.

Technically speaking: WinTV-HVR-1600 contains two tuners: a ATSC digital TV tuner for over the air digital TV reception plus a 125-channel cable ready TV tuner. For ATSC digital TV, all 18 ATSC formats including 1080i can be watched or recorded to disk as a Program Stream. A highly integrated MPEG-1/2 hardware encoder is on-board for recording analog cable TV to disk. The playback of the recorded ATSC digital or MPEG-1/-2 encoded analog program is done through a software MPEG-2 player.

Notes:

  • For Analog TV reception, you need an analog cable TV connection. If you have a digital cable set top box or a satellite box, the WinTV-HVR-1600 can connect via either Composite or S-Video inputs. Channel changing will be done using the IR blaster.
  • For ATSC over-the-air digital TV reception, a high gain antenna is recommended. To check the ATSC TV broadcasts in your area, go to TitanTV.com and enter your postal code.
    Note: depending on the strength of your antenna, you might not be able to receive all broadcasts list at TitanTV.
  • To use the WinTV-HVR-1600 for TV with the Windows Media Center application, a Media Center certified DVD or MPEG-2 software decoder should be standard in your Media Center PC. If you are building a Media Center PC, check Microsoft's web site for a list of Media Center certified DVD decoders. The Windows Media Center application is included with Windows XP Media Center, Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Home Premium editions only. Note: the enclosed remote control is not MCE certified and does not replace Media Center remote control.
  • ATSC TV recordings are not 100% compatible with DVD, and therefore you cannot burn them directly to a DVD.
  • For use with Vista, the WinTV-HVR-1600 is certified for use with Microsoft's Media Center application. Not all included applications on the enclosed installation CD are currently certified for use with Vista.
  • Some original models (specifically models 74551 & 74031) do not support clear QAM.

Watch hi-definition ATSC digital TV and clear QAM digital TV on your PC! Analog cable TV, too!

  • Dual format TV tuner for your PC. Watch ATSC and clear QAM digital TV or analog cable TV, in a window or full screen.
  • Watch and record all digital TV formats, including the highest definition 1080i format
  • Includes TV scheduler, remote control and IR blaster to control satellite and cable TV set top boxes.

WinTV-HVR-1600 has these great features

  • Watch analog or digital TV on your PC screen, in a window or full screen.
  • Watch and record clear QAM digital cable TV. Clear QAM digital TV are unencrypted digital TV channels broadcast by your local cable operator on their cable TV networks.
  • Watch and record ATSC high definition digital TV on your PC. ATSC HD is the over-the-air high definition TV standard for North America.
  • Watch and record analog cable TV. The WinTV-HVR-1600 has a built-in hardware MPEG-2 encoder, so your PC continues to run at full speed while recording analog cable TV.
  • Includes Hauppauge's WinTV v7 application. If you live in an area where you can receive both ATSC digital and analog TV over the air, you can switch between analog and digital channels automatically.
  • Includes an IR blaster to change the channel on your satellite or cable TV set top box.

Digital Clear QAM features

If you are using digital cable which broadcasts digital cable channels "in the clear" (clear QAM), you can receive these QAM channels with the WinTV v7 application.
Note: not all cable TV networks broadcast clear QAM channels. For clear QAM availability, please check with your local cable TV operator.
Note: To watch clear QAM channels, you should use either Windows 7 Media Center or the Hauppauge WinTV v6 or v7application.
Note: Certain older Media Center Models (namely the 74551 and 74031) of this product do not support Clear QAM.

Digital ATSC HD TV features

  • ATSC over-the-air digital TV tuner built-in. Supports all ATSC formats, up to the high definition 1080i format!
  • Record ATSC digital TV to your PC's hard disk using high quality MPEG-2. TV recordings will typically consume 5 Gb of disk space per hour for ATSC high definition.

Analog TV features

  • 125 channel cable ready TV tuner built-in. With dbx-TV stereo decoder, for great TV sound.
  • Composite/S-Video and audio inputs, for cable or satellite set top boxes or VCRs.
  • Record TV shows to your PC's hard disk using the built-in high quality hardware MPEG-2 encoder. While recording, the hardware encoder does all the work so your PC continues to run at full speed! 1-2 Gigabytes of disk is used per hour of recorded video.

Model numbers

model 01199: WinTV-HVR-1600 with NSTC/ATSC/QAM support, WinTV v7 application, Hauppauge remote control, on-board IR receiver and blaster, with English manual
model 01181: WinTV-HVR-1600 with NSTC/ATSC/QAM support, WinTV v7 application, Hauppauge remote control, on-board IR receiver and blaster, with French/English manual
model 01387: WinTV-HVR-1600 board only (new model) with NSTC/ATSC/QAM support, without remote control
model 01388: WinTV-HVR-1600 MC-Kit (new model) with with NSTC/ATSC/QAM support, Media Center certified remote control receiver/blaster

Included with the WinTV-HVR-1600 model 01181 and 01199

  • WinTV-HVR-1600 PCI bus card with 125 channel cable-ready TV tuner, ATSC tuner, hardware MPEG-2 encoder, dbx-TV stereo decoder, S-Video/composite and audio inputs.
  • IR remote control receiver.
  • IR Blaster (infra-red remote control transmitter), to control satellite and cable TV set top boxes.
  • Supports Windows Media Center in Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
  • WinTV-HVR-1600 CD-ROM includes:
    • WinTV v7 application for TV in a window plus TV recording, pause and playback.. Includes Parental Control and close captions.
    • Built-in TV scheduler, for scheduling your TV recording and with link to TitanTV.com**.

Included in the WinTV-HVR-1600 MC board only model 01387

  • WinTV-HVR-1600 PCI bus card new model with silicon tuner, 125 channel cable-ready TV tuner, ATSC tuner, hardware MPEG-2 encoder, dbx-TV stereo decoder, S-Video/composite and audio inputs.
  • WinTV-HVR-1600 CD-ROM includes:
    • WinTV-HVR-1600 driver for Windows 7, Windows XP, Vista, both 32-bit and 64-bit*

Included in the WinTV-HVR-1600 MC-Kit model 01388

  • WinTV-HVR-1600 PCI bus card new model with silicon tuner, 125 channel cable-ready TV tuner, ATSC tuner, hardware MPEG-2 encoder, dbx-TV stereo decoder, S-Video/composite and audio inputs.
  • Windows Media Center certified remote control, receiver and blaster
  • WinTV-HVR-1600 CD-ROM includes:
    • WinTV-HVR-1600 driver for Windows 7, Windows XP, Vista, both 32-bit and 64-bit*

Included in the WinTV-HVR-1600 MC board only model 01101
(discontinued and replaced with model 01387)

  • WinTV-HVR-1600 PCI bus card with 125 channel cable-ready TV tuner, ATSC tuner, hardware MPEG-2 encoder, dbx-TV stereo decoder, S-Video/composite and audio inputs. .
  • WinTV-HVR-1600 CD-ROM includes:
    • WinTV-HVR-1600 driver for Windows 7, Windows XP, Vista, both 32-bit and 64-bit*

Included in the WinTV-HVR-1600 MC-Kit model 01183
(discontinued and replaced with model 01388)

  • WinTV-HVR-1600 PCI bus card with 125 channel cable-ready TV tuner, ATSC tuner, hardware MPEG-2 encoder, dbx-TV stereo decoder, S-Video/composite and audio inputs.
  • Windows Media Center certified remote control, receiver and blaster
  • WinTV-HVR-1600 CD-ROM includes:
    • WinTV-HVR-1600 driver for Windows 7, Windows XP, Vista, both 32-bit and 64-bit*

Notes:

* The Media Center products from Hauppauge do not include an MPEG video decoder. If you have a Windows Media Center PC, it has come with a Microsoft certified Media Center MPEG decoder pre-installed. If you are building a Windows Media Center PC, please check with Microsoft for a list of certified MPEG decoders. YOU WILL NEED A MICROSOFT CERTIFIED MEDIA CENTER DECODER TO WATCH TV!

** titantv.com can be used in the United States only.

System Requirements

  • Processor requirements (minimum):
    • 1.0 GHz Intel P4 or equivalent (for cable TV)
    • 2.2 GHz Intel P4 or equivalent (for ATSC digital TV)
  • Microsoft Windows® 8, 7 or Windows Vista (32 and 64-bit), or Windows XP with Service Pack 2. WinTV-HVR-1600 is Windows 7 AQ certified and Vista Premium certified*.
  • Available PCI slot.
  • Graphics with 64 MB memory (or greater).
  • Sound card.
  • DVD or CD writer for burning Video CD's, S-VCD's or DVD's (optional)

Frequently asked questions

What Operating Systems are supported by the WinTV-HVR-1600?

  • Microsoft Windows 8 and 7 -32 bit and 64 bit
  • Windows Vista (all versions), 32-bit and 64-bit
  • Windows XP, XP Pro or Windows XP Media Center Edition, with Service Pack 2.

System Requirements

  • Minimum processor recommended: 2.2 GHz P4 or 1.8 GHz Centrino or equivalent (minimum).
  • Graphics display adapter with 64MB of memory (minimum).
  • Available PCI slot.
  • Sound Card
  • CD-ROM drive (for Software installation).
  • DVD or CD burner for burning (optional).

Can I use the WinTV-HVR-1600 with Linux?

Yes, you can find the latest Linux drivers here: http://linuxtv.org/hg/v4l-dvb/

Additional information about Linux can be found here: http://linuxtv.org/v4lwiki/index.php/Main_Page

Can I use the WinTV-HVR-1600 with Media Center?

The WinTV-HVR-1600 will work with Windows Vista or Windows 7 Media Center. Just use the driver provided on the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR Installation CD. Since the WinTV-HVR-1600 is dual tuner, you will be able to watch and record analog cable TV channels and ATSC digital TV channels at the same time. Windows 7 supports clear QAM digital TV, but Vista Media Center does not currently support clear QAM digital cable TV.

The WinTV WinTV-HVR-1600 can be made to work within the Windows XP Media Center application provided you have the latest updates (roll-up 2) for MCE installed. This update provides support for digital (ATSC) tuning and will allow MCE to recognize the WinTV-HVR-1600 as a tuner in its configuration. Without the latest updates MCE will give the error message “No tuner hardware found”.

Under Vista, there would not be any additional updates required for the WinTV HVR -1600 to operate in Media Center.

What type of channels will I receive with the WinTV-HVR-1600?

NTSC Analog CableTV or over-the-air analog TV: You can use your cable TV from the wall to connect to the WinTV-HVR-1600 and receive all of your basic Cable TV channels. You can also use a roof top antenna to receive "over-the-air" TV.

Note: After June 2009, most areas in the United States no longer broadcast over-the-air analog signals.

ATSC over-the-air digital TV: Supports all ATSC formats, up to the high definition 1080i format!
Note: For ATSC digital TV, a rooftop/out door antenna is recommended for optimal results/signal strength.

ClearQAM cable TV Channels: Clear QAM digital cable TV channels are unencrypted digital cable TV channels. Clear QAM allows users to watch unencrypted digital TV channels from their cable TV provider without a set-top box.
Note: WinTV v7, WinTV v6, Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows TV Pack 2008 for Vista are required for clear QAM reception
Note: Check your local cable TV provider for clear QAM reception over your cable TV network.

* Certain older models (namely the 74551 and 74031) of this product do not support Clear QAM.

Can I receive high definition digital TV with the WinTV-HVR-1600 through Cable or Satellite Box?

No. The WinTV-HVR-1600 has an ATSC over-the-air digital TV tuner built-in and supports all ATSC formats, up to the high definition 1080i format . The WinTV-HVR-1600 will support ATSC broadcasts that are currently being transmitted over-the-air. It will not be able to decode HD broadcasts that come through your cable or satellite box. The HVR 1600 also will support clear QAM cable TV channels through your direct cable TV line if available from your cable TV provider.

What type of recordings can I make with the WinTV-HVR-1600?

Using the WinTV 7 application the WinTV-HVR-1600, will record in a transport stream (TS)
For ATSC and Clear QAM digital TV recordings, the recording format and bit rate is exactly the same as the broadcast format (i.e. ATSC 1080i is recorded at 1080i).
For NTSC analog cable TV recordings, our HardPVR is used to create Transport Stream files (TS)

Note: TS files can be converted to MPEG files using options in the WinTV 7 configuration menu.

Note: The WinTV 6 application recording are in MPEG format for both digital and analog.

Note: Not all recordings made with ATSC/QAM signals are DVD compliant

Can I record one show while watching another with the WinTV-HVR-1600?

Yes, as long as one channel is digital and the other is analog, you may record one while viewing the other, or even record both simultaneously. While recording a digital TV channel, you can be watching an analog TV channel or visa versa.

Black video window or choppy video when watching a digital TV channel

If you are watching a digital TV channel and you see choppy video, no audio or a black screen, then it is possible your PC is not fast enough to decode and play the digital TV channel you are watching. Please verify that your system meets the minimum requirements for using the HVR-1950

Digital TV, especially ATSC high definition digital TV, is very CPU intensive. Many graphics cards have special built-in hardware to speed up decoding of high definition TV channels.

On graphics cards without special video decoding features, you can often improve the playback performance by using the Video Renderer settings located in the settings menu of WinTV 7. To open the setting menu click on the “gear” button located in the lower left of the WinTV 7 screen.

The default mode is EVR. The other modes are VMR9, VMR7 and Overlay. Each mode uses a different process to render video. Try each mode and use the one which gives you the best results. To use hardware acceleration put a check in the box “use hardware acceleration when possible. This will allow your graphics system to use hardware acceleration for video decode. Note: graphics hardware acceleration does not work on all systems. After making a change in video rendering settings Wintv must be restarted to take effect.

If you are using WinTV 6 then the render options are part of a separate program called Primary.  Changes in the Primary applet must be made with the WinTV application closed.  Open the Primary program by going to Start – All Programs – Hauppauge WinTV – Primary.  After making changes close the Primary applet and open the WinTV application.

Will my remote control work with Windows Media Center?

No, the Hauppauge remote control that is included with the HVR-1600 only supports the WinTV application. For Media Center, you will need to use the Microsoft ehome infrared receiver. This optional remote is available through the Hauppauge webstore.

WinTV crashes on a Dell Vostro desktop

If you experience a crash on the WinTV application when running on a Dell Vostro computer, check to make sure the speakers are plugged in. If speakers are not plugged in, the Dell Vostro disables the internal sound card. The WinTV application requires a sound card to be enabled to operate correctly.

My Set Top Box is not listed in the configuration utility to set up the IR Blaster?

If your set top box is not listed try the “Test All” button. This button will go through all of the codes in our database. After clicking “Test All”, watch your set top box. If it goes on or off, immediately click stop test. You have found the correct code for your set top box. If your set top box does not turn on or off even after going through all the codes, then either the IR transmitter is not position correctly or your box is not supported.

My set top box is in the list and the blaster flashes during setup but does not control the box?

Check the positioning of the IR blaster on the Set Top Box. It must be directly over the sensor, if it is off just a little this can cause it not to function. The IR blaster only works over a 2 inch distance so you need to make sure it is placed over the remote sensor in your set top box. Some set top boxes have the position of the remote sensor indicated on the plastic front of the box. With others, you might need to look carefully at the front of the box for what looks like a round or square area underneath the plastic front panel. There is doubled sided tape on the back of the IR Transmitter to hold it in place.

What file size will the recorded videos be?

Digital Broadcasts (ATSC or QAM)

The file size of a digital signal capture depends on the bitrate of the digital signal.  The bitrate is set by the broadcaster and cannot be user configured.  Bitrates for digital signals can range anywhere from about 1.2 Mbits/sec up to 19.3 Mbits/sec.  Most of the time these bitrates are variable and not constant.  Capture sizes for ATSC & QAM recordings are approximately 1.7 Gigabytes per hour up to 8.3 Gigabytes per hour.

Analog Broadcast.

The WinTV application has to convert analog signals to digital in order to record. There are four recording profiles. The following list shows recording file sizes for burning to 4.3Gb DVD:

Best - Approx 1 Hour+
Better - Approx 1 1/2 Hours
Good - Approx 2 Hours
Fair - Approx 3 Hours

WinTV v7 does not open or opens and then disappears?

This can be caused by a corrupt Channel database so you will need to uninstall and reinstall.  First you need to go to start, all programs, Hauppauge Wintv and in that folder run
“uninstall Wintv7” (or remove Wintv7 using control panel "add/remove programs) then you need to remove the backup channel database.

Windows Vista, 7 and 8 go to C:\program data ( this folder is a hidden folder so if you do not see it you need to “show hidden folders “ in your search
Options)  once you can get to this folder you will see a folder label “Hauppauge”  delete this folder.

Windows XP go to C:\documents and settings\all users\shared documents\application data ( this folder is a hidden folder so if you do not see it you need to “show hidden folders “ in your search Options)  once you can get to this folder you will see a folder label “Hauppauge”  delete this folder.

Then download the latest version of Wintv7 located in the support section of the website and reinstall (note: you must have your original CD to validate the download.)