WinTV-HVR-1850

High performance PCI Express TV tuner plus Media Center remote control kit

WinTV-HVR-1600

WinTV-HVR-1850 brings over-the-air high definition ATSC digital 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 Windows 7 Media Center 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.

Two tuners to simplify connections The WinTV-HVR-1850 has two tuners: one for analog cable TV and one for ATSC/QAM digital TV. You can connect both cable TV and an ATSC digital TV antenna at the same time.

Create your own personal Digital Video Recorder! Record cable TV shows to your PC's hard disk with our built-in high quality MPEG-2 hardware encoder. You can also record high definition digital ATSC and QAM to disk in the original digital quality. 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.

Are you using Windows Media Center? If so, you can add WinTV-HVR-1850 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!

Technically speaking: WinTV-HVR-1850 is a PCI Express X1 board. It contains two tuners: a digital TV tuner to receive ATSC and QAM channels plus a 125-channel cable ready TV tuner. For ATSC and QAM digital TV, all 18 ATSC formats including 1080i can be watched or recorded to disk as a MPEG-2 Program Stream. A highly integrated MPEG-1/2 hardware encoder based on the Conexant -418 is on-board for recording analog cable TV to disk. The playback of the recorded ATSC and QAM digital TV and MPEG-2 encoded analog programs are 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-1850 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 listed at TitanTV. For QAM reception, you need digital cable TV which transmits 'clear QAM' ATSC channels. You need to use the Hauppauge WinTV application to watch, pause and record QAM channels.
  • ATSC TV recordings are not 100% compatible with DVD, and therefore you cannot burn them directly to a DVD.

PCI Express NTSC/ATSC/QAM TV tuner board for Windows 7 and Windows Vista. Watch and record analog cable TV plus hi-definition ATSC or clear QAM digital TV on your PC!

  • TV board for your PC with separate TV tuners for the best reception quality: one analog TV tuner and one digital TV tuner
  • Single slot PCI Express (PCIe) X1 board, full height
  • Built-in hardware MPEG-2 encoder for recording analog cable TV, for the best system performance
  • Watch and record all ATSC formats, including the highest definition 1080i format
  • Supports clear QAM digital cable TV channels with Windows 7 Media Center

WinTV-HVR-1850 has these great features

  • Watch and record ATSC high definition digital TV or analog cable TV on your PC, in a window or full screen! ATSC HD is the over-the-air high definition TV standard for North America.
  • Watch and record 'clear QAM' digital TV channels. Clear QAM digital TV channels are TV channels which are broadcast "in the clear" on your cable TV network.
  • Two tuners on board: a 125 channel cable ready TV tuner and an ATSC/QAM digital TV tuner.

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

  • Built-in high quality hardware MPEG-2 encoder, so your PC continues to run at full speed while watching, pausing and recording analog cable TV
  • 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.

Digital QAM features

If you are using digital cable which broadcast the local ATSC channels on their cable TV network, you can receive these QAM channels with Windows 7 Media Center.
Note: not all cable TV networks send clear QAM channels. Please check with your local cable TV operator for the availability of clear QAM cable TV channels.

Model numbers

model 01128: WinTV-HVR-1850 MC-Kit with WinTV-HVR-1850, NTSC/ATSC/QAM support, FM radio, IR receive/blast cable and MCE remote. English manual only.

model 01129: WinTV-HVR-1850 MC board only, with NTSC/ATSC/QAM support, FM radio. No remote control. English only.

model 01176: WinTV-HVR-1850 MC board only, with NTSC/ATSC/QAM support, FM radio. No remote control. French/English for Canada.

model 01121: WinTV-HVR-1850 MC-Kit, with WinTV-HVR-1850 model 1129 board, NTSC/ATSC/QAM support, FM radio, IR receive/blast cable and MCE remote. English/French manual for Canada.

System Requirements

  • Processor requirements: 2.2 GHz P4 or equivalent (minimum) required for displaying ATSC high definition TV. on your PC screen
  • Microsoft Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP Home, Pro or Media Center Edition. Also Windows Vista Premium certified*
  • Available PCIe X1 or X8 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)

Note:

  • To use the WinTV-HVR-1850 Media Center board for TV with Windows Media Center in Windows XP and Vista, a Media Center certified DVD or MPEG-2 software decoder should be installed in your Media Center PC.
  • Windows 7 Media Center is required for clear QAM TV (in areas where available).

What Operating Systems are supported by the WinTV-HVR-1850?

  • Windows 8,7 and Windows Vista, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions
  • Windows XP Home, Pro or Media Center Edition

System Requirements

  • Processor requirements:
    2.2 GHz P4 or equivalent (minimum) required for displaying ATSC high definition TV. on your PC screen
  • Graphics display adapter with 64MB of memory (minimum)
  • Available PCIe 1X or 8X slot
  • Sound Card
  • CD-ROM drive (for Software installation)
  • DVD or CD burner for burning (optional)

Can I use the WinTV-HVR-1850 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://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Talk:Hauppauge_WinTV-HVR-1800

Can I use the WinTV-HVR-1850 with Media Center?

The WinTV-HVR-1800/1850 will work with Windows 7 or Windows Vista Media Center. Just use the driver provided on the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR Installation CD. Since the WinTV-HVR-1800 is dual tuner, you will be able to watch and record analog cable TV channels and ATSC digital TV channels at the same time. Vista Media Center does not currently support clear QAM digital cable TV.

The WinTV-HVR-1800 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-1800 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-1800 to operate in Media Center.

What type of channels will I receive with the WinTV-HVR-1850?

NTSC Analog CableTV or over-the-air analog TV: You can use your cable TV from the wall to connect to the WinTV-HVR-1800 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.

Can I receive high definition digital TV with the WinTV-HVR-1800 through Cable or Satellite Box?

No. The WinTV-HVR-1800 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 1800 also will support clear QAM cable TV channels through your direct cable TV line if available from your cable TV provider.

Can I listen to FM radio with WinTV-HVR-1850?

Yes, the WinTV-HVR-1850 has a built-in FM radio receiver. You will need to add an FM antenna, which needs to be lugged into the NTSC connector on the back of the WinTV-HVR-1850 board.

What type of recordings can I make with the WinTV-HVR-1800?

Using the WinTV 7 application the WinTV-HVR-1800, 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-1800?

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.

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.

I’m receiving a flickering video image using my WinTV product installed on a Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P motherboard?

To correct the flickering video issue, from the BIOS, disable the "C1E Support” option and restart the system.

I receive a "Low bit rate" error message when using Windows Media Center in Windows 7.

Microsoft has released Windows Media Center patches for the "Low bit rate" error message.
Click to view the information from Microsoft.

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.)