Hauppauge Computer Works: Support

WinTV uses concepts called "Channels", "Suites", and "Presets". These concepts help you customize your application's behavior, and to greatly improve WinTV's capability and flexibility. By using these concepts, WinTV becomes much more than a simple television card... and can now manage multiple inputs, input formats, and channel specifications under your control.

A Channel is defined as a single, detailed Video Input specification. This could be a Tuner input (such as USA Cable Channel 14), or a Composite input, or an S-Video input.

In other words: A WinTV channel does not necessarily indicate a Tuner channel. You can, with WinTV, set up a series of channels that include Tuner inputs, Composite Video inputs, and S-Video inputs. For example, a group of channels may include channels 2 through 13 as tuner inputs, then channel 100 as a composite video input, and channel 200 as an S-video input.

After defining channels, you then assemble "Suites", which are simply groups of WinTV Channels. WinTV supports multiple Suites, to help organize your channel selections. Thus, you may have a Suite of channels for business programming, a second Suite for sports programming, a third Suite for news programming, etc.

For even greater flexibility, WinTV supports Presets, which are numbers that are associated with particular channels.

Presets are similar to the buttons on an automobile radio, which can be assigned to frequencies in any order. WinTV Presets help you manage channel selections, and enable you to set the sequence in which the channels appear when viewing or "surfing" through them. For example, you may set up a Suite containing channels 2, 4, 7, 33, 41, and 64. You may assign these Presets 1 through 6, so you don't have to remember the specific channels - just the presets. And, since you may assign the Presets in any order, you can rearrange the channel order at will.

You can set up channels using the Suite Manager, which is reached from the Suites button on either the WinTV Main Window or the WinTV Remote:

The Channel Suite Configuration dialog enables you to Auto Scan for channels; customize your Channel List by inserting and deleting entries; and also edit any previous Channel configurations.

The Channel Suite Configuration dialog is much like the typical Microsoft Windows Explorer window, with a tree directory on the left and the contents on the right. There are two basic categories on the left, Input Sources and Suites. Under Input Sources is listed all the video inputs available on the currently-installed Hauppauge hardware. These inputs may include Tuners, Composites, and S-Video (this is an input which can be either Composite or SVideo). Under Suites is the list of all standard and user defined suites. The standard suite "All Channels" is automatically created and may not be deleted. All Channels always reflects all channels in all Input Sources.

Adding a New Tuner Channel
To add a new Tuner channel, select Tuner as the input source on the left side of the Channel Dialog box, then click the Add... button. The system displays a New Channel dialog:

If you are adding a new Tuner channel, select the channel number, Country, Source (antenna/cable/HRC [Harmonically Related Carrier]), and Preset (if any).

You may select AFT to automatically perform fine-tuning, or manually adjust the fine-tuning slider to achieve the best quality reception (this control has a range of +127 to -128).

Tuning Mode provides two settings - one lists channels by country; the other lists all channels. The Broadcast/Cable item selects the appropriate Tuner mode for your input signal. Video Format and Country items select area of operation; WinTV provides all major video formats.

Adding a new Composite or S-Video Channel
To add a new Composite channel, select one of the Composite inputs as the input source on the left side of the Channel Dialog box, then click the Add button. The system displays a different New Channel dialog:

Specify the channel number by which you will identify this channel, and (if desired) enter a Preset number. (In this case, a video feed from a security camera has been added.) Set the Video Format as needed.

If S-video input is desired, select SVideo which indicates that the channel is an SVideo input.

Remember! You can have the same Composite or S-Video input mapped to more than one Channel. A Channel number only represents a particular setting of an input source, and does NOT necessarily represent a unique physical input.

For example, a single Composite input may be mapped to channel number 100 (as a composite color video input), and also as channel number 101 (as an SVideo input).

ID and Description Fields
For each defined Channel, you may enter a seven-character ID (which appears in the Status Area when viewing the channel), and/or a longer Description of the channel (i.e. "The Figure Skating Channel").

The ID and Description entries are used by default when this Channel is included in a Suite. (You may choose to override the entries in particular Suites; see Preferences Overrides at the end of the Set Up Suites Procedure for more information.)

The WinTV On-screen Remote Control is available from the WinTV Main Window by clicking at the lower-right corner, as shown:

Channel and Status Display
This area provides status information, including current channel, video source, and audio configuration.

Channel and Audio Selection Area
This area provides channel selection and volume control functions, as well as access to special operating modes: TV Mode, Surf Mode, Channel Setup/Configuration, Closed Captioning, Color Configuration, and Volume & Mute.

The Special Controls area on the Remote Control device provides controls for Snapshot and Video Capture, as well as access to the WinRadio application, Teletext features, and the Hauppauge! web site for product information and support.

Show/Hide Advanced Controls
Click the "Advanced Controls" tab on the Remote Control device to show or hide the middle section of the Remote (providing capture controls, etc.)

Connect the RF source (cable or antenna). You reach the first menu by holding the right mouse button for a longer time down, while the mousepointer is in the tv-window. If the menu appears, you can let go off the button. Choose the option Configure/Channels/Suite Manager:

On the left side of the Channel Dialog, select Tuner 1. Click the Scan button. The system responds with a Scanning Setup dialog:

Set the Country and Source (i.e. Cable, Antenna, HRC), then click Scan. The system displays a Scan dialog box, and scans numerically through the possible channels.

You can track progress at the Channel Dialog's upper right corner. When the process is finished, all available channels will be displayed in the Channel Dialog.

Unwanted Channels may be deleted from an input source by simply selecting them and pressing the Delete key.

WinTV "Suites" help you customize your application's behavior, enabling you to manage multiple inputs, input formats, and channel specifications.

You can configure Suites using the Suite Manager, which is reached from the Suites button on the Main Window or the WinTV Remote.

Scalability of the Channel Suite Manager window increases the maximum number of fields which can be displayed in the Channel Configuration window.

About Suites
Suites are simply groups of WinTV Channels defined previously when you set up Channels.
WinTV supports multiple Suites, to help organize your channel selections. Thus, you may have a Suite of channels for business programming, a second Suite for sports programming, a third Suite for news programming, etc.

Optional display of the suite configuration window is controlled by the ‘Show Suites’ button. When on display, the ‘Show Suites’ button caption becomes ‘Hide Suites’, giving users more control over the suite management environment.

Channel Scanning may be performed at any time by clicking the ‘Scan’ button in the lower left corner of the Channel Suite Manager.

Add, Edit, and Delete buttons provide quick and easy access to channel management tools.

WinTV provides the ability to enable or disable channels of a suite without deletion. Channels are enabled when a check appears to the left of a channel position in the suite. Disabled channels are registered in the suite, but can not be selected for viewing using the plus and minus operators. A channel which is disabled will appear red in the standard tuner toolbar if typed in from the keyboard.

All Channels Suite
WinTV provides a suite called All Channels, which includes every channel defined when you set up channels.

Creating User Defined Suites
If you want to customize your channel selections, you may create user-defined Suites, which provide a subset of the channels from the All Channels suite.
To create a new Suite, right-click on the Suites item in the left side of the Channel Suite Configuration dialog, then select New Suite:

A new Suite appears, using a default name (New Suite n). This Suite includes all channels from the All Channels Suite.

To edit the contents of a User Defined Suite, right-click on the Suite on the left side of the Channel Configuration Dialog:

You may rename the Suite, delete the Suite, or clear all channels from the Suite.

Editing Individual Channels in Suites
You may edit individual channel entries in a Suite by right-clicking on the entry:

You may also edit a channel's Fine Tuning and Preferences within a User-Defined Suite, by selecting Edit, which displays:

The Status Area (bottom edge of the WinTV Window) enables fast channel/suite selection using the mouse.

Right-clicking on the ID pane displays a Channels context menu, from which you may select a new Channel to view.

To hide the Video Window controls, click anywhere on the picture with the RIGHT Mouse button.

The menus are located in a pop up menu. You reach this menu by holding the right mouse button down, while the mousepointer is in the tv-window. If the menu appears, you can let go of the button.

File Menu functions include Saving captured images, Printing directly from WinTV, Copying images to the system's Clipboard, and Exiting Win/TV:

Select Save As from the File menu to save the current image to your hard drive for use in desktop publishing, paint programs or word processing applications. (You may also use the Freeze button to save an image.)

Select an image format from Save File As Type. Select the drive and directory you wish to save to. In the File Name box, type or select the name of the image you wish to save. Then click on OK.

The image can be saved in various formats, including TIFF, BMP, TGA, PCX and MMP, as either a gray scale image (great for use in adding images to word processing or desktop publishing applications) or a color image (for photographic touch-up, and image databases and photo albums).

The format that you should use when saving an image depends on where you want to use the image. For example, WordPerfect likes an 8-bit-per-pixel black/white image - - - so you would use the Gray Scale TIFF format.

If your graphics card can support 24-bits per pixel, you can use the 24-bit BMP format. The Win/TV will create TIFF files for TEMPRA, CorelDRAW, Designer, Picture Publisher, Photo Styler, Halo, WinRIX, Paintbrush and many others. Sometimes it takes a little experimentation to determine the best format to use.

Use the Page Setup dialog box to format your print, and the Print Setup dialog box to give Windows directions for setting up the printer. Freeze the video image to be printed by clicking on the Freeze Button on the Tool Bar. After the image is frozen, click on Print. The frozen image will be sent to the selected printer (defined in Windows). You can cancel your print request at any time during the printing process by clicking on the Cancel Button which appears in the middle of the screen.

Use the Clipboard Setup dialog box to give Windows directions regarding image format. Freeze the video image to be copied by clicking on the Freeze Button on the Tool Bar. After the image is frozen, choose Copy from the File menu. The mouse pointer will briefly change to an hour-glass while the image is sent to the Windows Clipboard.

Display Menu functions include selecting one of several video sources (depending on the Hauppauge hardware in your system): Tuner, External Video Input 1, External Video Input 2, or S-Video.

To select a video source click on Display, then select Tuner for Cable TV or Broadcast signals, Ext 1 for External Video Input 1, Ext 2 for External Video Input 2 (if supported), or S-Video for a Luma/Chroma (Y/C) source. The selected source will then be highlighted with a check mark. These three functions are also available as the Video Source button group on the Tool Bar.

Freeze
Use the Freeze Button (or Ctrl-F) to quickly capture an image at the selected screen resolution.

Display Preferences
The Display Preferences menu item enables customization of Title Mode, TV Mode, and related interface displays.

Always on Top: The TV window is always visible. You find more under Always on Top on the page "TV-Mode"

Aspect Ratio: The TV window always keeps its proportions. There ist further information under the item Aspect Ratio on the page "Display Preferences".

No Title: The TV windows shows only the TV picture and no user interface. To exit this you can read under No Title Mode on the page "Video Window Controls"

TV Mode: The TV picture fills the entire screen. Further information under TV-Mode

Audio settings, Color settings, programming/editing Channels (via the Suite Manager), and TV Mode selection.

Audio Settings
Use this menu item to set/change Audio Mixer settings, Audio Input selections, Volume, and a variety of related preferences.

To gain access to these controls, click on Configure, then select Audio to display the Audio Control Dialog Box.

Configure Color
Click on Configure, then Color. The Adjust Color Dialog Box will appear.

On this submenu you may enter the Channel Suite setup utility (for setting up and editing channels), and also select Channel Mode or Preset Mode. These functions are described in detail as part of the Setup Channels topic.

TV Mode
This item affects WinTV behavior during Full Screen mode. When "Allow Resolution Change" is selected, Full-Screen mode will fill the screen to its maximum size.

Select the Defaults item to restore the factory settings. Or, press ALT+M to select this item.

The Help Menu gives the user information about the system memory and video configuration, software version and setup parameters of Win/TV, and also this file.

Contents displays the Help functions and explains how to learn more about Win/TV operation.

Search lists keywords for the user to choose in order to easily access procedures or functions associated with a specific topic.

By clicking on About the user can access the Software Version number, copyright information, and various system configuration information.

To quickly select a channel from those programmed into the current Suite, enter the Channel Number on the Keyboard.

The Dash (-) key will change channels by going through the Channel List in descending order.
The plus (+) key will change channels by going through the Channel List in ascending order.

Last Channel
The Last button returns WinTV's tuner to the last channel viewed before changing.

Volume & Mute

The Audio Controls are available on the WinTV Main Window and the WinTV Remote. Use the Mouse in these areas to adjust the volume of the audio signal.

Clicking once on the mute button will turn the audio on or off.

There are also Short-Cut Keys for changing the audio volume and muting.

The current percentage of full audio volume is displayed by the on-screen Annunciator.

Audio Configuration
Click one of the the Audio Configuration buttons (in the diagram above) to display the Audio Control dialog box appears:

This dialog containing preference settings, etc. for Win-TV's Audio functions.

Surf Mode

The Surf Button on the WinTV window (and Remote) is used to display small (thumbnail) images from each programmed channel.

When Surf is selected, the Win/TV Window is divided into sixteen sections, and each channel from the Channel List is briefly shown in a successive section, then frozen.

Once all of the channels on the Channel List have been shown, the process repeats. This allows you to see a little of what is being shown on each channel.

To select an interesting channel for viewing, double-click on that section of the Win/TV Window. The selected channel will be shown in the full window.

Programming Channels
You may add or edit channels via the Suite Manager

Freeze Video Mode

The Freeze button (on either the WinTV Snapshots area or the WinTV Remote) is used to create a still image. This can also be accomplished via the CTRL-F Short-Cut Key

For information about saving the image, review the Snapshots topic.

TV Mode

Clicking on TV Mode button on the WinTV Remote immediately puts WinTV into full-screen Television Mode.
You may also reach full-screen mode via the Options Menu.

To exit from Full-Screen mode, right-click with the mouse anywhere on the screen.

Keyboard Shortcut
Use CTRL+T to change current TV Mode.

Always on Top
With this selection WinTV is always visible. This is very comfortable for watching TV while working. You reach this mode via the context menu that appears by pushing the right mouse button (hold down until menu appears). Select the entry Options / Always on top.

Video Source / Suite Manager

Video Source Selection
You are able to select the video source with the sourcebutton:

Install New Videosource
Click the Suite button on either the Win TV window or Remote to display the Channel Suites dialog, which enables selection of Video Sources:

Note: If you cannot see the Suites, click the Show Suites button.

Further notes to: Video Source Selections
The Tuner entry selects the Cable or Broadcast TV tuner as Video Source.
The Composite entry selects the WinTV Composite Video Input.

The entry labeled Composite selects the video source connected to the S-Video connector.

WinTV Window

The WinTV Window is the location where full-motion video images are displayed.

The Current Channel and Video Source can be changed by using the Tuner Controls and Suite Manager buttons:

Full-screen Television Mode is activated using the TV Mode button on the WinTV Remote button.

To surf through the channels, use Surf Mode

To freeze and/or save an image, use the Freeze button on the WinTV SnapShots area and the WinTV Remote Advanced Controls area.

To display Web data, click on the Earth icon at the bottow edge of the WinTV Main Window. Also, you may select WinRadio Mode, or Tele-Text Mode, using buttons in this area.

To display the WinTV Remote, click the Remote icon at the lower right corner of the WinTV Main Window:

To exit from the WinTV application, click the Power button at the lower left of the WinTV Main Window:

Status Area

The Status area is located along the bottom edge of the WinTV Window.

The Status Area shows the current Channel selection. Click and hold to display a list of available channels in the current Channel Configuration

Status Bar Tool Tips
Hold the mouse pointer over the ID pane to view the description of the Channel via a Tool Tip display.

Status Bar Shortcuts
Double click on the ID or Suite pane of the Status Bar to quickly display the Channel Configuration dialog.

Mouse Control

The Windows Mouse is used to adjust the size and position of WinTV, to select controls on the WinTV Display and Remote, and to switch between Title Mode and No Title Mode.

WinTV uses only the left and right mouse buttons. If your mouse has a third (middle) button, it is not used. The left button is used for all control and select functions, as well as moving and resizing WinTV. The right button, when clicked on the WinTV Window, will display only the full-motion video image. This feature is called No Title Mode.

Various Short-Cut Keys can also be used to control some of the functions of WinTV.

Keyboard Control

The following keys can be used to access WinTV directly from your keyboard:

Volume Up	=	Page Up
Volume Down	=	Page Down
Mute Audio	=	CTRL+M
Channel Up	=	Plus (+)
Channel Down	=	Minus (-)
Toggle TV Mode	=	CTRL+T
Freeze Image	=	CTRL+F
Print an Image	=	CTRL+P
Copy to Clipboard	=	CTRL+C
Paste from Clipboard	=	CTRL+V
Restore Factory Defaults	=	ALT+M

Of course, ALL of the functions of WinTV can be controlled with your Mouse

Closed Captioning Features

Closed Captioning Setup

Closed Caption text dialogue will appear on the television image of WinTV in the same manner as on any ordinary television set. This function is available with the WINTV PCI models (WinTV GO and WinTV Radio) only, not the USB, PVR, or HVR models.
In addition, Closed Caption display requires that WinTV is in ‘Allow Overlay’ mode. In order to use WinTV in Allow Overlay mode, run the executable file ‘Primary’ from the Hauppauge WinTV selection of the windows ‘Programs’ menu. The ‘Programs’ menu will appear after clicking the windows ‘Start’ button from the desktop.

Select the ‘Allow Overlay’ option, and close the ‘Primary’ application.

Closed Captioning Operation
To start Closed Captioning operation, click the Closed Captioning (CC) icon to the left of the Channel Up/Down buttons on the WinTV Main Window, or select the CC button on the WinTV Remote.
Providing the television program selected for viewing offers Closed Caption support, the text dialogue will appear on the WinTV television image screen.

Click the Closed Captioning icon again to cancel Closed Captioning operation.

Adjust Color Dialog Box

The Adjust Color Dialog Box is reached from the WinTV Main Window's Color Button, or from the WinTV Remote. Use this dialog box to customize the appearance of the video image to suit your monitor, lighting conditions, and personal taste.

From this Dialog Box, you can adjust Brightness, Saturation, Contrast and Hue. Like on an actual color TV set, these settings can be used to create a more realistic visual image. If you are unhappy with the settings, start again by clicking on Default.

Once you are satisfied with the results, click OK.

Snapshot Capture

Snapshot Capture supports capture of still images in a variety of formats.
Direct access to the system email utility is available, which enables you to conveniently email captured images.

WinTV's Main Window provides Snapshot Capture controls:

Snapshot Configuration
The C icon (above) sets a variety of capture parameters via a dialog box:

Capture Resolution Images in WinTV are captured at the maximum resolution. When the image is saved to a file name (below), you select a resolution for the snapshot, from 320 x 240 (minimum) to 1600 x 1200 (full image).

Fields Captured Broadcast video uses an interlaced format, in which the odd-numbered scanlines and even-numbered scanlines are displayed separately; the eye combines them into a smooth image. On the computer SVGA output, both fields are displayed at once.

When taking a snapshot of a video image with little motion, Capture 2 Fields produces the most data and the clearest image. However, when taking a snapshot of a video image containing motion, capturing both fields may result in a blurred image. Therefore, use Capture 1 Field for best results.

Experiment with these settings to achieve the desired results.

Default Button Resets Snapshot Configuration to factory defaults.

Saving A Snapshot
Once an image is captured into the Snapshot Browser (above), you may select any image(s) to be saved (or e-mailed).

Selecting Snapshots
To select an image, use the Scroll Bar to view the desired Snapshot, then click on the image. To select multiple Snapshots, hold SHIFT or CTRL while clicking.

Important Note: When multple Snapshots are selected, Context Menu functions (resolution changes, Save As, Delete, etc.) are performed on all of them at the same time.

Image Resolution
Images are captured into the Snapshot Browser at the highest possible resolution. Before the selected image(s) are saved, you may select the desired resolution, by right-clicking on a selected Snapshots, then selecting the desired Resolution:

Copy
Select Copy from the Context menu to Copy the selected Snapshots to the Windows Clipboard.

View
Select View to view the selected Snapshot(s) in separate Window area(s):

Use the File menu on this window to Copy, Print, Save, or Mail the Snapshot(s).

Save File As...
To Save Snapshot(s) directly from the Browser (at the resolution you selected above), right-click on a selected Snapshot, then select Save As. A standard Windows save menu appears:

On this menu, you may select from a wide range of Formats, as well as JPEG quality and compression scheme (if applicable).

Delete
To delete selected Snapshot(s) from the Browser, right-click, then select Delete.

Mail Image
To email the selected Snapshot(s), right-click on the selected image, then choose Mail. Emailing Snapshots (and related image files) is fully described in the Email topic.

Print
Right click the desired Snapshot(s), then select Print to print the Snapshot to the default Windows printer.

Video Capture Features

Video Image capture supports capture of moving images in AVI format.

Start, Stop, and Playback icons provide easy control over the recording process. Direct access to the system email utility is available via the envelope icon, which enables you to conveniently send the captured file. Refer to the Email topic for complete information on emailing captured video.

Setup/Configuration
The Setup Capture File icon sets a variety of capture parameters via a dialog box:

Use this dialog to set path and file name for the captured video clip, and to set video and audio capturing configuration parameters. Frame Rate specifies the number of frames captured per second (with a range of under 1 per second to 30 frames per second). The Video Buffers field specifies the maximum number of video buffers to allocate for video capture.

Setup Capture Format
The Setup Capture Format icon sets video format via a dialog box:

Image Dimensions provides 1/4, 1/2, and full screen resolution selections, as well as a pull-down menu providing other resolutions.

The Image Format area provides selection from the following image formats: 24 Bit RGB, 15 Bit RGB, YUY2, BTYUV, YUV9, and YUV12.

Here ist more information about the video formats.

The following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to set desired audio format and sampling rate for sound captured with the video. The "Name" pulldown menu provides three settings (CD, Radio, and Telephone Quality) as defaults. You may also create and name custom settings, by clicking the "Save As" button. (Click "Remove" to remove the selected custom Named setting.)

Format selection provides a variety of digital audio encoding formats. PCM is the default encoding method.

The Attributes field provides a range of sample rate and bit depth selections.

Press OK to save changes, or cancel to exit without change.

Direct Email Features

Direct email enables you to send captured image and video (*.avi) files via email, without exiting from WinTV. (NOTE: Works with Microsoft Outlook ONLY.)

Emailing a Snapshot
Once an image is captured into the Snapshot Browser, you may select any image to be emailed. To select an image, use the Scroll Bar to view the desired Snapshot, then right-click on the desired image. A context menu appears:

To email the selected Snapshot, right-click on the selected image, then choose Mail. The system will display the Save Snapshot menu:

Select the desired format/resolution/file location for the snapshot, then click Save. The default Email utility creates a blank Email with the selected image/AVI file as an attachment. Add addressing and content as desired, then click Send:

Emailing a Video File
Select the desired AVI file to email using the Setup Capture File button (described in the Capturing Video topic).
To start the email process, click the Email icon. The system responds with an alert box, telling you the size of the selected AVI file:

Click OK to continue. The system displays a dialog for selecting/configuring the email utility (as described above). Select an existing Profile (or create a new one as described above), then address and send the email file.

Advanced Audio Controls

The Advanced Audio Settings window enables fine control and customization of all aspects of WinTV's audio performance.This mode is available ONLY with the WINTV THEATER Board, equipped with surround sound abilities, or with the WINTV-D board (on HDTV broadcasts only)

Speaker Configuration
This area enables you to select the appropriate speaker arrangement.
If using a 2 speaker setup, you may also select "Virtual Dolby" mode.

With three speakers, you may select left/right/center (Dolby 3 Stereo) or left/right/surround (Phantom Center Mode).

If using a four speaker (left/right/center/surround) configuration, you may also check Center Mode Wide.

Using a 5 speaker configuration requires the 4 speaker setting, because the two rear speakers share one signal. This is the best possible configuration.

Experiment with these settings for best results.

Audio Settings
Sliders on the right side of the Advanced Audio settings dialog provide left/right balance, as well as fine control of Delay, Reverb, and Spatial effects.
The 3D effects slider mixes Surround channel equally with left/right channels. The Dolby Decoder Input slider balances left and right Dolby channels. Center and Surround channels also have separate level controls.

Test Mode
Test Mode enables you to set and adjust audio configuration via a rotating pink-noise source, which switches through each channel. Click the Test Mode button to start/stop this mode; a status line below the Test Mode button shows the current channel as it is being tested.
Press OK to save changes. Use the Default button to reset all controls to factory defaults.