Support: WinTV-DCR-2650 Dual Tuner CableCARD receiver

WinTV-DCR-2650 Installation with Windows driver, Utilities and Firmware updates

Note: If you are using Windows 10, TV channels marked 'Copy Freely' can be watched and recorded with the WinTV v10 or WinTV v8.5 application. See here.

Install instructions:
  • Click to download
  • Unzip this file to a directory you will remember.
  • Once unzipped, run Setup.exe from this directory.

Notes:

  • This is an installer for the WinTV-DCR-2650 including the Windows driver for Windows 10, 8 and 7, with tuning resolver and IR support, plus the WinTV-DCR firmware and utilities
  • The latest WinTV-DCR-2650 Windows 10 driver is now part of the WinTV v10 and v8.5 installer.
  • If you want to use WinTV v10 or v8.5 with the WinTV-DCR-2650, you will need to run the WinTV-DCR Installation in order to use the DCR Web Interface to scan for channels.
  • This will update the firmware to version 20171206.

Install instructions:

  • Click to download. Click 'Save' and this file will be saved to your Downloads folder
  • Unzip this file to a directory you will remember
  • Once unzipped, run Setup from this directory. This will install the Windows driver and Utilities for the WinTV-DCR-2650.

Updates in this version:

  • Improvements to channel scan with a tuning resolver present.
  • Fix problem causing device to temporarily stop authorizing channels.
  • Fix problem causing device to temporarily stop responding.
  • Improvements to diagnostic logging.

Note: If Windows 7 reports that the firmware did not update correctly, simply run this update once more. The second time you should see a message "Your firmware is the current version".

WinTV-DCR-2650 Remote Control application

 

New: This version includes IR support for Media center remote control.

This version is the same version on CD install above.

Install instructions:

  • Click to download
  • Unzip this file to a directory you will remember
  • Once unzipped, run 'WinTV-DCR-2650-IR.exe' from this directory .

This will install the IR remote control application for Windows Media Center, and you will be able to use a Hauppauge Windows Media Center remote control to run all Media Center functions.
Note: the Hauppauge Windows Media Center remote control does not support "wake on" functions.

WinTV-DCR-2650 and the Hauppauge WinTV application

WinTV-DCR-2650 CableCARD receiver with WinTV v10
Click to play video

If you have a WinTV-DCR-2650 or WinTV-DCR-3250 and are moving from Windows 7 to Windows 10, you will lose Windows Media Center (there is no Windows Media Center for Windows 10). But you can still watch TV on your Windows 10 PC if you install the Hauppauge WinTV application. The Hauppauge WinTV v10 or v8.5 application can be used for watch and record “free to copy” cable TV channels.

Both devices use a internet browser based utility (the DCR web interface) to scan for TV channels and to provide diagnostic information.

Notes:
The WinTV-DCR-3250, in addition to the steps for WinTV-DCR-2650, needs a Windows Service to be installed (Step 1 below).
If you do not have WinTV v10, you can purchase an Activation Code from our web store.

To install the WinTV-DCR-2650 or WinTV-DCR-3250 on Windows 10

Step 1. Install the WinTV-DCR Drivers and Utilities

Follow the directions on this page:
support_dcr-2650.html#install

Step 2. For the WinTV-DCR-3250 only

.NET Framework 3.5 is needed for the WinTV-DCR-3250 service to start properly. By default it is not running on Windows 10. To install .NET Framework 3.5, go to
Control Panel –> Programs –> Turn Windows features on or off
and check the .NET box to install it. Restart the computer when done.

Step 3. Install WinTV v10

The WinTV v10 application includes the WinTV-DCR drivers for Windows.

WinTV v10 installer
For Windows 10, 8, and 7

Version: 38045 | File size: 148 MB | Date: Feb 14, 2020

This download is a complete WinTV v10 application with the latest support for WinTV-DCR-2650 and WinTV-DCR-3250.

Step 4a. Open the DCR web interface

Once the WinTV-DCR software is installed, click the Start button on your keyboard. Scroll down until you see All Apps. Scroll across look for Hauppauge WinTV. It might be in the 'H' list or it might be simply called out as Hauppauge WinTV.

Once you find Hauppauge WinTV, click on WinTV-DCR-2650 Web Interface or WinTV-DCR-3250 Web Interface.

This will try to open the web interface with the IP address of the WinTV-DCR device (this applies to both the WinTV-DCR-2650 and the 3250).

Note: Microsoft will use Microsoft Edge as the default browser on Windows 10 upgrades, and Edge could fail to open the WinTV-DCR web interface. Instead of Edge, you can type in the IP address of the WinTV-DCR device into another browser such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

WinTV-DCR-2650 or WinTV-DCR-3250 Web Interface
Step 3: Look for Hauppauge WinTV and run the WinTV-DCR Web Interface
click to enlarge

Step 4b. Scan your DCR for TV channels

The web interface allows you to check that you have the latest firmware. You can also find your CableCARD ID and the Host ID.

But most importantly click on Channel Lineup. In Channel Lineup you need to click on Detect Channels and let it scan for channels on your cable TV network. WinTV 8 will use the results of this scan to get channels. Note: the scan can take up to 30 minutes.

If you don't have the web interface shortcut under the StartAll Apps menu, you can also open File Explorer and then in the left side panel click on Network.
Under Media Devices look for Hauppauge OpenCable, right click it, and select View device webpage.

Step 5. Open the WinTV v10 application

WinTV will use the channels detected from the channel scan in Step 3. If you click 'Next', 'Next', the WinTV channel list with the channels found from Step 3 and you can start watching TV from your DCR.


Step 3b: Channel Lineup

Step 4b: Channel Lineup

click to enlarge

Tuning Adapter updates

WinTV-DCR-2650 Tuning adapter update

Install instructions:

  • Click to download
  • Unzip this file to a directory you will remember
  • Uninstall previous version of the Hauppauge Tuning adapter proxy from control Panel "Add/Remove programs.
  • Run "TuningResolverService.exe" from Unzip folder.
  • Reboot System to start the service.

Notes:

  • Includes major updates to the Tuning Adapter driver.
  • Updated support for Motorola TA's
  • Improved reset detection.

Name: TuningResolverService.zip
Date: March 5, 2013

Tuning adapter reset

If you are having problems with your tuning adapter, try this registry patch which resets the tuning adapter USB port when the Hauppauge tuning adapter service stops 'hearing' from the tuning adapter. This patch has helped many users of the WinTV-DCR-2650 when their tuning adapter seems to go "off line".

Install instructions:

  • Click to download
  • Unzip this file to a directory you will remember
  • Run the file HCWe3TAP_enable_abort.reg registry patch
  • Reboot your PC

Beta WinTV-DCR-2650 firmware and Windows drivers

None at this time.

Running the Digital Cable Advisor to verify that your Windows 7 PC has a supported configuration:

To check to see if your system is compatible to work with a CableCARD, in Windows Media Center go to Extras and click on Extras Gallery and click on the cable connector icon. If you do not see the cable advisor, click here.

Click Start Test:

If you go to Extras and can't find the Digital Cable Advisor (the cable connector icon) ...

If you cannot find the Windows Digital Cable Advisor, try the following:

In Windows Media Center, go to Tasks/Settings/General/Automatic Download Options. Select Automatically download Windows Media Center data between the following times and click Download now to begin the download process immediately. Once the updates are downloaded, check the Extras section again to see if the Digital Cable Advisor is present.

If you still can't find the Digital Cable Advisor:

In Media Center, go to Tasks/Settings/ General/Windows Media Center Setup. Choose “Set up internet connection” and complete the setup.
The Digital Cable Advisor should now be present under Extras/Extras library or Extras Gallery.

WinTV-DCR-2650 Installation Guides

Quick Install Guide

Windows 7 Media Center Installation Video

I am updating to Windows 10 which does not have Media Center. What options do I have?

The WinTV 8, v8.5 or WinTV v10 application can be used with the WinTV-DCR-2650 to watch and record "copy freely" channels and broadcasts you can purchase WinTV 8 from our Webstore.

What Operating Systems are supported by the WinTV-DCR-2650?

Microsoft Windows 8 and 7 with Windows Media Center is currently the only operating system which supports the CableCARD receivers including the WinTV-DCR-2650.

If you have Windows 10, you can use the Hauppauge WinTV 8, v8.5 or WinTV v10 application to watch, pause and record "free to view" TV programs. For installation instructions, see the 'Windows 10 tab' above.

Tech support tells me that a problem I am having is fixed in the latest firmware. How can I upgrade the firmware in my WinTV-DCR-2650?

Please go to the Windows Utilities tab on the WinTV-DCR-2650 Support page for the latest updates available

I have received a new CableCARD from my cable TV company. What do I need to do?

Your CableCARD and the WinTV-DCR-2650 are "paired" by Windows Media Center. So if you change either one, in Windows Media Center go to Settings / TV / TV Signal and run Set Up TV Signal. Please note: it might take up to 30 minutes to download the new guide data. After the update is complete, you will need to call your cable operator to activate the new cable card. To activate your cable card you will need the CableCARD ID and the Host ID, both which can be found in Settings / TV / TV Signal / Activate Digital Cable.

Some of my recordings have flashing video. How can I fix this?

We have seen flashing video on some TV recordings on Windows Media Center. We have fixed these by making adjustments to the video graphics. With ATI graphics cards, you can eliminate flashing on some recordings if you disable Dynamic Contrast in the AMD Vision Control Center.

Windows Media Center does not detect the WinTV-DCR-2650 during TV Tuner setup.

The WinTV-DCR-2650 is installed as a network device to be able to communicate with your cable provider. We found that certain Firewall software will block the device and result in Media Center not detecting it during the setup. To address this please check the links below to see if your firewall is listed and then follow the directions to open the firewall for the WinTV-DCR-2650.

Norton_360
Mcafee_protection
Comodo
AVG

Every 30 minutes, Media Center displays a message 'Viewing conflict'.

We found that certain Firewall software interferes with the WinTV-DCR-2650. The WinTV-DCR-2650 is installed as a network device. Every 10 minutes, Media Center sends a uPNP command to see if the cablecard tuner is still plugged in, and Media Center will time out if three messages are missed. We found that certain Firewall software will block uPNP messages from the WinTV-DCR-2650 and result in Media Center thinking the tuner has been removed. Also, if you have Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) turned on, this problem will also occur. To address this, turn off Internet Connection Sharing. And please check the links below to see if your firewall is listed and then follow the directions to open the firewall for the WinTV-DCR-2650.

Norton_360
Mcafee_protection
Comodo
AVG

I cannot wake my computer from sleep mode using the remote control.

The WinTV-DCR-2650 remote control hardware interface does not support this function.

My Media Center is no longer responding to the remote control

In order for the IR to work, you need to have the Hauppauge Remote Control driver installed and the associated service needs to be running. To check to make sure the driver and the service are correctly installed, click on Start in Windows and then go to Computer and right click and go to Properties. Then click on Device Manager. Once in Device Manager, click on Human Interface Devices and you should see the Hauppauge driver: “Hauppauge WinTV DCR-2650 Consumer IR”.
The next thing to check is the Service. Go to Control panel/Administrative Tools and click on Services. Locate the “Hcw2650Service”. The Status should be Started. If it is not, right click on it and choose Start.

My cable provider gave me a tuning adapter. How can I check that it is working?

The cable provider will log the serial number of you tunning adapter and associate it with you account. You will need to connect the Tunning adapter to a USB port on your computer and connect the main cable feed into the tuning adapter input and the cable out of the tuning adapter will connect to the WinTV-DCR-2650.You will then need to install the tunning adapter software located on the WinTV-DCR-2650 installation CD or from the download on the web site. Once the software is installed check the light on the tuning adapter it will flash when trying comunicate with the harware once it has made connection the light will be solid. Below is a link to a document which which will show you how to check the WinTV-DCR-2650 web interface for the status of the tuning adapter.

TA_Status

Using the web interface to troubleshoot the WinTV-DCR-2650 / WinTV-DCR-3250

Step 1. Open Windows Explorer. On the left side, click on Network. This will expand the list of your network devices.

You should see Hauppauge OpenCable DRI.

Step 2. Right click on Hauppauge OpenCable DRI and then click on View device webpage. This will open the Hauppauge Opencable diagnostic page. A few things to note:

  • You will see Card OOB Lock set to None if there is no cable TV signal or if you have not plugged in your CableCARD
  • Card Authentication will be set to None until you call your cable TV company and activate your CableCARD.

Step 3. Now, click on System Status. You will see the WinTV-DCR status. There is not too much important information here.

Step 4. If you have not activated your CableCARD, or if there is a problem with the CableCARD, you will see Card Authentication: none

A note on CableCARD activations through your cable TV operator

Here is an experience a customer reported when activating his new CableCARD from Verizon Fios with his WinTV-DCR-2650.

I got a new CableCARD from Verizon Fios a few weeks ago and last weekend activated it. I did this while I was on the phone with their technical department. The first time they activated it, I only got the basic channels. All the others said "TV Subscription Required" in Windows Media Center. I have a subscription to HBO and Showtime but these channels didn't work.

I told that to the Fios tech person, and so they de-activated and then re-activated my CableCARD. I then got the HBO channels but not Showtime.

So they tried again. This time instead of de-activating, they tried to 'add' the missing Showtime channels. This time I got 2 of the 10 Showtime channels. They then kept trying to activate the channels and after about an hour of them fooling around with the activation, I finally got all the channels I subscribe to.

Bottom line: you need to be persistent and make sure you get all of the channels you are paying for. But you should do this while you're on the phone with the tech department of the cable TV company. They eventually will get it right, but most times the activation will not work the first time the cable TV company tries to activate the card.