WinTV-HVR-1800 Media Center and Bell Express View

[Jebus]

Hi all,

I just got a new HP Pavilion Elite m9260f with a WinTV-HVR-1800 card and Vista 64bit premium. Now, I am usually not a complete idiot when it comes to computers, but I cannot seem to get Media Center to locate any signal from my Bell Express View Box.

I have a coaxial coming from my box, split to TV and PC, the coaxial into PC. I run the Media Center set up wizard and it finds no signal. I've tried different coaxial "in" port on the back of my PC and no luck.

Has anyone successfully set up a TV tuner with Vista 64bit and a WinTV-HVR-1800 from a Bell Express View box? Am I missing something?

p.s. my Bell box is Express View for Condos. I don't have a dish, but still have the Bell box.

Thanks for your help.

[Jebus]

Ok,


So I am coming with more questions. My Bell box is digital right? So can I use a coaxial cable or do I need to use composite or S-video to connect to my pc? Also, there are 3 coaxial ports on my card

FM Ant (don't use this)
TV/Cable Ant (can this handle digital signal)
DTV Ant (Digital?)

Which do I use, presuming I can use a coaxial from my Bell Box to PC

Thanks again.

[Dwayne]

The short answer is that most TV cards are for Cable only. They can not decode the Satellite signal, they are not receivers. If your apt. redistributes the signal, I would bet it is a form of digital cable that is not in the clear either.

This is from the Hauppauge site:

• 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.
• Includes Hauppauge's WinTV v6 application, which allows you to toggle between analog cable TV, QAM and ATSC digital TV channels.

As you can see, it can work with analog cable, Clear digital and clear HD, that means not scrambled signals. Now, I may be wrong but I think that most, if not all, of our cable and satellite suppliers are all scrambling signals so you have to use their equipment and pay or get the hacked versions of things, which is illegal of course.

You could call Bell and ask but I think you would find that your card may not work with them. In my area I use Shaw and there are still analog cable channels, for now. But if I had a card I could not watch the digital cable channels because I lack the circuitry to decode the signal.

[Jebus]

Ok, So I guess I am more confused than ever (not because of your response, but my understanding). If I split the cable coming from the Bell box (as it shows in the Media Center manual) then the signal should be decoded already. So, the signal coming from the bell box is split (Tv and PC). But I still can't get a signal on my PC...

Unless, I am misunderstanding again (which is not a surprise in this case).

Cheers,

-A

[Dwayne]

If you split the output from the Bell box to the TV and the TV card the it is decoded but on whatever channel you set the output to on the Bell box, usually ch. 3 or 4. If you can see the output on the TV on ch. 3 then set you tuner in the PC to ch. 3.

[Dwayne]

Oh and you have to hook it up to the right input on the Hauppauge card as it has 2 F connectors, one for analog cable in and one for OTA HD and Digital Cable in, I think.

It looks like you can also feed your card an S Video signal and R and L audio in, you would then have to select the right Input, either software or a remote for the PC Card? I don't have one, but I am looking stuff up on Hauppauges website.

[Dwayne]

Some more from the Hauppauge site:

• 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-1800 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 clear 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.

Kinda cool, though your TV and your PC get the same feed, you can use the PC TV card to control the channel on the digital box or sattilite box to allow you to record TV on the PC.

[Jebus]

Originally Posted by Dwayne

Some more from the Hauppauge site:

• 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-1800 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 clear 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.

Kinda cool, though your TV and your PC get the same feed, you can use the PC TV card to control the channel on the digital box or sattilite box to allow you to record TV on the PC.

So does this mean that I need an S-video feed or composite feed to get it to work? I.e. the coaxial cable will not work?

I have 2 questions about this then:

1) why do I not need S-video or composite for my TV to get a signal? (this is probably just the way the hardware on the TV works vs. the hardware on the card)

2) I know that S-video is, but what is composite??


Thanks for all your help.... I was hoping that I could just plug in to coaxial, set the IR blaster, and I'm done../. no chance I guess.

[Dwayne]

I got this from the Hauppauge site. It looks like the S Video is all you can use to do the IR Blast. At least S Video cables are cheap now :)

[Jebus]

Thanks for your help. I'll get an S-video cable. I would have done that in the first place but the manual that came with the HP had a description and picture that led me to believe that I didn't need it and could simply split the signal out of the set top box (the set top box they refer to must not be a digital receiver box).

Cheers