Reviews for Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950 USB2 Hybrid Video Recorder

Great Hardware, mediocre software

Strengths: ---Great signal reception--- Exelent picture quality--- Windows Media Center support--- Small and portable--- Composite / S-Video capture cable included---

Weakness: ---Mediocre software at best--- Drivers must be reinstalled when switching between USB ports--- No hardware decoding (CPU intensive)---

I purchased this HD Tuner knowing that I would be using it with Windows Media Center instead of the lackluster software that is included, so I was not disappointed when I found out firsthand that the software that comes with this tuner is better left uninstalled. I recommend that you have Windows MCE or another PC TV tuner program before buying this. Hardware wise, I have nothing but praise for this little tuner. The picture quality is excellent and the included extendable antenna does a surprisingly good job considering its size. My only complaint is a driver issue that forces you to reinstall the driver if you the switch the tuner to a different USB port (the manual does warn you about this). Finally, beware of the fact that this is a HDTV ***receiver***, and does not have any onboard hardware to decode the signals it receives like most PCI TV tuners. Make sure your CPU is up to the task of decoding a HD signal (I personally recommend a mid to upper range Core 2 Duo (2GHz +)or Athalon X2 for HD signals, but you can get by with a 2.8GHz or better P4 or equivalent processor for SD signals).
=======================================================
---Provided that you know about its quirks and poor software beforehand, I HIGHLY recommend this HD tuner to anyone who wants a small, portable and relatively inexpensive HD tuner with Windows MCE compatibility---
=======================================================

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

nice, but... certainly not complete

Strengths: excellent reception, even on the weaker analog channels; inexpensive; external

Weakness: no analog stereo; no closed-captioning; crummy software; poor tech support

I bought this unit for use as a TIVO-like device. This it does and does well -- though the 10 second or so delayed start (during which reception is blanked) might annoy some users. This delay occurs on my P4 3.0c system with 1.5GB RAM, the AIW 9800 Pro card & Windows XP SP2; your mileage may vary.
.
The included software works well with Titan TV's website for scheduled recording. I've had only one "lost stream" event while recording from a digital channel so far.
.
The reception is superb in my area (Houston).
Analog is far superior to that of my All-in-Wonder 9800 Pro's tuner. Indeed, the only tuners I've found which are better are in Sony products -- nobody beats Sony NTSC tuners (opinion derived from 20 years repairing consumer electronics).
The unit pulls in 28 digital channels in my area (with outside pole antenna) -- sweet! I haven't tried the antenna included in the box, so I can't speak to its efficacy.
.
Nor have I tried capturing from an external source with the included cable -- though it would be nice if it offered higher resolution captures than 320x240.
.
There are some important points you should keep in mind when considering this unit:
.
1) It does NOT provide stereo (MTS) analog reception, only mono. This is not mentioned on the box. This is a minor issue (at least for me), since NTSC will end in 2009 anyway.
.
2) It does NOT provide closed-captioning. This is also not mentioned on the box. Hauppauge tech support informs me that the unit is, in fact, capable of CC, but they couldn't (or wouldn't) tell me whether this capability will be made available later via firmware flash upgrade (or if flashing it is even possible) or via future driver and application releases. It seems stupid to me to design in CC capability and cripple it -- if the unit actually IS capable of it.
.
Issue 2 above should also tell you something about Hauppauge tech support. It's pretty crummy, PLUS there's no toll-free support number! This is also ridiculous for a top brand.
.
In a nutshell:
The hardware is good, easily whipping the AIW series tuners (and probably others). The software does record shows, but limited functionality keeps it from being what buyers of the hardware rightly expect.
That the unit's lack of analog stereo and closed-captioning support isn't mentioned on the box suggests Hauppauge is trying to pull a fast one -- this information is on their website, but it's buried deep as obscure entries in the FAQ section. Lastly, their tech support sucks.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Hauppauge wintv hvr 950 usb lets you watch HDTV on...

Strengths: Works under Windows Vista; Includes antenna; HDTV picture quality noticeable when comparing with regular NTSC.

Weakness: No remote; No QAM support; Software is a bit unstable.

The WinTV HVR 950 USB stick package came with the device itself, a short usb extender cable, a telescoping antenna, and a CD-ROM software. My package also happen to include an external video cable dongle to connect external composite or s-video sources. You might or might not get this extra, since Hauppauge typically sells this as an accessory to the usb stick.

I was able to install the software and drivers on my Windows Vista system which is a Core 2 Duo 1.6Ghz with 2GB Ram. On the package, it states it also supports MCE (Media Center Edition). It was able to scan for regular NTSC and over the air HDTV channels.

The NTSC channels look grainy and bad in general. My cheap TV gets better reception than the USB stick. It also requires more CPU speed. (about 50 to 60% of the CPU time)
I believe they left the support in there so you can use it as a basis of comparison with the HDTV channel equivalent. In my area, I was able to pick up 27 free over the air HDTV channels. It takes about 30 to 50% of my CPU time. As for the quality, you definitely get a better defined, sharper, cleaner looking image on your laptop screen. The only trouble you might encounter might be viewing sporting events like football, if you have a slow cpu. The play coverage had a noticeable lag as a result. I also tested the recording feature. It seems to take about 500Megs to record 5 minutes of video. This would mean about 6 Gigs to record 1 hour of HDTV. One tip if you are recording program is to record a little earlier (about 10 to 15 seconds). It seems to slow down the frame rate in the very beginning of the recording process. This could be due to my slow cpu.

Now for the software. It is still buggy. I say that the app will work probably 7 out of 10 tries. When it does fail, it would play the HDTV for a few seconds and then freeze. If that happens, then what I usually do is to stop the usb device, and unplug and then plug in the usb stick in again. This seems to fix the problem most of the time. In the worst case scenario, you would have to reboot the computer. Also, I would suggest to go to their driver website and download their new TV ver 6 and signal monitor applications. The TV v6 app seems to be more stable than the TV2000 or TV32 applications that is installed from the CD. Also, the signal monitor lets you know the signal strength of HDTV channels only. This allows you to either adjust your antenna, or decide to get a better antenna instead.

As for the negatives, it does not have QAM support. Based on my reading, it only matters if you want to hook up your cable-TV HDTV channels. Since I use the free over the air, it doesn't matter to me. Also, it does not include a remote. If you are in front of your laptop viewing TV, that might not matter as much. Last, if you do get the extra video dongle, I was able to verify that my camcorder was able to play the tapes through its software. I was able to record about 30 minutes worth taking up about 1.3Gigabytes. So this usb stick can also double as a way to off load your old vhs or camcorder tapes into digital format.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Worth it for me.

Strengths: For digital this is a great unit. For analog, the picture is not that clear. However, it tunes in 40 cable channels and 17 digital. I like that it tunes for both.

Weakness: Software.

Have to admit that all I did was install it and it worked. The software scans and I have 17 channels. But I live in NYC. Like the antennae compared to others I have seen. The software is OK, a surprise from the big name Hauppauge. But in order to change channels it requires that you right-click and then select the channel you want. No up and down arrow like some others I have seen. I am looking into WatchHDTV software. It looks good may just require a little more time to tune the channels.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Compact HDTV tuner with great reception

Strengths: Compact. The included antenna is great at picking up OTA HDTV - as good as any standard "HDTV" antenna.

Weakness: No built in tuner or remote. single tuner. Crappy software

This little usb stick is one of the best HDTV tuners for the price. For a desktop, I think its worth spending a little extra to get the PVR1600 with 2 tuners + remote & built in decoder. I would recommend the 950 for laptops or as a second tuner for a desktop. Dont bother with the included software - works great with BeyondTV or the free GBPVR

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Good unit

Strengths: East to set up

Weakness: USB adapter gets hot, high CPU demand

This USB adapter is very easy to set up. Attena comes with it can catch 6 HD channels for me. Use about 50% of CPU for Dual Core 1.7 GHz Dell Laptop. However, unit gets very hot after 30 minutes of operation. The antenna comes with this unit is not so great. I have hooked this up with a rabbit ear antenna with power amplifier, and it gets much better signal for analog channel and more digital channels as well. With 60 dollars price, it is a good buy.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

WinTV-HVR-950

Strengths: Very portable. Antenna included.

Weakness: WinTV software.

Works well if you are on the road and would like to use your laptop as a TV and HDTV. The antenna included is highly compact. However, the reception may not be as good as because of the antenna. The software provided does not provide an easy way to see how strong your HDTV signal is. As such, you may not get many channels as you would like if you were to use a large traditional HDTV antenna. The quality of the picture is not as great compare to others. Required a great deal of your cpu resources. Don't expect to surf and watch HDTV on your laptop if you do not own a top of the line laptop.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Very Nice Product - Now I only need more local...

Strengths: Very portable; good quality product; reputable brand

Weakness: Heats up a little bit but not severe; resource intensive; clunky software

This is a great portable USB HDTV tuner that is perfect for a laptop on the go. It comes in two pieces: the USB dongle and the little wired antenna. You can go anywhere and pull down both HD and non-HD signals that are broadcast over-the-air. Some geographic locations have more over-the-air stations than others, so the actual number of stations you'll be able to receive will vary. Reception strength of the included antenna is about average. You can record television broadcasts to your computer by manually pressing the record button on the software or by setting up the time and channel in the scheduler (the scheduler can also be programmed by using the TitanTV website, which is a website with free television guide listings). When recording HD broadcasts, the digital input is saved directly to your hard drive. This takes up around 7GB per hour. When recording non-HD broadcasts, your computer must encode the analog signal to be saved to your hard drive. There is no hardware encoder, so you'll need a high end computer to record non-HD stations well. You can also pause live TV and the broadcast will start caching on your hard drive for when you unpause it.

The parts where the USB dongle meets with the antenna are made of metal, and these parts heat up when using. It's not hot enough to seem like a problem though. The bottom of the antenna is magnetic, so you can stick it on any metal surface and it will stay put.

The minimum recommended requirements stated on the box for this device is a 2.2Ghz Pentium 4 (2.8Ghz Pentium 4 if recording analog stations). I've actually been able to use it with a 1.8Ghz laptop. It hasn't been flawless with the 1.8Ghz though. The TV player has to be the only application running. Even then, recording of HD signals has a few seconds of stuttering in spots (about every 10 or 15 minutes, I'd say), but it's still watchable, and there's no such problem when watching live TV instead of recording. For 100% problem-free operation though, it's probably best to stick to the recommended minimums. If you have a lower-spec'ed system than the recommendations and don't mind what I just described, I'd still say to give it a try.

The software that comes with this product is a little on the buggy side. On occasions, it crashes and locks up your system, requiring a hard reboot. I definitely recommend updating it with the software updates on Hauppauge's website. The upgraded software seems to be a lot more stable. Both versions, however, have the same flaw in that, on full screen mode, it stretches out widescreen television broadcasts to the dimensions of your monitor. For typical 1024x768 laptop monitors, that means the widescreen is no longer widescreen and is stretched vertically like 4:3. This makes the full screen mode kind of useless for viewing HD stations, since they are all widescreen.

Overall, I'd have to say I'd probably buy this again, so I'll give it four stars. The software comes buggy and the updated software is still a little buggy. That software prevents me from giving it five stars. I've heard you might be able to use other software with this though, like BeyondTV or SageTV, but I can't verify that myself. A side note - if this could take HD input from my cable TV coax, it would have been really sweet. Oh well.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

RE: mmgtlg

Strengths: Can be paired with an IR remote (which you can easily rip the codes from with a learning remote or PDA).

I'm considering buying. RE: mmgtlg: the users guide states that +/- will change the channels. Can someone please confirm? If so, a wingman cordless would make a great remote :>

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

hvr

Strengths: with cable i could watch all my channels

Weakness: bad quality,extremly hard to tune in hd channels , freezes every time you press a button my whole computer freezes when I tried to record any tv + file nowhere to be found.

This is not worth 84.00 at all , imworning you dont buy this it has bad quality,extremly hard to tune in hd channels , freezes every time you press a button my whole computer freezes when I tried to record any tv + file nowhere to be found so basicly dont buy this.

50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Good value for money

Strengths: DVR works great; easy to add programs from a schedule and make adjustments.

Weakness: Cannot save broadcast and cable channels at the same time.

The product was easy install and works great. The only problem is a scan for broadcast channels deletes previous settings for cable channels and vice versa.I am happy with it so far.

50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Great little device with some quirks

Strengths: Small, portable, usually does it job

Weakness: pricey, reception is bad sometimes

Overall, I am pretty impressed with this small little USB device--it does what it offers, meaning you can watch local TV channels on the go. If you are stuck at the airport or train station, this device can make your waiting less annoying. But the problem is that you aren't always sure if you get the reception. Picture quality can be improved, but I can live with that. It's a bit pricey compared to other USB devices, but I am pretty happy with my purchase.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

portable usb stick for tv watching

Strengths: usb port, easy to carry

Weakness: software interface

The software is very easy to install. A few minutes are all it takes for software and hardware installation. I was able to watch most channels after the installation. The signals and video quality generally is acceptable with the antenna. The software can be improved to be more user-friendly for easy using.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950

Strengths: Portable, easy to install and setup to use.

Weakness: Picture quality OK, but I think your monitor has a lot to do with that.

How that I'm distributing my OTA antenna signal thoughout my house by adding this tuner I can watch HD programming on any computer in my house. The quality is very good.

Very cool!!

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Works as described

Strengths: 1. Receives digital over-the-air signals clearly. 2. USB so does not use a PCI slot. 3. Package includes antenna. 4. Works well with Vista Windows Media Center.

Weakness: Not a problem for me, but be aware it does not support QAM. Also, check system requirements before purchasing to make sure you meet hardware requirements.

It works perfectly for my purpose. This is the second tuner in my living room HTPC; the other is a Hauppauge 1600. I wanted the capability to record two digital OTA broadcasts at the same time using Vista Windows Media Center. I like the idea that the WINTV-HVR-950 plugs into an external USB port, because this (1) leaves my remaining internal PCI slot open for something else in the future and (2) does not add any heat inside the case.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Watch TV on your PC

Strengths: Very compact & works great

Weakness: Should have included a better software

This USB stick can let you watch both standard & high definition TV on your PC. I was particularly impressed with the quality of High Def picture.
It comes with a small antenna which hardly looked adequate but surprisingly it works pretty well. In fact I have used that same antenna with my HDTV & it works like a charm.
This stick is a resource hogging device & you need to have a fast computer if you really want the best quality. But my main complaint is with the software that comes bundled with it. It's really one of the least user friendly ones. But if you have a good software to go with it, you will greatly enjoy the overall experience.
I also used it with the media center on Vista home premium & it works fine.
A must buy if you like watching TV on your PC or even if you just need to record shows

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Strong USB tuner

Strengths: HD and analog tuner. Compact antenna included. Runs fairly cool.

Weakness: No remote included, though price is reasonable to purchase accessory.

Since HD decoding is more processor intensive, it helps to have analog option for lower power computers. Overall I like the unit except the software doesn't do well for scaling widescreen signals. Like other units that have their own bundled software, sometimes you're better off using a 3rd party program or Windows (Vista) Media Center. Now that USB TV Tuners have improved, they make more sense to use compared to a PCI card.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

For the value minded.

Strengths: Reasonable price. Works with Vista and Media Center.

Weakness: No offline TV guide. Cannot switch from over-the-air Hi-Def to cable on the fly. Poor documentation.

I am using it with Comcast cable in Atlanta and it tunes the entire channel lineup without any problems. For Hi-Def, unfortunately the antenna that is provided in the box is not powered so I can only tune 2 of the 11+ free over-the-air Hi-Def channels available in my area. Nevertheless, the ones it does tune work perfectly and give you gorgeous Hi-Def for a very reasonable price. In any case, the dual functionality is useless, as every time you switch from Hi-Def to cable you have to re-tune the entire channel lineup, which is time consuming. I liked that it is compatible with Vista and Media Center and the Media Center remote, so you do not have to sit at your computer to watch TV. On the negative side, it does not have an offline TV-guide that can also be used to channel surf and most of the features have to be learnt by trial, as there is only an installation guide but no user guide. In addition, it sucks system resources. Overall, it is O.K. Cannot compare to ease of use of a real TV.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Not as good as a built-in TV tuner

Strengths: Small; good quality when you get signal; come with portable antenna

Weakness: Over the air reception is not that good with indoor antenna; requires a lot of computing power

This is the third USB TV tuner that used and so far it is the best, but not perfect. I am in San Francisco and I can get about 14 analog and 14 digital channels, which is more than the other tuners. Only half is viewable. The few HD channels I do get are crystal clear. I am running it off of a laptop and it sometimes freezes. You might need a dedicated video card to run more smoothly.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

It works

Strengths: It works in MCE 2005 as an analog tuner

Weakness: CPU hog

I bought this simply to satisfy MCE 2005's analog tuner setup requirement so I could use my digital only tuners. Of course Vista does not have this requirement, but Vista gave me tons of driver problems and even had video playback problems at 1080i.

So, I basically don't have a use for this, but it is small, cheap, has no external power supply and allows me to use my superior digital tuners.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

HD for cheap

Strengths: USB, small, Nice quality for HD channels

Weakness: Software could be better, channel surfing should have abort option

The hardware is nice and small, the antennae that comes with it is also pretty small but powerful.

1) Very easy to configure
2) I was getting about 10 analog and 15 digital channels not all of them were HD though.
3) I bought it mainly for HD and the quality is awesome, I was watching it on my new 22inch LCD monitor and it rocks.
4) If you select channel surfing, the process is extremely slow and if you want to abort it, there doesn't seem to be any option.
5) The software could use some improvements, haven't tried third party software’s, and maybe would give them a try.
6) + and - key change the channels, there is also option for 16:9, some of the reviews mentioned they didn't have these features, maybe they were using older version of the software, you can download the latest version form Hauppauge’s website.
7) Some people mentioned that their machine freezes when they use this, it is probably because this uses a software decoder instead of a hardware decoder, however in my case I didn't observe any performance degradation, I am using 2.8GHz/Hyperthreaded Pentium 4/1.2GB RAM/ this is a 2004 machine, I remember seeing they mentioned some minimum configuration for running this, any machine bought in the last 2-3 years shouldn't have any problems with this.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Uses too much computer resources

Strengths: Easy to install and operate, portable compact antenna

Weakness: Uses too much computer resources

While I like this product it has one big drawback for me and my computer. While using the USB tuner my computer cannot be used for any other functions. That aside, the product was easy to install and the included software does what it is supposed to. I have not tried to scheduler to record tv.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

This is an okay usb hdtv tuner

Strengths: Good in quality, easy to use

Weakness: Really stupid software, I choose Beyond TV 4 instead

This usb tuner is easy to use, and I can receive 1 or 2 stable HDTV source in my area. I think this is good. However, the software sucks, you can't change the ratio of the program, so a 16:9 show is pretty weired in 4:3 mode. And the schedual program is not working.

I used Beyond TV 4 instead and it works fine for me.
I'll give it a 3/5. I hope the hauppauge can provide a better software other than wintv2000.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Hauppauge WinTV HVR-950 USB

Testseek.com has collected 12 expert reviews for Hauppauge WinTV HVR-950 USB and the average expert rating is 76 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

Read Full Review