WinTV-PVR Frequently Asked Questions

The WinTV PVR will function under Windows98SE (Second Edition), WindowsME and Windows2000. It will not function under Windows 95 or NT 4.0

Does the WinTV PVR do MPEG decoding as well as encoding?

The WinTV PVR does not have MPEG decoding hardware, only encoding hardware. However, the WinTV PVR will use software decoding for the playback and pause functions.

The WinTV PVR is available at Bestbuy, CompUSA, Fry's, Microcenter, and Microwarehouse. It may also be purchased directly from our online webstore

Can I record one show while watching another with the WinTV PVR?

Lockups occur when attempting TV mode, switching between TV and Pause functions, or clicking the OTR or OTP buttons?

If lockups occur with the WinTV PVR when attempting to access any of the functions in the software, Set the Primary program to "dib draw" mode(start/programs/hauppauge/Primary). Certain Motherboard chipsets or VGA cards with compatibility issues will only allow the PVR to function in this mode.

Can I create SVCD's as well as VCD's with the PVR?

The PVR can capture either MPEG 1 (the "VCD" settings), or MPEG 2. If you capture the video as MPEG 2, and own a good video editor (such as ULead) and the full Nero package, you should be able to: 1. Capture an MPEG 2 clip using the PVR; 2. Read it into the editor and output it as an SVCD; 3. Then use Nero to burn the SVCD itself.

Can I edit the captured Videos created with the WinTV PVR?

Yes, you can edit the MPEG files with any 3rd party editing software that works with MPEG formats. Hauppauge also provides on our Software Updates page an MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video editor for use with the PVR.

If you intend to make a VCD compatible file, you would need to capture in MPEG 1 format, save in MPEG-1 format, do your editing, and then compress the file to VCD compliance in the WinTV software (or in the editing software if it has such a setting built in).

An MPEG editor is available directly from Hauppauge, which allows you to cut out commercials. This is a "cut only" editor, and may be downloaded here

As the WinTV is connected to the Sound card, it uses one of the Sound cards Mixer settings to control the volume. This setting can be selected in the WinTV Audio configuration. If you click on the AUD button located in the WinTV2000 application you can select the Audio Mixer Input here. When you adjust the Volume control in the WinTV application, you are really just adjusting the level of a single Volume control from your sound card's mixer (Windows “Volume Control”).

You select which mixer you are adjusting by going into the Audio dialog and selecting the Audio Mixer Input. In fact, if you open your Windows “Volume Control” and adjust the audio level in the WinTV application you can even see the mixer control slider move. The exception to this is the "WinTV Volume" mixer selection, (Default setting) which controls the volume level coming out of the WinTV Card. If this is set too low you won't get audio no matter how high you've got your “LineIn” mixer setting. Likewise, if the LineIn on your mixer is muted or too low you won't get audio no matter how high the “WinTV Volume” is set.

With the WinTV/PVR you actually select and therefore control two different mixers. “Live” mode and “Playback” mode, which includes “Pause”, can each select an independent mixer. Each Mixer Input is selected by going into the Audio section and selecting a Mixer Input for each mode.

For Example: If you are watching live video, in the Audio Dialog you would select the mixer for “Live” mode. If you were watching “Playback” (including Pause) you would select the mixer for “Playback” mode.

The Primary program(start/programs/Hauppauge/Primary) must be set to "Allow Overlay" for the WinTV to be able to display playback of your captured video directly. If the VGA card in the PC does not support Overlay mode, then playback within the WinTV software would not be possible. Playback, in this case, must be done through Windows Media Player.(start/programs/accessories/entertainment).

Approximate file sizes captured with the WinTV PVR?

The WinTV PVR will be able to capture MPEG1 up to 352 X 240(NTSC), 352 X 288(PAL/SECAM) and MPEG2 up to 704 X 480(NTSC), 704 X 576(PAL/SECAM).

Capture Format	Length	Approximate File Size
Mpeg1	1 minute	9.5 Megabytes
VCD Converted	1 minute	10 Megabytes
Mpeg2 (2 Mbits/sec)	1 minute	15 Megabytes
Mpeg2 (4 Mbits/sec)	1 minute	30 Megabytes
Mpeg2 (6 Mbits/sec)	1 minute	45 Megabytes
Mpeg2 (8 Mbits/sec)	1 minute	60 Megabytes
Mpeg2 (12 Mbits/sec)	1 minute	90 Megabytes

As a general estimate, the WinTV PVR can capture one hour of Video (MPEG2 4.0) per 2 Gigabytes of hard disk space.

I get upsidedown video when playing back captured video in the WinTV software?

This would be caused by a VGA related problem. VGA cards that do not correctly support video overlay mode, or have overlay issues can cause this to happen. Playback must be done in Windows Media player. If the VGA card is supposed to support overlay, then an updated VGA driver would be required.

Error during Pausing or Playback after recording: "There is no common media type between these pins Connecting HCWSnapshot and Overlay Mixer2", followed by "A Stream operation failed. If you can reproduce this error please list the steps necessary and contact the developers. Hit Okay to continue. Some errors may require shutting down the applications and restarting it." :

Both of these problems will result if the VGA card does not have Overlay support, or if the current VGA drivers for the Video card do not handle overlay correctly. A driver update that would allow Overlay emulation to be enabled from the VGA card manufacturer would be required. For VGA's that do not support overlay, set the Primary program to "Force Primary" (start/programs/Hauppauge WinTV/Primary). Optionally, you can also try a lower VGA resolution, color depth, and/or refresh rate setting.

VCD conversion process stops at 99%:

If the VCD converter stops at 99%, or any point during the conversion process, you may need to alternately convert within the MPEG editor program instead of directly within the WinTV application. The MPEG editor can be freely downloaded HERE.

1- Use the WInTV-PVR to make a VCD file

2- Bring this file into the Nano MPEG Editor

3- Edit the file. It will now be in the correct VCD compliant format.

4- Take the output file and burn it onto a CD-RW media using the Nero burner, chosing VCD as the output

Or instead of step 4 you can use the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR convert program, open the file from step 3 and immediately burn it.

Problems with debugger software(such as NuMega's SoftIce )and the WinTV PVR:

Two problems have been found when running debugger software(such as NuMega's Softice) when running the WinTV PVR. 1- Anytime you try to Playback an MPEG or go into PAUSE mode the WinTV app will suddenly just close. 2-The setup installation may tend to hang indefinitely.

"Closed Captions Not Available" Error when trying to view Closed Captioning:

The VGA card is not set to "Allow Overlay" mode, or the VGA card does not support Overlay mode correctly. VGA cards that are supposed to support overlay may require updated VGA drivers from the Video card manufacturer.

Error "The Files Mux rate is recorded incorrectly" during VCD conversion:

This may be caused by bad audio headers if the incoming signal is weak. Update to the latest WinTV PVR software and drivers (available Here), which should address the problem.

Can I use the WinTV PVR on a dual CPU system?

The stability of the WinTV operation or hardware functioning correctly may be impaired on dual CPU systems.

The WinTV PVR USB model can be installed on Windows 98SE, ME, and 2000 operating systems. A Pentium II 450Mhz minimum is required.

Please make sure you have the latest version drivers. Try inserting the channels manually to see if the video comes up. - If no video shows, try changing the MPEG settings in the Preferences. Click on Pref in the WinTV2000 application and go to Capture – Mpeg and change the Quality Level and click OK. - If still no video shows, device may be defective. - If video does show up, the device is good.

The device must be reset in order to get it to work again. Unlike the PCI cards, rebooting the machine will NOT reset the unit. The only way to reset the device is to unplug the unit from the power cable. It is usually a good idea to unplug the USB cable also.

If the channels are scanned in properly, they should be listed in the Suite Manager. If you get a Black screen after scanning for channels, but you can hear the audio, try closing and reopening the program. If this doesn’t work, try changing the MPEG settings in the Preferences. Click on Pref in the WinTV2000 application and go to Capture – Mpeg and change the Quality Level and click OK. This should get the video to display. After getting video to display you can reset Quality level to desired setting.

Update to latest software Version 1.3 and copy the HCWNCUSB.SYS file into the C:\WinNT\System32 directory. There is also a utility in the Systray that you can use to disable the USB device before shutting down. Upon reboot, reconnect the device and it should work fine.

iVac is the chip used in the device. Usually unplugging and reconnecting both the Power and USB cable from the USB unit should get rid of this error. Bypass the error before reconnecting. After reconnecting the device, try installing the application. You will need to reboot the system during installation. Once installation finishes, you should be able to use the program.

Unplug the device. Run HCWCLEAR. Then manually search for any files named: Hauppauge, and any files *.ROM. Delete any Hauppauge related files. Search for HCWNCUSB.INF and delete. Restart computer, plug device back in. Windows should detect device again. Reinstall using Installation CD.

AVI video capture and Video Conferencing is not supported by the WinTV PVR USB:

The WinTV PVR USB does not have a Brooktree chipset on it so it does not support AVI captures. Also, the device does not use Video for Windows drivers. Therefore, Microsoft's NetMeeting, or any other videoconferencing program, will not work with the WinTV PVR USB.

"Wintv2k caused an invalid pagefault in module IVIAUDIO.AX at 017f: 1d1c90c8" error:

Reload the WinTV updated driver from the software updates page. Then download the updated HCWNCUSB.INF File and copy or save it into the C:\WinNT\System32 directory. Unplug the power to the WinTV, and reboot the system. After the system boots back up, reconnect the WinTV's power.

Copyright © 2000,2001 Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Hauppauge logo and WinTV are registered trademarks of Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. Windows and WebTV are trademarks of Microsoft. Corp. Company logos are trademarks of their respective companies.
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WinTV PVR Troubleshooting notes

Frequently asked questions when installing and using the WinTV PVR

Table of contents:

What Operating Systems are supported by the WinTV PVR?

Does the WinTV PVR do MPEG decoding as well as encoding?

Can I record one show while watching another with the WinTV PVR?

Lockups occur when attempting TV mode, switching between TV and Pause functions, or clicking the OTR or OTP buttons?

Can I create SVCD's as well as VCD's with the PVR?

Can I edit the captured Videos created with the WinTV PVR?

Approximate file sizes captured with the WinTV PVR?