One of the most exciting and anticipated HTPC devices for several years was the Hauppauge HD-PVR HD component capture device. With the HD-PVR you can capture unencrypted and uninhibited digital HD content from your HD cable box or HD satellite box or really any device that has a component output port such as a HD video game box.
I gave a first look and mini-review of the HD-PVR not long after it was released, but still haven't put together a complete review of it yet. So to hold you over a little longer, be sure and check out Alan Cooke's review of the Hauppauge HD-PVR at MissingRemote.com
Alan covers a couple of questions I get all the time about the HD-PVR. The most often asked question is this: How good is the picture quality from the HD-PVR? Alan answers with:
I am very happy to say that the picture quality is virtually indistinguishable from the CableCard recordings. Obviously the recordings will not be the same quality as uncompressed broadcast TV but based on several hours of watching TV it is very close to CableCard recordings.I agree wholeheartedly with Alan - the picture quality on the HD-PVR is very, very good. So good I honestly cannot tell the difference on my 1080p 46" television set from the original HD cablebox picture - it is truly awesome to get all of those digital channels - especially HD for liveTV without DRM and without needing to purchase a special, pre-built HTPC like is required for the CableCard PCs - PLUS you aren't required to use Vista Media Center as your HTPC software.
Other questions addressed are ease of setup, pros and cons and more. If you have any interest in the Hauppauge HD-PVR don't miss the review at MissingRemote.com
And before you ask, yes I still plan to bring you a full HD-PVR review at GeekTonic that will address SageTV, BeyondTV and even GBPVR (possibly even MythTV, MediaPortal and FrontRow) with lots of details and tips on getting it working with your setup. I know its long overdue, but I promise it will be worth the wait ;)
