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Xbox One Digital TV Tuner hits the US and Canada today
The Xbox One is already an entertainment powerhouse. But, starting today, those of you in the US and Canada will have the chance to get even more out of it. Microsoft has announced that the official TV tuner for its Xbox One, which lets people watch over-the-air channels directly from the console, is now available in these two countries. As a refresher, this feature first hit Europe last year, so it's taken a decent amount for it to arrive in North America. You can get the Hauppauge Digital TV Tuner for $60, though you'll also need an HDTV antenna for it to work as intended.
The Xbox One tunes in to free OTA TV in the US and Canada
Last year Microsoft added a feature to European Xbox Ones that brought broadcast TV directly to the box, and now it's starting to roll out the same thing in the US and Canada. Currently available for users in the Preview Program, it combines with a TV tuner from Hauppauge (BYO antenna -- the tuner retails for $80 but is currently $61 on Amazon) to cut out the cable middleman, and let owners watch the TV signals that are floating about freely. A $60 version of the tuner built specifically for the Xbox One is coming soon. While it doesn't turn the console's hard-drive into a DVR, it does have DVR-like features with the ability to pause live TV for up to 30 minutes, and it can stream TV to a phone or tablet running the SmartGlass app.
Hauppage HD PVR Rocket may be the easiest way to record console gameplay footage for Mac users
These days, gameplay footage with commentary is one of the most popular categories of streaming content on sites like YouTube, but it wasn't long ago that recording high-quality gameplay was a massive hassle even for Windows users. Finding a piece of recording hardware that was compatible with OS X was simply an exercise in frustration. Today, however, things have changed, and Hauppauge -- one of the leading hardware makers in the field -- gave me the opportunity to test drive two of its Mac-compatible products: the HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus and the newly released HD PVR Rocket (pictured above). The PVR 2 is a small box about the size of a Mac mini that can record HDMI, component, S-video and composite inputs via a zero-latency passthrough. The PVR connects to your Mac via USB and syncs with the HDPVRCapture software for OS X. The software offers a ton of options for encoding the video as it's being recorded to your Mac's hard drive, including variable bit rate and image controls. Once you've finished recording your footage, you can upload it as-is or tweak it using iMovie. Your capabilities for editing huge files in iMovie will depend on the power of your computer itself, but I had no problem moving files of over 2 GB directly to iMovie in just a few seconds. If you need to be able to tweak your video as you record it (rather than afterwards), the HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus is the perfect tool for the task. However, if you'd rather just capture extremely high-quality video and manipulate it after the fact, you may be more interested in the HD PVR Rocket. Unlike the PVR 2, the Rocket requires no computer connection to record. You simply plug your input into the device, plug the passthrough HDMI cable into your TV and power the device using any available USB source (if you're using a game console, they all come with free USB ports that work just fine). Plug a USB flash drive into the Rocket, press record and the tiny gadget will fill your storage device with footage. The Rocket also has a built-in microphone jack for adding commentary to your footage as you play, which is particularly handy if you don't feel like adding your voice to the track in post-production. The device will stop recording when you press the recording button again or when your flash drive is full. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting much from the Rocket, as these types of standalone recording gadgets never seem to be able to live up to their full-fledged counterparts, but the Rocket definitely surprised me. The video above was recorded with the Rocket, and as you can see (be sure to bump the quality up to 1080p), the video is virtually flawless. It was recorded without issue and, aside from the tiny Rocket box blinking on my desk, you'd never have even known the gameplay was being recorded. The two devices are priced nearly identically -- the HD PVR 2 GE Plus is US$179.00 and the Rocket is $169.00 -- so it really comes down to whether you prefer the litany of recording options on the PVR 2 or the portability and "it just works" quality of the Rocket. Personally, I'd favor the Rocket for simplicity alone, but to each their own.
Hauppauge teases the HD PVR Rocket, a portable game capture box for $169
Hauppauge is taking its considerable video-recording prowess mobile with the HD PVR Rocket. Its 4.3-ounce frame is smaller than the HD PVR 2's and instead of using a computer to store recorded video, it uses USB media. The company estimates that you'll fill a 16GB thumb drive with about four hours of 1080p footage. What's more, the Rocket also features a built-in mic jack and audio mixer for recording commentary and adjusting its volume before you upload to YouTube. This could be the ideal gizmo for capturing your squad's Battlefield 4 shenanigans while you're at a tournament or a friend's house, nixing the need to schlep your laptop in either situation. Even better, unlike other gadgets releasing on November 15th, you'll be able to walk out of Best Buy with this one for a slightly less expensive $169.
Hauppauge introduces the HD PVR 2 video recorder
Almost five years after the introduction of the very first consumer-priced HD capture device, the HD PVR, Hauppauge has introduced the HD PVR 2 model 1512. Joining the new HD PVR 2 GE Plus, released late last year and geared towards gamers, the HD PVR 2 is focused on home media users who want to record broadcast TV. It includes an IR blaster to control the set-top box it is connected to and bundled with WinTV v7.2 software. It is also compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8 Media Center. You can record component or HDMI (unprotected) sources, up to 1080p30, and the video and audio are stored as h.264 and 5.1 surround sound. The new unit will be available on February 1st, but the press release after the break doesn't include the price. The HD PVR 2 GE Plus is available via online retailers now for $150, so it's probably safe to assume the HD PVR 2 model 1512 will be around the same.
The status of official CableCARD tuner support for Windows 8
With the official launch of Windows 8 comes the official support of premium cable content via one of the various CableCARD tuners originally designed for Windows 7 Media Center. Silicon Dust is at the front of the pack as Media Center on Windows 8 is already officially supported and the documentation is available for both the HDHomeRun Prime as well as the ATSC or QAM HDHomeRun. The only feature we noticed was not supported for now, is WMC Sync. Ceton is still working on the official driver for its InfiniTV 4, but reassures us that the Windows 7 driver "does work relatively well," although, is unsupported -- the real loss here is that there are no plans to bring the InfiniTV tuner sharing feature to Windows 8. Last up is Hauppauge, who doesn't have a single mention of support of Windows 8 for the WinTV-DCR-2650 on its site, but a representative of the company said it does work and will be officially supported. Of course, support by Media Center and Windows 8 is one thing, but we're really waiting for a mention that any "Windows Store Apps" that can play nicely with all this premium HD content.
Hauppauge's HD PVR Gaming Edition works, but with some issues
Game capture is a bigger and bigger business lately -- with YouTube views earning money for partner channels, indie devs needing to capture video footage of their games, and lots of players just wanting to record their own gameplay for various purposes, there's a big call these days for full, HD video of gameplay captured from video game consoles. Hauppauge has been making the HD PVR for a little while now: It's a run-through set-top box that's designed to capture video footage, specifically from a satellite or cable box (so you can record an HD TV signal as it comes in). But just a few months ago, Hauppauge also introduced the HD PVR Gaming Edition, basically the same box, but designed to work directly with the top video game consoles: The PS3, Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii. And with the help of an app called HDPVRCapture, Hauppauge's box works with your Mac computer. I've run the system through its paces, and I can say that despite some issues I had with setup (and a few missing features), the HD PVR Gaming Edition is an excellent way to capture high quality video game footage. Getting the unit plugged in was the hard part: All of my video game systems are well-ensconced in my entertainment center, so having to dive back into that tangle of wires was probably the hardest issue I had. For most of the capture, I used my PS3, so I had to pull the component cables out of my television, and then run the included cables with the HD PVR from the PS3 to the unit, and then a separate component cable from the PVR to the television. To go from the box to my Macbook, there was just a simple USB cable, so that part was super easy in comparison. The HD PVR itself has plenty of options: You can run through the component video hookups as I did (along with right and left audio), or run with Optical video out and in. On the front of the unit, there are also connections for SVideo, if you happen to be running that, or composite video from another console. The hookups on the box are solid, and the component video worked well. The HDPVRCapture software allows you to set a bitrate for recording the video, which mainly just affects hard drive usage (more video information obviously means more hard drive space used). To test, I first set the bitrate super low (at 1000 kbps), and as a result, the output video was grainy and hazy, albeit still usable. Running at a higher bitrate, however (I kicked it up to around 10000 kbps), creates really beautiful video -- full 1080i footage, perfect for playing on any HD television or projector (or, more likely, YouTube's HD settings). In fact, the video file that I created by running the device for about 30 minutes was so big and so HD that my little years-old Macbook actually had trouble running it, at least until I closed some other apps. Editing or even viewing video of that quality could be a problem if you have an old computer to work on. But most video editors will have computers much more powerful than my little laptop, so high quality video shouldn't be a problem. The HDPVRCapture software has plenty of options for recording and converting the video afterwards (the streams I recorded came out as .m2ts files, easily converted into .mp4 for playing on most video systems), and there are also controls for video light levels and sharpness, along with an option to hook up to iCal for a recording schedule (in case you do want to use this with a cable system to record TV shows). There's also a few network options, so you can hook up the software to automatically send recorded footage to a network drive, streaming it live or later on. I did have a few issues with Hauppauge's box, however. First and foremost is the lack of an HDMI connection -- the component video looked great, but I usually run my PS3 with an HDMI cable, so to set the box up, I had to actually switch the system's video back over to component to use it. Elgato makes a competing box that only runs on HDMI, and since Apple sells an adapter that will send your iPhone or iPad's video out to HDMI, that's a connection that's sorely missed here. Unfortunately, that might be a dealbreaker for a lot of people, including me. The other big issue I had was with the audio. If you want to just record straight gameplay video, the HDPVR will let you do so without a problem. But if you want to record commentary on that video, or bring in audio from another source while recording, the HDPVR capture software won't let you do that. I thought it'd be simple enough to hook into the Mac's internal mic while recording and mix it into the footage, but that's not an option. If you want to record commentary for YouTube, you'll need to record your own commentary separately, and mix the two later. Same deal for streaming: The app does have an option for streaming the captured video out to a third-party app like VLC, but there's no way to see the video directly on your Mac as it comes live off of the box. That means that if you want to stream the video online (through a service like Twitch.tv or Ustream), you'll need to cook up your own solution, by setting up VLC or getting the signal some other way. It'd be nice if this was all built into the HDPVRCapture software (especially since this is the Gaming Edition), but it's not. And finally, the HDPVRCapture app is a nice piece of software, but it doesn't come cheap. While Windows-based software comes with the Gaming Edition box, we Mac users need to buy our software separately, for an extra $29.95. I believe the developer of the app works for Hauppage directly, so it's unclear why we need to buy the app when Windows users don't. But the box is $199.99 already, so if you need to run with it on a Mac, the extra $30 is probably something you're willing to pay. Still, despite those issues, the HDPVR Gaming Edition does do what it says on the box. Especially if you are already using component video for whatever game console you want to record from, all you'll need to do is plug it in, install the app on your Mac (gritting your teeth through the $30 charge), and then hit record. If you would rather run on an HDMI connection, it's worth shopping around: The Elgato box runs natively on the Mac, so it's a good candidate, and there are a few other cheaper options with different features out there as well. Whether you just want to capture some of your awesome gameplay, or you're thinking about starting up your own Yogscast channel, this box will help you do it (and lest I forget to mention, there's also a pretty groovy green LED that lights up when you're recording!). But if it's not exactly perfect for your setup, it's definitely worth looking around at other options before you choose what to buy.
Hauppauge announces StreamEez to broadcast live HD video
Hauppauge, not satisfied with only bringing DVR-like functions to the Broadway this week -- has unleashed a new box called the StreamEez that links your HD video camera to your computer for live broadcasts. HDMI or component video hook it up on the cam side, USB on the computer side. It uses H.264 video compression and is compatible with sites like USTREAM that require the RTMP protocol. The box plus Windows software starts at $299. Everything but the price probably sounds pretty familiar since the incredibly similar Livestream Broadcaster is also just about on the scene, though, it'll run you about $195 more. Take a gander at the PR after the break.
Hauppauge Broadway scores DVR-like record and playback features
Sure, we didn't have too many major qualms with the Broadway when we reviewed it in February, but it didn't exactly bowl us over either. Still, if it gets a steady diet of software updates like today's it could turn into quite an impressive device. The budget TV streamer now has the ability to act like a DVR if you attach a storage device to one of its empty USB ports. Of course, you can't just pull up the recorded programs on your set top box as you would with standard DVR, but it does allow you to stream them to your various devices without the need to be watching live. For a few more details check out the PR after the break.
Hauppauge Broadway review
New ways to watch TV, we're always looking for 'em. New products for you to buy, companies are always trying to make 'em. The two aspirations converge with Hauppauge's latest product, Broadway. The idea here isn't exactly novel, but with few exceptions Sling Media has been left to dominate the placeshifting category. The Broadway picks up where Sling kicked off, adding WiFi and more interestingly, shedding the need for costly clients, instead using a built-in web server to access the live video streams. Interesting idea, sure, but is it actually useful and worth the $199 it demands? We hope to reveal just that, after you click through of course.
Ceton officially drops the InfiniTV 4 price to $199
A device that was selling for around $600 on eBay just two years ago, is now officially priced at $199 -- the second $100 price drop in the past eight months -- and is available immediately from some of your favorite online retailers. That means both the USB and PCIe versions of the CableCARD tuner that can record four HD channels at once, cost a mere $50 per tuner. While this makes it the cheapest per-tuner CableCARD tuner ever available, the dual tuner Hauppauge WinTV DCR-2650 at $149 retail ($112 street) still requires the lowest total entry cost into the PC CableCARD tuner market. We've come a long way since ATI offered a single tuner for $299, but the still-pricey cards make it easy to understand understand why TV manufacturers and other set-top box makers, like Boxee, can't hide the price of a CableCARD tuner in the cost of their products.
Hauppauge USB CableCARD tuner announced on Facebook, ships later this month for $129
It seems like just yesterday that we couldn't find a CableCARD tuner anywhere, and news that Hauppauge has has announced a name, price for its new device highlights what has suddenly become a flood of ways to get pay-TV on your HTPC. MissingRemote dug up a post on Hauppauge's Facebook page announcing the dual tuner WinTV-DCR-2650, which it developed in partnership with SiliconDust and plans to ship by the end of this month for just $129. It's already certified by CableLabs so everything appears to be ready to go, with preorders apparently ready to begin Monday through the company's direct store and Amazon. Are any of you canceling a HDHomeRun/InfiniTV 4 order and switching over? [Thanks, Craig, Brian & Joe]
Hauppauge debuts Broadway live TV streamer for iPhones and iPads, WinTV-Aero-m receiver for PCs
It may look vaguely like an accessory to a late-80s PC that's sprouted antennas, but Hauppauge's new "Broadway" live TV streamer does have a few more modern tricks up its sleeve: it can stream live TV to your iPhone or iPad. That can be done over WiFi in your house or over the internet anywhere else, and the device packs a multi-format receiver that can tune in both digital cable TV channels and ATSC over-the-air broadcast channels (or analog TV, for that matter), which are all conveniently compressed for streaming. Alongside it, Hauppauge has also rolled out its new dual-format WinTV-Aero-m USB receiver for PCs (pictured after the break), which will let you receive Mobile Digital TV broadcasts designed for mobile TV reception, as well as high definition ATSC digital TV broadcasts. Look for it to be available soon for $69, while the Broadway streamer will be available in "about six weeks" for $199.
Hauppauge is taking its HD component capture card internal
It wasn't that long ago that recording HD from just about any source on a PC was cost prohibitive. Then along came Hauppauge's HD PVR and while it isn't without its issues and limitations, it gets the job done at an affordable price. One of those limitations is the rather large external enclosure and the wall-wart that powers it. Now Hauppauge has addressed those nit picks with the release of an internal PCI-E capture card for $159. The single card can record up to 1080i from either component or unencrypted HDMI and will start shipping later this month. The support is very similar it its external brother, in fact other than the form factor, the two are very similar in most every other way. Another pictures and technical details after the jump.
Hauppauge officially announces HD PVR support in Windows Media Center
If you're thinking about going the Media Center DVR route but can't or won't get hooked up with a CableCARD don't forget there's another option available to pull in those premium channels now that the $199 Hauppauge HD PVR is supported as a TV recorder in Windows 7. There's been a few updates since the feature was added in beta back in June, which lets users select programs via the Media Center guide to be captured and encoded in MPEG-4 over the device's component video inputs (HDTV resolutions up to 1080i and 5.1 surround sound are supported) while the PC controls connected satellite or cable TV set-top boxes with an included IR blaster. There's still a limit of one tuner per PC and a thread over on TheGreenButton reveals the experience can still be a bit glitchy, but if you've just got to have Windows Media Center and NFL Sunday Ticket then some compromises will be necessary.
Windows 7 Media Center gets component HD capture support
Can you even believe that it has been over two years now since the first consumer priced HD component capture device hit the market? It doesn't seem that long to us, but if you're a Window Media Center fan and think the native CableCARD tuners are no option at all, then you might feel differently. The great news out of Hauppauge though is that the HD PVRs driver site has been updated and you can now download a file that'll make Windows 7 Media Center recognize your HD PVR as a tuner. The said analog capture device still runs about $200 and since it outputs MPEG4, the 360 is the only Extender that can play back it's content. On top of all that only a single tuner per Media Center PC is currently supported, but that is way better than nothing for someone who can't/won't get cable TV and wants to enjoy their favorite provider's HD signal on the best DVR software currently available. The driver is still in beta at the moment and we can't wait to try it for ourselves, so keep an eye out for more on this one.
Hauppage WinTV gets WiFi streaming for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch
If we've learned anything from the long gestation of the SlingPlayer iPhone app, it's that folks want to stream video to their iPhone, iPad, and / or iPod touch. At least the folks at Hauppauge think so -- and the new version (v7.2) of WinTV for the WinTV -HVR tuner board for the PC now includes that functionality. Indeed, the software will even stream 16 and Pregnant (or whatever it is you're into these days) to your Mac computer. Sadly, all of this streaming is going down via WiFi, but who knows? Maybe you really want to record TV on one machine and then watch it five feet away. It will be available directly from Hauppauge for $9.95, although the company is making a free upgrade available to current owners of WinTV-HVRs. PR after the break.
Ask TUAW: Power adapters, Windows 7, iWork refresh, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about MacBook power adapters, Windows 7 in Boot Camp and virtualization in general, resetting the Mac Setup Assistant, the next iWork refresh, and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.
picoStick USB Digital TV tuner is insanely small, but only in Europe
It's not like we've ever felt particularly overwhelmed by the size or heft of the USB digital TV tuners already on the market, but Hauppauge's latest has us feeling positively overwhelmed at the thought of lugging one of those other, nearly credit card-sized behemoths ever again. The PCTV Systems picoStick, launched at PlayBite 2009 in London today, is being billed as the world's smallest DVB-T (Western Europe) tuner, requires no antenna, costs £50 (about $83) and should be available from Amazon.co.uk and Play.com next week. One more pic after the break.[Via Richard Lai]
Hauppauge to expand its offerings to include a CableCARD tuner
The tuner company that we never seem to be able to pronounce correctly is planning on adding a digital cable tuner with CableCARD to its lineup. No word on price or availability but the initial seemly over ambitions timeframe was this year. Our friends at Geek Tonic were able to confirm the the company's plans for the new tuner, but also learned that there is little hope that the new device will make it to market before the Ceton tuner, and in fact the actual release is still undeterminable. The good news is that there will be some competition in the PC digital cable tuner market which is always a good thing, in fact at this point we wouldn't be surprised if Avermedia was the next to throw its hat into the mix. [Via GeekTonic]
