REVIEW: Hauppauge HD PVR

The Hauppauge HD PVR is a USB capture card for you PC, available for just under $200. What sets it apart from the rest is that the HD PVR can record at HD resolutions from component sources (all the way up to 1080p!). This means you can hook your PS3 or XBOX 360 up to the HD PVR and record gameplay videos in HD. Cool right? What's even better is that you have the ability to record TV shows and movies off of your DirectTV or digital cable.

Some movies, such as the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars series, have never been released on Blu-ray or HD-DVD. However, they routinely run on HD channels such as HDNET (or similar). Someone with a HD PVR could make an HD recording of one of these films with no commercials and 5.1 channel ac3 sound. Of course in order to do that, you'd need premium HD movie channels, which I am not fortunate enough to have.

So far, I have been more than pleased with this unit. It records in .ts format, which I have learned is the native format of Blu-ray discs. Those of you lucky enough to have a Blu-ray burner can burn these recordings to Blu-ray very easily. The rest of us will probably want to convert these recordings to DVD (mpeg-2) Xvid (avi), or H.264 (mkv). For converting to DVD, I recommend Tmpgenc 4.0 Express. I'm a big supported of Xvid, which technically Tmpgenc supports, but I haven't fooled around with it yet.

What I haven't seen mentioned in any description of the HD PVR online is just how good the SD recording quality is. Everyone raves about the HD features, but for those of you who just want to record at 480i or 480p this unit is stellar. SD recordings look and sound great, way better than any other capture card I've owned in the past (ATI Wonder PCI, Pinnacle TV USB 2.o, ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0). I have burned a couple DVDs of recorded samples, after converting to mpeg-2.

Sample formats recorded:
-480p
- 720p
-1080i
-1080p

I haven't tried to play my HD recordings through my Dolby receiver yet, so I'm not sure if the 5.1 channel recording worked correctly. They sound fine on the stereo speakers I've sampled them on. I'll update this post when I get a chance, and I'll add some pictures.

In Short:
- It records in HD.
- SageTV and gbPVR both support it.
- Recording quality is excellent for all resolutions, 480i and 480p included.
- I wish it could record to different formats. The on board h.264 encoder is obviously the issue here, but still.

Update 1:
A great source of info and tools for HD PVR owners is ARogan's blog. The ArcSoft recording software that came with my HD PVR won't play nice with Vista Premium 64-bit, so I've used ARogan's rctvcap for all of my recordings.

Conficker Working Group Releases 'Conficker Eye Chart'

The official Conficker Working Group sponsered by Microsoft has released a 'Conficker Eye Chart' that lets you quickly and easily see if you have the Conficker worm, without installing any software!

Check it out today, they're saying that the worm is steadily becoming more powerful and invasive.

NEWS: Experts Say Small EMP Bombs Pose Threat To Planes

Terror experts have a new worry on their hands. EMP devices, which disable electronics within a small radius through the use of electromagnetism, have traditionally been large and unwieldy. New incarnations of the devices are now small enough that one person could carry it, possible avoiding detection. A device such as this could take down an entire airliner if activated while onboard. Hopefully this does not show up in the news anytime soon. Yikes.

8GB iPod Nano 4G For $99!!

Today, you can get a refurb 8gb iPod nano 4g for just $99 at Woot.com!

Click the image above to learn more at Gizmodo

Check out the deal before supplies run out. The nano is usually $149.99.

NEWS: Kyoto Box Cooks and Boils Water, Made From Cardboard

An inventor in Kenya has developed cheap contraption that can boil water and cook food, and it is made out of cardboard. The invention won a green ideas contest, and could become a source of boiled, clean drinking water for people in third world nations.

Click the image above to learn more at BBC News

You have to respect an innovation that could save thousands of lives, and which consists of little more than a cardboard box that has been painted black.

NEWS: Flo Rida Gives Out His Cell Phone Number

I'm not a big Flo Rida fan, but I know a lot of you out there may be. I an interview with CNN, the singer/rapper gave out his cell phone number to fans, so that they can call or text him as they wish.

It is: (305) 528-2786.

Give it a try!

NEWS: GM Segway P.U.M.A. Demonstration Video

Personally, I don't think a Segway would be worth the money. Apparently GM does. GM and Segway are teaming up to create the P.U.M.A. transport vehicle that can hold two passengers, and uses self-balancing technology similar to the original Segway.

Engadget has posted a video showing the P.U.M.A. in action. If someone really wanted to blow money on something like this just to travel from point A to point B in the city, I'd say buy a bike and get an exercise while you travel.

NEWS: Gameboy iPhone Case Looks Amazing

All of the tech sites are buzzing about one solitary photo. A blogger traveling abroad in Tokyo took a picture of her friend's iPhone case, which makes the back of your iPhone look like a vintage Gameboy.

Click the image above to learn more at Engadget.

Requests are popping up everywhere for someone to sell this case in the states, but so far it seems that it may only be found in specialty shops in Tokyo. Shame. As a lover of classic games and someone who will likely buy an iPhone when he's up for an upgrade, I'd love to have something like this.

NEWS: AT&T Offers $50 Computer

AT&T is now offering a deal to Atlanta and Philadelphia residents where they can buy select netbook models from AT&T retail stores for just $50. Sound too good to be true? In order to get the deal, you need to sign up for one of two mobile broadband plans that they offer, both of which cost $60/month.

So in essence, if you want this $50 netbook you're really buying a netbook and mobile broadband for a year. For those of you in the market for mobile broadband, this is definitely a deal worth looking into.

NEWS: Bruno Trailer Released!

For those of you who liked Borat, the trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's latest film Bruno has hit the net. Personally, I was a fan of Da Ali G Show, both the UK version and it's US incarnation on HBO. I loved Borat, and I hope Bruno is up to par. Time will tell. Be sure to check out the trailer and see what you think.

NEWS: X-Men Origins: Wolverine Leaks To The Net

Wow. So on a somewhat unrelated note, an unfinished (missing some CGI effects) workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine has hit the net. Considering the fanbase of these films, I don't think it will take long until this copy has permeated throughout the web.