Hauppauge Colossus: HD PVR with HDMI Support
by Andrew Van Til on April 14, 2011 5:40 PM EST- Posted in
- HTPC
- Home Theater
- Hauppauge
Final Thoughts
Obviously the Colossus still has some rough edges. Ideally, all HTPC and technology in general would work without issue, but unfortunately that’s not the case, particularly in this market. In context, it is regrettably normal for early drivers on devices like the Colossus to have problems, including much greater stability issues than observed with this device. Even the 8.3% recording fail rate is well below what I experienced with the original HD PVR during the first months of use.
Clearly Hauppauge has work to do, both in improving recording quality and driver stability under extreme duress. However, component (YPbPr) + S/PDIF (TOSLINK) and HDMI capture options, alongside greater reliability than even the original HD PVR can currently provide, makes the Colossus is a worthy successor in this space.
If you’re after hardware that just works, you might want to hold off a few more months to let the drivers (and the HTPC community) work out some of the remaining kinks. If you’re part of that community, or just an A/V enthusiast, the Colossus is a nice option to add to the list.
Pros:
- Native resolution capture for 480i, 720p and 1080i with Dolby Digital 5.1
- HDMI support for those with STB that do not use HDCP
- PCIe format
- Component (YPbPr) and S/PDIF (TOSLINK) pass-through
Cons:
- Not all recordings are watchable
- Software/hardware bundle adds unnecessary cost with not additional value for DVR use
- No HDMI pass-through
- BSOD when continuously recording for more than sixteen hours
- Full height card leaves low-profile HTPC users out
Thanks to Hauppauge for providing the review sample.
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DanNeely - Friday, April 15, 2011 - link
Even in the torture test the card barely cracked 35C. That's nowhere near hot enough to kill an IC.erikstarcher - Thursday, April 14, 2011 - link
I would love a review of the InfiniTV4. The Hauppauge card is cool and all, but I don't want 4 cable boxes hooked up to a computer with 4 of these cards in it. Does the Ceton record all channels or are some of them blocked? How well does it work when recording 4 channels at the same time?Please can we get a review of the Ceton?
babgvant - Thursday, April 14, 2011 - link
Do you mean in SageTV or in 7MC?erikstarcher - Monday, April 18, 2011 - link
7mcbabgvant - Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - link
7MC fully supports the Ceton (and other PC based) DCT. You can record any linear channel available in your lineup. Like all non Cable provided DCT, it does not support PPV (without a phone call) or On Demand.DigitalFreak - Thursday, April 14, 2011 - link
I can tell you from experience that an InfiniTV4 setup is the way to go if:You have cable TV (obviously only cable supports cablecard)
You're running Windows Media Center 7 (doesn't work with Sage, etc.)
You're willing to spend $400
If you want extender functionality, you're willing to use an Xbox 360
If you google it, you'll find plenty of reviews.
babgvant - Thursday, April 14, 2011 - link
Ah, but it does work with SageTV* :)* requires that your cable provider uses copy-freely flags properly
vol7ron - Thursday, April 14, 2011 - link
I've been asking Anand about the InfiniTV 4 for about a year :) I've seen the other reviews at other sites, but I like the way AT presents things - it's the voice of the writer that you identify with.I thought I heard there was problems with hosting/sharing while streaming. Or only one device could be streaming over the network at a time? Something alongs those lines... forgive me, it's been a really long time since I read up on it. [probably would have been a good idea to at least do some research before I posted, but I'm kinda emotional about Ceton's product - I would have gotten in if it were $250 a long time ago]
babgvant - Friday, April 15, 2011 - link
The initial firmware revs did not enable tuner sharing, but the current revs do. DCT are UPnP + RTP devices so network based streaming is how they work; just need to bridge the card with the PC's NIC and it should be discoverable to any machine on the same subnet.dagamer34 - Friday, April 15, 2011 - link
They've only recently been available with decent stock, in fact Amazon just put a page up for them today.