Hauppauge 1196 WinTV HVR-1265 PCI Express Hybrid High Definition TV Tuner Card

I've been looking at buying a TV Tuner for my computer for a long time and settled on this one because of the price/features. I put this into my computer, drivers installed through Windows 7 automatically immediately (64 bit). I then installed WinTV7 from the CD it came with and set up TV signal. It found all of my analog channels no problem (I just get basic cable with channels 2-78). Then I tried configuring for Digital/clear QAM channels just to see what would happen (I don't get digital on any of my TVs, including my HDTVs besides like 5 HDTV channels that EVERYONE gets in my town such as NBC [news channels]). The tuner found about 40 unencrypted digital channels that work completely fine! Comparing the Digital channels to Analog, there is definitely a big difference in quality. However, I prefer using Windows Media Center. When I tried finding the digital channels in that, it didn't work. However, I still prefer using Media Center because the guide is a lot easier to use and recording is easier.CAUTION: do not buy this tuner for the remote. The remote I received did not work at all. I found a $2 replacement for the remote which was an app for my ipod touch called InControl. Works great. If the remote had worked, this would have been 5 stars. (SEE UPDATE BELOW)Pros:-easy to install/use-works in Windows 7-works with 64bit OS-picks up a good signal of the channels-recordings are the same quality as live tv-works in Media Center-turned my PC into TiVo for $50Cons:-remote doesn't work (See update below)-occasionally channels will have static and be a little flaky (but this is more likely the cable I have plugged into it than the card)-digital wouldn't work in WMCConclusion:Regardless of the remote that doesn't work,(see update below) this was well worth the money. It installed without a hitch, works great in Media Center, and now I can record all the shows that I like and never have time to watch when they are on TV. If you are someone like me that likes a few TV shows but don't have the time during the week when new episodes air to watch it, this is perfect for you. It is the cheapest TV Tuner you will find, but still works well for the function of watching live TV or recording.------------Update 7/14/2011--------------- (changed from 4 to 5 stars because of this)I contacted Hauppauge customer service about the remote not working. After a few emails back and forth trying to troubleshoot, when we determined we thought it was a faulty IR Receiver cable, the guy sent me a new one, free of charge, no shipping costs either. Arrived 3 days later. Plugged it in. Now I have the remote working in both WinTV7 AND in WMC! Great customer service

So far I LOVE this product. The only reason why I didn't give it five stars is because I just got this a few weeks ago and I want to make sure it lasts for more than a couple of months. After reading the reviews, I decided to give it a shot because of the good price. Most of the reviews on it were very good, with some reviews being pretty bad. I realize that we all have different types of computers, Mac and PC, Old and New, Windows XP and Windows 7, etc..Before I give my full review let me say that I have a PC that is about a year old with 4gb memory and 1tb hard drive. It has an Athlon Quad Core processor and Windows 7. I also live in a large metro city, which I'm told may play a factor in how many channels you can get and the kind of antenna you may need. If any of you have a similar PC and live in a similar city than I hope my review helps.Setup was pretty simple with only one issue (stated below). I connected a basic rabbit ears antenna that I had for over five years and was ecstatic that it picked up all of the channels that my basic digital tv box gets. The HD channels were surprisingly very crisp. I love the fact that you can click the rewind button if you have to leave the room for a moment. This eliminates the need to record the program if you don't want to. I'm not sure if the rewind option is available on every channel, but on the the movies and shows that I've watched the option worked fine. Recording is very simple, but be prepared to use up a bunch of hard drive space when recording a show under the "Best" quality. 1 hour shows can go up to 5gb in size. You'll have to lower the quality if you want a smaller size file. I haven't tried the remote that came free and still haven't tried the tv guide feature that's available through online so I won't comment on those but I have used the S-Video slot and hooked it up with my baby cam. It comes with an AV adapter to plug in the S-Video slot and connects to the cam without a problem. Now i can do some work while my son is sleeping and have a minimized screen on my computer so that I can make sure he's fine and see when he wakes up.Windows 7 UsersThis tuner DOES work with Windows 7. I was a little nervous because I read some users saying that it did not. The issue that I had, and I'm guessing they might have had the same issue, was when I first installed the pci card and turned on my pc, the windows message screen popped up saying the driver did not install. I turned off my pc and tried it again with the same result. I was just about to call Hauppauge tech support when I decided to install the software anyway. Problem gone! Software loaded and driver showed up as recognized by windows.Comcast/Infinity UsersWith a few steps this tuner DOES work with your Comcast cable box. It DOES NOT work if you try to connect the tuner with the coax cable that comes out of your wall and set it up through "Digital QAM". All you'll get is a few hundred encrypted channels that you won't be able to see. The trick is to connect your cable box directly to your tuner. Now I know that Comcast offers online cable through their internet but if you're someone like me who only has Comcast TV, then that option is not for you.Here is the steps that I got from Hauppauge tech support:Got to Start Menu -> All Programs -> Hauppauge WinTV folder -> Advanced Options folder -> Empty Channel Database iconThese steps completely clear the channels that you already have and takes you to the "Device Setup Wizard" on WinTV. You then check the "Analog Tv" option and click Next twice until the tuner starts to scan for channels. As soon as it picks up just one channel click Stop. Click Next until it closes the setup wizard. Click on the TV icon and then...Viola!! With that one channel you can now watch cable with your Comcast remote. On Demand works too! The only issues I have right now with this is that it takes a second or two longer when changing the channels or navigating through ON Demand and the Guide channel. This is a little annoying but well worth the aggravation.*PS* I tried all of this with the basic Comcast box and not with the HD box. I also don't have any premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc.) so I can't be for sure that it works the same with them but I'm assuming you will get similar results.**PS** Do not expect to get a clear answer when calling Comcast. Best thing to do is call Hauppauge tech support. I called Comcast twice from a friend's phone pretending to be a new customer who needed to speak to tech support before I signed up with their service. After a few basic questions I casually brought up the fact that I had a tuner and was wondering if I could connect the cable box to my tuner. The first tech said that they would have to send me a "special box" that their technician would have to install. The second tech said that without Comcast internet the technician that comes to install my Cable TV will not even touch my computer because they don't want to be liable if something damages my PC.

This tuner card is terrific. On my old computer (with the same antenna and a 10 year old tuner card), I could pick up 3 over the air stations all of the time and 3 more "some of the time". With this new tuner card, I can pick up about 30 stations. The quality of the recordings is terrific. Also, the card installed no problems and the software installed without a hitch on my Windows 10 machine.If you are running Windows Media Center (Win 7 and older) ....the WinTV app is not a full replacement, but it is passable. The base software lets you set dates and times for recordings, but does not let you select a program from a tv guide. However, they do give you something that works fairly well... integration with a TitanTV web site. You can find your tv guide listings for free on that web site, and then click a link and it will automatically insert a program recording into your WinTV scheduler. So there's no ability (that I've detected) to record all new episodes of a series that I've found, but at least I can browse a tv guide and select the shows I want to record a week or two out.