Why Do I chose this device
I Install Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (MCE 2005) on my laptop (
DELL Inspiron 8600), then I decide to keep it for a while. The first hardware that you should have to enjoy MCE is a Remote Control. I was looking for one the range of price are from US$30 to US$40 + Shipping (or tax), on eBay you can get one for US$20 if you are lucky enough. The second hardware that I was looking for was a
TV Tuner. Because I am dealing with a laptop, I do have two options for a TV tuner: PCMCIA or USB. I found one PCMCIA, but was pricey (over US$120), and in long term is less useful that a USB. So I start looking for a USB TV tuner (compatible USB 2.0) with MCE drivers.
Hauppauge is making a kit version of the USB for MCE that include a
Remote Control 
. I did some
Froogle and believe or not, a retail store had a better price than any other internet vendor.
Compusa had an excellent price of US$99+ Tax (after US$30 instant rebate + US$20 Mail-in-Rebate), so I paid $129 and I will wait for US$20 by mail. My simple math at the end... the price for the TV tuner is only ~US$60, because I was willing to pay US$40 for the remote control. Finally, I will have a PVR (Personal Video Recorder)!
Installation
Install a MCE from scratch has its own
problems (drivers and hardware requirements). I did a clean installation of MCE 2005 (there is no other way). I installed the software with the patches (including the
Update Rollup 2). Then I install the drivers to see my movies in
DivX and
xVid format ( I have a lot). Also I install a nice component called
My Movies to watch them. I am just trying and it looks nice. I went to Compusa to get the new toy.
So after got home I installed the USB Device in my computer (image the number of cables around my living room). The kit came one a small (very small) set of instructions. It is just one page divided in four. As usually I installed, then I read. The TV tuner did not work!
. However the FM radio was working ok. MCE keep telling me
"The tuner hardware is either malfunctioning or not installed" 
. After couples of hours doing research on internet, I figure out that I did not install the DVD software
. So I went back to my CD/DVD archives and found the CD with the PowerDVD. I installed it and the TV tuner start working.
Hardware Connections and Remote Control
The connections in the back are clean, have a TV-Tuner and FM Input, Power, and USB 2.0. I did not use the rear inputs, but I will. I pretend to convert all my all tapes (VHS and 8mm) to a DVD format. MCE will help me, isn't it? The remote control came with all need it, even batteries. Take a look to the next pictures.
First Impression
I am just playing with MCE and the USB TV Tuner, still need to learn and tune-up the system. However for a USB device is pretty good, the sound is not as good as expected, but I think I need to improve the connection (very important for analog signals). The USB device remains pretty hot, so you must to put it in a 'fresh' area. The remote control is better than expected. Included one IR sensor, long cables, etc. Just is white and I prefer black, but that's ok. Couples of comments:
- Recording TV Shows: As you know, you can set the quality fro fair to excellent (I think MCE Record TV Shows from 2MBits/sec to 9MBits/sec)
- Changing channels: The device is slower than my TV to change channel, but you can live with that. It is not a big deal
- FM Quality: I just try with a bad antenna position, so I did not hear a good quality of sound, but was because of the connection and not the USB device.
- TV Quality: Still working in the connection, but looks like a little worse than my TV. I will make an update later on.
- TV Sound: mmm, even worse than the TV Quality, but again, I just install everything, and need to setup the cables and the connection in a better way. I will make an update later on
- Portability: USB rocks!, however I will looking for an easy installation in non-MCE systems.
Final Thought
This is a very good USB 2.0 device, you get a very good Remote Control as 'extra', an acceptable TV Quality with direct connection to MCE (painless).
Included in this package
WinTV-PVR-USB2 device with 125 channel cable ready TV tuner, FM radio receiver, MPEG-2 hardware audio/video encoder
- Media Center remote control
- Media Center remote control transmitter and receiver ('beanbag')
- Wall mounted power supply
- 1 meter USB cable
- FM radio antenna
- WinTV-PVR Media Center Installation CD-ROM includes:
WinTV-PVR-USB2 driver for Windows XP Media Center Edition
Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2 MCE-Kit
