picoStick USB Digital TV tuner is insanely small, but only in Europe

by **Joseph L. Flatley** posted Sep 16th 2009 at 6:33PM

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]

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Sep 12th 2009 at 3:46PM

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]

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Aug 10th 2009 at 11:00AM

With the Custom Electronic Design & Installation show in Atlanta only a month away, we thought it'd be fun to try and predict the future by laying out our expectations for Windows Media Center. The way we see it, CEDIA is the perfect launching pad for Windows 7 Media Center. For starters it is just over a month before the official release of the OS, but more so because Microsoft has used the venue in the past to announce new Media Center features. We really believe that this is going to be the year that Redmond brings everything together, so if you're the type who doesn't think it'll ever happen, then click through to find out why we think you're wrong.

by **Steven Kim** posted May 15th 2009 at 10:28PM

It looks like it took a little longer than expected, but the sale of Avid's Pinnacle PCTV line of TV tuners to Hauppauge has finally gone through. The handoff certainly seems to be getting started on the right foot -- Hauppauge has already fired up the PCTV Systems brand as a separate entity to keep things moving nice and smoothly. The new company's webpage offers a cornucopia of tuners in USB, PCI and PCMCIA flavors, all brandishing a revamped but strangely familiar logo. The PCTV products certainly are right in line with Hauppauge's other offerings, but from the looks of things, the PCTV brand will get treated to a little more colorful and polished marketing.

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Feb 4th 2009 at 1:13PM

The HD-PVR FAQ on Hauppauge's website has always been very clear that the reason why there wasn't support for Windows Media Center was because when it comes to Live TV, Vista Media Center couldn't handle h.264. So it should come as no surprise that now that the Windows 7 Beta has been out for a bit, someone has figured out a way to get the two to play together. The DVBSBridge add-on is available now for those who can't wait for Hauppauge's drivers and are of course running Windows 7 -- Vista fans need not apply -- but we'll warn you; we just took a look at the directions and this is not for the faint of heart.

[Via Geek Tonic]

by **Steven Kim** posted Jan 10th 2009 at 5:01AM

Hauppauge's HD-PVR just keeps getting new friends at CES this year -- first was the EyeTV, and now the PS3 has gained access to the club treehouse. Say goodbye to your workflow for getting HD PVR-recorded content to your PS3, the Hauppauge box now records directly to a PS3-ready format, with 5-channel audio intact. This is a step in the right direction for users who are determined to make the PS3 the center of all their entertainment, but in our view the setup will still be hampered by the experience of accessing lots of media through the PS3's UI. But by all means, if this functionality completes your AV puzzle, jump right in.

by **Darren Murph** posted Jan 9th 2009 at 10:51AM

Unless you're picking up a Mini 10 with an integrated TV tuner, you'll need one of these (or something similar) in order to pull down OTA signals on your Inspiron Mini. Dell has just announced a thumb-sized USB digital TV tuner (complete with a built-in telescoping and articulating antenna that retracts) catering to the Inspiron family which will start at just $50. Also of note, the company is intending to offer "regional-specific versions of the Digital TV Tuner, designed to receive local broadcast standards, including mobile digital television standards like ATSC in the US, DVB-T in Western Europe, ISDB-T 1-seg (a.k.a. One Seg) in Japan, and the emerging CMMB standard in China." It'll play nice with the Dell-customized version of Ubuntu Linux (8.04), Windows XP and Windows Vista Basic, and it's expected to ship later this quarter in Europe, followed by North America and Asia-Pacific / China soon after.

by **Steven Kim** posted Jan 9th 2009 at 3:41AM

Until now, people wanting a Mac HTPC that takes advantage of the good old analog hole have been limited to using the Hauppauge HD-PVR and SageTV. Thanks to Elgato adding support for the hardware into its EyeTV software, however, there should be some choice soon. Support for the hardware has been in beta since November, but users with a little bit of nerve can sign up to get in on the action. The HD-PVR may not be the most elegant solution to recording protected HD content down to disk, but at least it's workable; so if you're an EyeTV user who's been itching to add something beyond Clear QAM to your DVR's diet it's worth checking out.

by **Darren Murph** posted Oct 27th 2008 at 2:35PM

Announced today, the Pinnacle PCTV line will soon be property of Hauppauge Digital, not Avid Technology. After laying off 410 employees and divesting its Softimage 3-D game animation software business last Friday, the company has announced yet another major move in its restructuring efforts. According to Avid CEO Gary Greenfield, he's hoping to transform Avid's business into one that "focuses on software applications that not only meet consumer demand, but also complement our broader portfolio of video and audio solutions." Even he confessed that "PCTV [was] a compelling standalone hardware product and a better fit for Hauppauge, a recognized leader in the TV-viewing hardware market." While financial terms weren't disclosed, the deal is slated to close before the end of 2008, and the happy new owner has already announced its intentions to continue supporting and developing both the hardware and software components of the PCTV line.

by **Darren Murph** posted Jul 15th 2008 at 9:41AM

What's this? A DivX Connected device made by Hauppauge? Judging by the image above and information from Karolis, that's exactly what it is. The same folks who (finally) delivered the HD PVR seem to be hard at work on another home entertainment box, though your guess is as good as ours when it comes to purpose, specifications, color options and price. So much for that whole "worth a thousand words" thing, huh?

[Thanks, Karolis]

by **Darren Murph** posted Jun 21st 2008 at 11:57PM

Just about the pull the trigger on that warmly received AVerTV Bravo Hybrid, are you? Hold your horses just a moment. Hauppauge's WinTV-HVR-2250 recently hit the test bench over at PC Magazine, and we'll just get right down to the dirt: it was called "the gold standard of home theater PC TV tuners." That's right folks, the gold standard. Said card boasts twin hybrid tuners, dual hardware MPEG encoders and integrated QAM support, and apparently, using it was a real joy. Setup and installation was "a snap," and image quality was "crisp and clear." Really, the only dig reviewers had was that the QAM plug-in was still a bit unstable, but given that it is still in beta, that really shouldn't come as a surprise. Of note, this card will run you a touch more than the aforementioned AVerTV at $129, but it just might be worth it based on this glowing review.

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Jun 11th 2008 at 9:52PM

After a little bit of a delay the highly anticipated Hauppauge HD-PVR has finally gotten into user's hands and we're starting to get some first impressions. Our friend Brent Evans takes the time to write up his highs and lows with the new device. He is really happy with the picture quality -- despite the 2nd generation copy -- he loves having freedom to recording any source he wants in HD without worrying about DRM, but He isn't thrilled to pay the HD STB rental fees to the cable company, he's not a fan of the Ir blaster and says that setup could be easier. Overall he seems very pleased, but does point out that not everyone is so lucky, as many Hauppauge HD-PVR owners have apparently been experiencing over heating issues and can't use the device at all. Hauppauge is evidentially aware of the problem and believes it may be addressable in a firmware update, but nonetheless it is issuing some RMAs.

by **Darren Murph** posted May 30th 2008 at 6:02PM

The wait has been long, but according to one particular fellow who pre-ordered a Hauppauge HD-PVR, these puppies are finally leaving the dock. Just yesterday, his credit card was at long last charged the $249 required to take one home, and according to company sales, 500 or so have already had shipping labels applied, with another 500 expected to ship before June 4th. We're hearing that the hold-up had something to do with a faulty power supply, but regardless of the cause, folks who've been waiting patiently can finally look forward to pushing patience aside.

[Via TVSquad]

by **Darren Murph** posted May 16th 2008 at 12:49PM

Folks possessing a Hauppauge HVR-1250, HVR-1600, HVR-1800 or HVR-2250 -- have we got an interesting tidbit for you. A fresh new beta plug-in has surfaced, which promises to give the aforementioned cards ClearQAM support within 32- and 64-bit Vista Media Center environments. Initial reports are somewhat disappointing, but encouraging nonetheless. Those with nerves of steel can hit the read link and proceed to download the beta -- but only if you promise to tell us how it goes in comments below.

[Via Chris Lanier's Blog, thanks Will]

by **Darren Murph** posted Apr 25th 2008 at 2:24PM

If you've been looking beneath couch cushions in an attempt to scrounge up enough cash to pick up a pair of Hauppauge HD PVRs for some sweet dual recording action, hold your horses just a second. We're seeing conflicting reports floating around the web stating that Hauppauge isn't officially supporting dual tuner setups, yet some inquiries are yielding the opposite response. Interestingly, we've heard that the HD PVR drivers actually do understand multiple tuner setups, but the outfit has yet to test and officially acknowledge support for such scenarios. For those who already grabbed a couple, why not give it a go and let us know how it turns out? Either way, we're hoping Hauppauge clears this up in short order, but we'd probably steer clear of ordering several until that happens.

[Via TV Squad]

Read - HD PVRs don't support dual tuner setups
Read - HD PVRs do support dual tuner setups

Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Assassin's Creed 2's final dev diary takes us into Ezio's villa This is Modern Warfare 2's official launch party	Droid Does... only have 256MB of storage for apps With AdMob purchase, there's really no escaping Google advertising now Windows 7 security defeated by 8 out of 10 malware applications
Confirmed: 10.6.2 removes Atom CPU support from Snow Leopard Wireless Keyboard Update 2.0 now available Shacking up: iPhone sales plan at RadioShack sparks rally	Ray of light: U.S. temp worker hiring increased by 34k in October Cameron International: Pull-back is an opportunity Twenty years ago today, economic freedom returned to Eastern Europe
Xbox 360 Fancast 142 -- ODSB XBLM Deal of the Week: Saints Row 2 DLC Crackdown HDD installation now available	VIDEO: BMW M3 GTS takes to the track CR&S DUU Concept is a mototerminator for the rest of us Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 11.9.09
PC game sales start hitting early New Left 4 Dead patch adds 4 on 4 competitive matchmaking Atari confirms February 2 launch date for Star Trek Online	Fed-Up K.C. Ownership Pushed to Act Larry Johnson Released, Redskins Already Expressing Interest Bengals a Win Away From Controlling AFC North

picoStick USB Digital TV tuner is insanely small, but only in Europe

Hauppauge to expand its offerings to include a CableCARD tuner

CEDIA 2009 Windows Media Center predictions

Hauppauge puts a fresh coat of paint on its newly-acquired PCTV tuners

Windows 7 gets Hauppauge HD-PVR support via 3rd party

Hauppauge HD-PVR now plays nice with PS3

Dell USB Digital TV Tuner announced for Inspiron Mini family

Elgato adds support for the Hauppauge HD-PVR

Avid sells PCTV product line to Hauppauge Digital

Hauppauge DivX Connected device in the wild

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 TV tuner gets reviewed, loved

A first look at the Hauppauge HD-PVR

Hauppauge HD-PVR now shipping

Hauppauge tuners net QAM support in Vista MCE, thanks to beta plug-in

Hauppauge not officially supporting dual tuner setups with HD PVR?

Windows 7 media center review

Logitech Harmony Adapter for Playstation 3 review

HD 101: What is ATSC, PSIP, QAM, and 8-VSB?

How to install a CableCARD tuner in your DIY Media Center

DISH Network launches remote DVR control

Engadget HD Podcast 157 - 09.29.2009

Paradigm SUB 25 subwoofer review

Engadget goes behind the Dolby logo

Breaking news Feed

Featured stories Feed

Resources

Sections

Hardware

Manufacturers

Channels

Technology

Delivery

Programming