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FAQ

Nov 13th, 2008 by StevenToth

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10.6 Snow Leopard related Questions

  • Is HDPVRCapture compatible with OSX 10.6, Snow Leopard? Yes.
  • After recording a file with either 5.1 or 2 channels AC3 audio, then converting it to .mp4, and trying to open it with the new QuickTime Player X (v10) I get an error: “The Document ‘something.mp4′ could not be opened”. Quicktime v10 does not appear to have good AC3 support in certain container types. If you navigate to /Applications/QuickTime Player and Get Info, then change the settings to “Open in 32-bit mode”, all of your .mp4 files should open normally. So, this is starting to sound like an Apple’s 64bit QuickTime issue. Another workaround, open the file with QuickTime v7.
  • Recordings with AAC audio open perfectly in Quicktime Player 10, but AC3 based recordings do not. Why? See the AC3 comments above.
  • When monitoring the CPU’s, and playing back recordings in QuickTime 10 vs QuickTime 7 I don’t see any performance improvements. Why? Me neither, in my tests v7 was just as fast as v10 on a 8 core MacPro.
  • QuickTime Player X is driving me nuts, how do I get back to QuickTime 7? See this link. Apple provide QuickTime 7 for free, you just have to install it.

Basic Recording and Playback Questions

  • Can I really record HD video and Dolby Digital 5.1 Live or Pre-Recorded TV Shows or Movies from my DirectTV, Dish Network, Cable Company or other set-top-box (STB) to my Intel/PPC Mac, then play it back? Yes.
  • Can I use HDPVRCapture to record shows that my DVR has already recorded? Yes.
  • Can I playback these recordings in Quicktime, VLC or burn them to disc (using Toast)? Yes.
  • Can I automate and control the STB using the IRBlaster to change channels automatically? Yes.
  • Can I schedule recordings? Yes, via TitanTV in v2.x or via Zap2It for Canadian customers. (If you need support for another EPG just let me know).
  • Can you automatically add recordings to iTunes? Yes, once the file has been converted into a MP4. This typically takes 20 seconds for a 30 minute show.
  • So I can automate and record all of my HD TV shows easily using HDPVRCapture , TitanTV or Zap2It TV listings? Yes.
  • I prefer to use different encoder settings, can I change the defaults and will they be preferred if I restart the application? Yes, see the Advanced section below.
  • I have a network of Macs, or a Video server, or a Drobo, can I choose the destination folder for all recordings? Yes.
  • This sounds complicated! Is HDPVRCapture easy to use? Yes, everything defaults to the most common settings. Just connect the HDPVR, start HDPVRCapture and press record! If you want advanced settings HDPVRCapture has those too, but you don’t need them!
  • (joke) Is HDPVRCapture cool? Oh Yeah! I work as a software engineer at Hauppauge Computer Works and we make the HDPVR so I KNOW EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS. I can say for certain that HDPVRCapture is cool! :)
  • How do I buy HDPVRCapture? Easy, click here to go to the Ordering page!
  • When I playback a .mp4 the audio is mute or the video is green. Answer: Install Perian 1.1.2 then try again. If you want to specifically use Perian 1.1.3 then read this. You have to change Perians default. Run this command from the terminal window to re-enable good video on Perian 1.1.3 ”defaults write org.perian.Perian DecodeAllProfiles -bool true”

Intel and PPC related Questions

  • Will HDPVRCapture work on my PPC G5? Yes, It’s a universal binary and it works on 10.4 10.5 and 10.6, Intel or PPC.
  • My Elgato software won’t work on PPC, are you sure HDPVRCapture will work? Yes.
  • Can I record HD on a G3? Yes. I have a G3 B&W tower doing basic captures.
  • So can I record shows with low-end hardware? Yes. You finally have a use for that lonely G3 (10.4 required).
  • Will the G3 playback the recordings? No. These older machines simply don’t have the raw CPU do decode HD H.264. However, like me you use your G3 as a video server and make those recordings available to other Macs for playback.
  • Are you sure HDPVRCapture can record HD content on PPC? Yes, read my lips. HDPVRCapture will record HD on PPC.
  • Will HDPVRCapture work on my older B&W G3 Tower? Yes, but if you have USB1.1 ports you’ll need to keep the encoder bitrates down to a sensible limit (8Mbps). You won’t be able to playback any content because this system doesn’t have enough CPU power, but it’s a great (low cost) network capturing device. Simply expose the Movies folder via networking sharing. I’m going to write up an article on this.

Scheduling and automatically Recording

  • Can I schedule recordings with HDPVRCapture so I can record Live TV from my DirectTV STB? Yes
  • How difficult is it to schedule recordings? Simple. HDPVRCapture integrates with TitanTV and Zap2It so you can use their web guide to select shows and HDPVRCapture will integrate those with iCal. Scheduling is very simple with v2.x.
  • Do you support my country? Maybe, if you are in North America then YES. If you need EPG support in another country then email me. I want to hear from you!
  • I want to schedule recordings using my own software, so can I trigger a recording from iCal, for scheduling purposes? Yes, see this article. iCal support is native with v2.x.
  • How do I schedule a recording from Zap2it.com? It’s a simple drag’n'drop action. In HDPVRCapture switch to the iCal view. In Firefox or Safari navigate to the zap2it tvlistings grid. Drag and drop the show name into the hdpvrcapture ical view. HDPVRCapture will confirm the details with you, simply click OK to schedule the recording.
  • How do I schedule a recording using TitanTV? Using your favorite browser navigate to TitanTV.com and create yourself an account. Set your zipcode and hardware to a Hauppauge PVr350. Now, when you next navigate to the TV grid you will see a red record button for each show. Click this red button and your browser will download a file called ‘program.tvpi’. Do to your downloads folder and Open the file. HDPVRCapture will instantly recognize it and confirm the scheduling details with you. Click OK to schedule the recording.

Capturing from your Set Top Box, Wii, PS3 or other Video Source

  • Can I record Dolby Digital 5.1 with HD H.264 video from my DirectTV, Dish or cable companies STB? Yes.
  • Can I use HDPVRCapture to record live TV from my DirectTV, Dish or cable companies STB? Yes. Connect the Component cables from the STB to the HDPVR, switch channel on the STB (either manually or automatically using the HDPVR IRBlaster) and press Record on HDPVRCapture. Voila!
  • I just want to capture HD for playback on my PS3, what resolution is best? 1080i or 720p work equally well on the PS3.
  • Can I record the output of a XBOX360, Wii or PS3? Yes.
  • When I record from the Wii I get odd errors, no video, green video, unstable video or I’m unable to record what-so-ever. A bug? Sort of. You need to make sure your HDPVR is running the May 7th (or higher) firmware. When you press record, check the date on the top right. If it’s not May 7th or high then you’ll need to use a windows machine to upgrade your firmware..

Editing Recordings, Making DVD’s, iTunes, AppleTV or Playback support

  • Can you edit the recordings in iMovie, Quicktime or Final Cut? Yes. This feature was added in v2.4.1. You’ll need to convert the .m2ts into .mp4 by dragging and dropping the .m2ts file into the HDPVRCapture Conversion panel, then right click on the status column then Run the conversion. It should take 30-40 seconds for a typical recording. The resulting .mp4 file can be used with lots of Mac applications. It also produces a logfile in the same folder location if something goes badly wrong.
  • Do you have a walkthrough for capturing PS3/360 footage and doing some edit work in iMovie? Visit DizzyDoug.TV on YouTube. Doug was kind enough to put together a 10 minute video showing how to capturing game footage and editing with HDPVRCapture and iMovie. Check it out here or search on YouTube for DizzyDoug’s other videos. Kudos to Doug!
  • Why does is take a massive amount of time to import the mp4 into iMovie? It shouldn’t! To speed up the import make sure you DO NOT select Optimize Video on the iMovie import screen..
  • Can the HDPVR scale my 480i recordings into 1080i or 720p? No.
  • Are HDPVRCapture recordings compatible with product X, Y, or Z? I’ve imported recordings successfully into iMovie ’09, MPEG StreamClip v1.9.2, FrontRow (Tested 10.5.6), Final Cut Pro v6.0.5, QuickTime Player / QuickTime Pro v7.6, they all work fine. Plex 0.7.13 is known NOT to work, it displays all video as a moving grey blob.
  • Can I burn HD DVD’s playable in my Bluray player? Yes, with the help of Roxio Toast v10. HDPVRCapture recordings are compatible with Toast and you can easily create HD or Bluray DVD’s
  • Can it convert recordings into ipod formats? Not yet, this feature is scheduled for addition during the v2.x timeframe.
  • Can I playback the recordings on an AppleTV? I’m not sure, maybe if the bitrates are kept low. Try encoding at 2000 kbps and using AAC 2 channel audio.
  • When I playback a .mp4 the audio is fine but I get green video. Answer: Install Perian 1.1.2 then try again. If you want to specifically use Perian 1.1.3 then read this. You have to change Perians default. Run this command from the terminal window to re-enable good video on Perian 1.1.3 ”defaults write org.perian.Perian DecodeAllProfiles -bool true”
  • Can I use .ts files created by the windows apps with HDPVRCapture post processing? Yes.
  • I prefer to use different encoder settings, can I change the defaults and will they be preferred if I restart the application? Yes and Yes. Go into Preferences / Misc and disable “Always use the default application settings on startup”, then close the preferences window. After this, check the status in the lower left of the main window. The status should change from “Application Settings: Default: to “Application Settings: Custom”. Now any changes you make will become your defaults. To go back to the default settings simply reset the Preferences option.
  • Can I re-run post processing on a re-recorded file? Yes, see this article for v1.x. If you are running v2.x then simply drag and drop the .ts/.m2ts file into the post processing window, right click and select Run.

Network Streaming, UPnP PS3 support and Misc

  • Can I use a UPNP media server to playback the recordings remotely on my PS3? Yes, see this article.
  • So, I can stream HDPVR recordings via UPnP to my PS3 for instant playback? Yes, see this article.
  • Can you build a command line interface, I need to be able to script? Yes, see the v1.x version.
  • Can I burn HDPVRCapture recordings to DVD for playback on the PS3 or another BD player? Yes, but you’ll need Roxio’s Toast V10 with AVC / BD support.

Country / Geographic specific

  • Is the HDPVRCapture UI internationalized for my language? Only english is supported.
  • Does this work for PAL resolutions in Europe? Yes.
  • Does this work with my BSKYB UK STB? Yes.
  • I have a HD-PVR but it’s not the 1212 model, will HDPVRCapture still work? Yes, HDPVRCapture works with all HD-PVR models.
  • I’m in Canada and and TitanTV doesn’t cover my region, what do I do? Try Zap2It.com, this also works.

The Order and Purchase Process

  • Which serial number do I send when ordering HDPVRCapture? See Here, although you can send either the system profiler number or the number shown in HDPVRCapture itself – it doesn’t make any different to your final license key.
  • Why does the HDPVR serial number in System Profiler differ to the serial number shown in the HDPVRCapture? System profiler shows the serial number in hex base 16 format, HDPVRCapture shows the number the way it’s printed on your white product label on the bottom of the HDPVR.
  • How much does HDPVRCapture cost? See Here.
  • How do I purchase HDPVRCapture? See Here.
  • I don’t have a Paypal account but I do have a Credit Card, can I still purchase? Yes, PayPal can charge against your card easily.
  • I might not need HDPVRCapture, can I try a demo of HDPVRCapture before I buy? Yes, see Here.
  • I paid via Paypal, when will my license key arrive? I process the orders manually so I typically generate the license keys via email within 1-2 hours, but depending on the time of day it could take up to 8 hours to process your order.
  • I still haven’t received my license key, where is it? Check your email SPAM folder. Occasionally your mail application will consider the license key email as junk and either automatically delete it or move it into your SPAM folder.

Customer Support

  • I have a question and it’s not on your FAQ, what do I do? Email me. My contact details are on the About page
  • How often do you release new versions? The average is once every six weeks.
  • Will upgrades from versions 1.x to 2.x be free? For everyone who has helped with feedback on the avsforum, Yes.
  • What happens if I have a bug? Email me, please! Do other companies ignore your emails? I want HDPVRCapture to be the best HDPVR application. I can only do that if I’m listening to customers, helping them and continuously fixing new bugs. I’m all ears.

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