pcHDTV :: View topic - Using The HD-3000 in WindowsXP

waterhead · Last edited by waterhead on Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:50 am; edited 1 time in total

I have been working on using the pcHDTV HD-3000 in the Windows platform. I chose to use Media Portal. It is a free, opensource program. It is still in the developemental stage, so keep that in mind. Another program that I tried was GBPVR, but I preferred Media Portal.

Following are the steps I used to get it working:

1) A clean install of WindowsXP is desirable. My first attempt was on an existing installation, while I had the HD-3000 working, after an update the computer would constantly crash. I reinstalled WinXP, ServicePack2 and all of the updates. A separate partition for the video is also desireable.

2) Install all drivers for the motherboard.

3) Install audio & video drivers.

4) Install the Windows drivers for the HD-3000. These are found on the installation disc in the windows folder. The disc can be downloaded from the pcHDTV web site:

http://www.pchdtv.com/downloads/HD-3000-CD-04.tar.gz

Install them according to the instructions on the disc. The directions for testing it are incorrect, it wants you to load the WDM tuner, when you want the BDA tuner. More on testing it later.

5) Download and install Media Portal:

http://www.team-mediaportal.com/

6) Run GraphEdit. It can be obtained from Media Portal:

http://www.shspvr.com/graph_build/download/graphedit_dx9.zip

7) Follow the instructions on the Media Portal web site on how to install a card. Do this before running the Media Portal setup.

http://www.team-mediaportal.com/mpwiki/Add_TVCard_to_natively_supported_list

You need to select the "Microsoft ATSC Network Provider" instead of the DVBT the instructions say. You don't have to write down all of the stuff that the directions say to do, this is for submitting a card that is not on their list. The HD-3000 is already on their list, but I needed to make one change.

I changed this line:

<filter cat="tunerdevice" name="Conexant 2388x BDA ATSC Tuner/Demod" checkdevice="true"/>

To this:

<filter cat="tunerdevice" name="Conexant BDA ATSC Tuner/Demod" checkdevice="true"/>

This information was obtained from the graph, your setup may be different.

8) Download XMLTV and put it in the XMLTV folder under Media Portal, in the Program Files section.

9) Run the Media Portal setup wizard. I was able to scan for ATSC channels as part of setup wizard. This takes a LONG time. It scans 255 channels and takes about 15 seconds for each channel scan, so allow about an hour. Also, follow this recommendation from the Media Portal forum:
http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/viewtopic.php?t=12801

The first time that I ran it, it crashed the computer after a short time. When checking the setup I found that it was not using the video codec that I wanted. Go to the settings section in the main screen to change it. I am using the nVidia PureVideo decoder and BOB for deinterlacing. It hasn't crashed again (knock on wood).

That's it! I'll add anything that comes to mind.

sonnik

Good info. I had overlooked the .pdf document with instructions on how to install the Windows drivers.

I'm still having a few problems (audio) - but I'm sure I can figure that out. However, good work actually documenting how to do something like this.

waterhead

Thanks.

I thought that I would be raked over the coals for even suggesting using Windows, on this forum. Instead, I mostly have been ignored.

I have a thread started at the Media Portal forums on using the HD-3000. It may give you more info:

Using the pcHDTV card in Media Portal

I just put in a new motherboard, so I'll be completely redoing my system. I want to wait a bit because I've installed this copy of WinXP so many times, they will not let me activate it again! I don't have that problem with Linux.

Paul

Scott Larson

waterhead

Jim

I at one time was greatly helped with a member of the forum to get my first PCHDTV box going, a small case that I also wanted to use as a portable gaming and home media box...Take with me to game or OTA HDTV PVR to test home theaters.
Spent months, with FC3, could run would not trust it as a parachute.

Got a Dragon franchise for my shop, It will do everything as advertised.

But it is in the same realm as an experimental airplane design..It will work but it may crash easily.

I recently trained to be certified by ISF. Windows is coming down our throat like w95 as a consumer appliance as a M$ Windows home media system. I tell my customers to try Linux stuff, but they are already seeing the windows home media stuff in stores. This is like W95 to me..Sucky but easy to understand.
My ISF teacher was involved in the home theater calibration software included in the oem WHMC distribution.
Believe me, this hurts...
I would have to spend a few hours getting my Dragon demo set up to record say the Tour de France, and I would get it, perfectly in 1080i, cut out commercials, transfer recording to DVD in data files without further compression, to keep forever or put on DVD. If my wife read this, she would not understand. TIVO is what my wife would understand and M$ is trying for this.
BTW Join EFF.org and IPACTION.org so we can keep tivo and pchdtv stuff.
DRM and HDMI and HDCP = bad stuff.

Scott Larson