Compro VideoMate U2600F question

[marc1024]

Im looking at buying the Compro VideoMate U2600F so i can watch F1 in HD on my pc.
I just want to ask is the HD any good on these? i was told the other PCI and USB solutions would stream HD but its not "full HD" and its a big difference between watching it on a 1920x1080 monitor and on a full HD tv.

Would it be worth buying this as im only going to watch F1 in HD or should i just save and get a HD tv?
Thanks
Marc

 

[Tealc]

I'm looking at that device on some website and nowhere in the description does it state that it's dvb-t2 so it won't be suitable for picking up HD via freeview in the uk.

It's a bit naughty for these uk sites to mislead people by showing it as having HD support where available as if you didn't know you could easily waste your money thinking it'd be fine.

Make sure the device you buy says DVB-T2.

As far as I can tell most Uk transmitters broadcast at 1440x1080 interlaced at 50hz. This basically gives 1440x1080 resolution at 25hz. The dvb-t2 device you use has no bearing on the 1920 vs 1440 thing. Even lowly usb2 is more than capable of streaming the <20mbit stream.

I've got to say that the HD F1 looks awesome and with my 1080p TV switched to 50hz refresh rate to match the stream it's even better. Smooth and detailed.

I use the Hauppage/PCTV 290e Nanostick which I got for 60 quid, which works well with Win Media Centre.

 

[Ripshod]

You're right Tealc, this card is not compatible with Freeview HD (strangely none of the cards on ocuk are compatible?). If you want HD the standard to look for is DVB-T2. Blackgold have a PCI-e dual tuner but a bit expensive for now. I have seen a USB box somewhere (looks like a set-top box) around £50 but I can't remember where. IMHO, though Formula 1 is a good reason to go HD, is it worth the premium at the moment, or better to wait a few more months. Even if a cards spec mentions HDTV or 1080p or whatever, if it don't say DVB-T2 it aint HD.

 

[marc1024]

I'm looking at that device on some website and nowhere in the description does it state that it's dvb-t2 so it won't be suitable for picking up HD via freeview in the uk.

It's a bit naughty for these uk sites to mislead people by showing it as having HD support where available as if you didn't know you could easily waste your money thinking it'd be fine.

Make sure the device you buy says DVB-T2.

As far as I can tell most Uk transmitters broadcast at 1440x1080 interlaced at 50hz. This basically gives 1440x1080 resolution at 25hz. The dvb-t2 device you use has no bearing on the 1920 vs 1440 thing. Even lowly usb2 is more than capable of streaming the <20mbit stream.

I've got to say that the HD F1 looks awesome and with my 1080p TV switched to 50hz refresh rate to match the stream it's even better. Smooth and detailed.

I use the Hauppage/PCTV 290e Nanostick which I got for 60 quid, which works well with Win Media Centre.

I was looking into the dvb-t2 stuff but i saw the compro u2600f on the OCUK website and it said it does HDTV but nothing about dvb-t2, that probably explains why the bad reviews for it?

How is the hauppage for you? was it easy to install ?

 

[Tealc]

I was looking into the dvb-t2 stuff but i saw the compro u2600f on the OCUK website and it said it does HDTV but nothing about dvb-t2, that probably explains why the bad reviews for it?

How is the hauppage for you? was it easy to install ?

As I recall it was plug in to the USB port, plug in aerial lead, install drivers and PCTV software, tune in and start watching. The tuning took a good while though so be prepared.

The PCTV software does a good job but did get a little crashy on me at time so I went with WMC as it's solid, stable and can wake the PC from sleep (this is really handy) record what it needs to and then go back to sleep.

The Hauppage/PCTV 290e nanostick is a single tuner device. If you want to record one channel while watching another you'll need a different device, the Blackgold perhaps.

 

[marc1024]

As I recall it was plug in to the USB port, plug in aerial lead, install drivers and PCTV software, tune in and start watching. The tuning took a good while though so be prepared.

The PCTV software does a good job but did get a little crashy on me at time so I went with WMC as it's solid, stable and can wake the PC from sleep (this is really handy) record what it needs to and then go back to sleep.

The Hauppage/PCTV 290e nanostick is a single tuner device. If you want to record one channel while watching another you'll need a different device, the Blackgold perhaps.

cheers for that!
When recording how much HDD space would you need if you wanted to record 2 hours off F1 in hd?

 

[Tealc]

You are looking at around 8GB just for the race. Strangely even though the first 3 races were different lengths to the tune of 10 minutes difference they all worked out about the same.

If you record the whole race transmission it's about 15GB and for qualifying it's around 12GB.