Support: WinTV-HVR-850

Latest applications and driver updates

Note: If you have run HCWCLEAR, you must reboot your PC and leave the WinTV-HVR-850 installed. After a reboot you will see the Found New Hardware Wizard installation message, hit Cancel. then continue below.

Note: to use the WinTV-HVR-850 with the Windows Media Center application, click the Windows Media Center install tab above.

WinTV v7 application and TV tuner driver download package

Note: A valid WinTV application CD-ROM (WinTV v6 or WinTV v7) will be needed to install this WinTV v7 version

Any WinTV 7 application CD can be used during the install. If you do not have your original WinTV CD-ROM but would like to update to WinTV v7 or WinTV v8, you can purchase a new CD on the Hauppauge webstore for $9.95

To install the WinTV v7 application update

  • Download the WinTV v7 installation package to your PC. After downloading this file, the file is normally saved in the Download directory on your PC
  • Insert your original valid WinTV CD in your CD-ROM drive
  • Run wintv7_cd from the Download directory on your PC

Download:

WinTV v7 installation package, version 3.9g
For Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP

File name: wintv7_cd_3.9g.exe
File size: 151.4 MB
Date: 02/12/2015

This download is a complete installation package, including drivers for supported WinTV products plus the WinTV v7 application and utilities.

Installation notes:

A valid WinTV application CD-ROM will be needed to install this WinTV v7 version. Any WinTV v6 or WinTV 7 application CD can be used during the install. If you do not have your original WinTV CD-ROM but would like to update to WinTV v7, you can purchase a new CD on the Hauppauge webstore for $9.95

If you have a WinTV v7.2 CD-ROM with Extend, then the latest version of WinTV Extend will also be installed.

To install WinTV v7 on a PC or laptop without a CD-ROM drive

If your PC or laptop does not have a CD-ROM drive, do the following:

  • at the conclusion of the installation a dialog box will pop up saying "Activation required"
  • Click Enter Product Code
  • You will find the Product code on your WinTV v7 Installation CD
  • Enter the Product code including dashes and dots

Release notes for WinTV v7 version 3.9G:

  • Update to the WinTV-HVR-955Q driver to fix problems seen when switching channels quickly
  • Fixed an error "You do not have access to make the required system configuration modifications..."
  • Increased Pause Buffer bar size
  • Fixed TitanTV tvpi file association bug
  • New WinTV-NOVA-HD-USB 2 driver to fix issues in Turkey and other countries with low symbol rates
  • New WinTV-HVR-1975 driver to fix issues with 6875 Symbol rate
  • Fixed no Extend tab showing on upgrade installation

Windows Driver

To install the latest driver:

Leave your WinTV-HVR plugged into your PC. Follow the following steps:

  • Download the WinTV-HVR driver update
  • Run the driver installer
  • This will install the WinTV-HVR base driver. At the completion of the driver install you should see a message which says Drivers have been updated successfully

Windows Media Center

SoftMCE Setup

File name: SoftMCE_setup.exe
File size: 2.3 Mb
Date: 4/14/2010

Setting up your TV tuner in Windows 7 Media Center

Bug fixes for the Windows Media Center "Low bit rate" error message

Microsoft has released Windows Media Center patches for the "Low bit rate" error message.

Click to view the information from Microsoft.

Remapping clear QAM channels in Windows 7 Media Center

Accessory software for the WinTV-HVR-850

WinTV Digital Signal Strength Indicator

The WinTV Digital Signal Strength indicator displays information about the quality of the digital TV channel you are watching. This application is used with the WinTV v10, 8 and v7 applications.

The WinTV Digital Signal Strength must be used with one of the Hauppauge WinTV applications. It cannot be used stand alone.

Click here for instructions on using this application.

IR Remote control application

Remote control applet. After you run this applet, an icon will appear in your Windows device tray showing that the Hauppauge remote control is active.

Name: 2.71.33113_IR32.exe
Size: 450KB
Updated: April /2015

WinTV-Scheduler update for WinTV version 6

This TV program scheduler for WinTV version 6 allows 'background recording' on dual tuner WinTV products.

Name: sched25_26071.exe
Size: 3.8 MB
Updated: March 11, 2008

Soft MCE driver

This file is required for analog TV in Windows Media Center.

Name: softmce_setup.exe
Size: 2.2 MB
Updated: 4/14/2010

None at this time.

3rd Party Applications

NextPVR

Is a free Personal Video Recorder (PVR) and Media Centre application for Microsoft Windows.

SnapStream Beyond TV™ 4 : "Proving that a PC can rival TIVO" !

  • Supports the latest Hauppauge TV tuners.
  • Record more than one show at the same time or watch one while recording another with multi-tuner support
  • Record an entire TV series Record one show, every episodes, or only new episodes of your favorite show
  • Enjoy the full screen interface Choose shows and setup recordings from the comfort of your couch
  • Easily find shows using the integrated Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
  • Record and watch HDTV shows with over-the-air HD support on the WinTV-HVR-1250
  • Skip commercials with SmartSkip
  • Find shows faster with the new browse by category feature, or search by title or keyword
  • No subscription fees
  • Schedule recordings away from home via the Internet or a web-ready phone
  • Download FREE 21-day trial today

What Operating Systems are supported by the WinTV-HVR-850?

  • Microsoft Windows 10, 8 and 7 -32 and 64 bit
  • Windows Vista (all versions), 32-bit and 64-bit
  • Windows XP, XP Pro or Windows XP Media Center Edition, with Service Pack 2 (or greater.)

System Requirements

  • Minimum processor recommended:
  • 2.2 GHz P4 or 1.8 GHz Centrino or equivalent (minimum).
  • 2.8 GHz processor for analog TV recording with MPEG-2 (minimum).
  • Graphics display adapter with 64MB of memory (minimum).
  • Sound card or system.
  • USB 2.0 port (will not work with USB 1.1).
  • CD-ROM drive (for Software installation).

Can I use the WinTV-HVR-850 with Media Center?

Yes, the WinTV-HVR-850 can be used in Windows XP or Vista Media Center. Simply download and install the latest MCE Kit from the Hauppauge website, which will install the driver and necessary "Hauppauge MCE Soft Encoder".  Under Windows 7 only the driver is required, the Soft Encoder is included with the OS. Here is the link: http://hauppauge.lightpath.net/software/mce/mcekit_setup.exe

Please note: you will only be able to configure WinTV-HVR-850 as either an Digital tuner or an Analog tuner. You will not be able to switch between Digital and Analog channels.

NOTE: You must set up an analog TV tuner in Media Center first before you can proceed to set up a digital tuner.

What type of channels will I receive with the WinTV-HVR-850?

NTSC Analog CableTV or over-the-air analog TV: You can use your cable TV from the wall to connect to the WinTV-HVR-850 and receive all of your basic Cable TV channels. You can also use a roof top antenna to receive "over-the-air" TV.

ATSC over-the-air digital TV: Supports all ATSC formats, up to the high definition 1080i format!

NOTE: For ATSC digital TV, a rooftop/out door antenna is recommended for optimal results/signal strength.

Analog channels are MONO audio only.

Digital channels are STEREO.

Can I get HD with the WinTV-HVR-850 through my Cable or Satellite box?

No. The WinTV-HVR-850 has an ATSC over-the-air digital TV tuner built-in and supports all ATSC formats, up to the high definition 1080i format . The WinTV-HVR-850 will support ATSC broadcasts that are currently being transmitted over-the-air. It will not be able to decode HD broadcasts that come through your cable or satellite box. QAM is not supported.

What type of recordings can I make with the WinTV-HVR-850?

Using the WinTV 7 application the WinTV-HVR-850, will record in a transport stream (TS)
For ATSC digital TV recordings, the recording format and bit rate is exactly the same as the broadcast format (i.e. ATSC 1080i is recorded at 1080i).
For NTSC analog cable TV recordings, our SoftPVR is used to create Transport Stream files (TS)


Note: TS files can be converted to MPEG files using options in the WinTV 7 configuration menu.
Note: The WinTV 6 application recording are in MPEG format for both digital and analog.
Note: Not all recordings made with ATSC signals are DVD compliant.

Can I record one show while watching another with the WinTV-HVR-850?

No. The WinTV-HVR-850 will only be able to record the program that is being viewed using the supplied software.

You will not be able to watch a digital channel and record an analog channel simultaneously or vice versa due to the fact there is only a single tuner on the WinTV-HVR-850.

Stream DShowError: 'Create Filters CLSID_MainConceptMPEGEncoder Class Not Registered (0x80040154)' error when attempting to record?

If using the WinTV 6 application this indicates that the 'Soft PVR' is not installed. To verify Soft PVR installation, look under control panel/add remove programs and you will see the Hauppauge WinTV Soft PVR. To reinstall SoftPVR, install the SoftPVRUpdate.exe from your WinTV CD ROM (located in the SoftPVR folder).

(Note: If a hardware encoder model WinTV is already installed on your system, this will prevent the SoftPVR from installing properly. In order to install SoftPVR in this case, go to device manager and temporarily disable the drivers for the WinTV hardware encoder product. Install the SoftPVR and once completed, you may re-enable the hardware encoder in the device manager.

Black video window or choppy video when watching a digital TV channel

If you are watching a digital TV channel and you see choppy video, no audio or a black screen, then it is possible your PC is not fast enough to decode and play the digital TV channel you are watching. Please verify that your system meets the minimum requirements for using the HVR-850

Digital TV, especially ATSC high definition digital TV, is very CPU intensive. Many graphics cards have special built-in hardware to speed up decoding of high definition TV channels.

On graphics cards without special video decoding features, you can often improve the playback performance by using the Video Renderer settings located in the settings menu of WinTV 7. To open the setting menu click on the “gear” button located in the lower left of the WinTV 7 screen.

The default mode is EVR. The other modes are VMR9, VMR7 and Overlay. Each mode uses a different process to render video. Try each mode and use the one which gives you the best results. To use hardware acceleration put a check in the box “use hardware acceleration when possible. This will allow your graphics system to use hardware acceleration for video decode. Note: graphics hardware acceleration does not work on all systems. After making a change in video rendering settings Wintv must be restarted to take effect.

If you are using WinTV 6 then the render options are part of a separate program called Primary.  Changes in the Primary applet must be made with the WinTV application closed.  Open the Primary program by going to Start – All Programs – Hauppauge WinTV – Primary.  After making changes close the Primary applet and open the WinTV application.

Where can I find the optional AV cable?

The optional AV cable will be available through our Sales dept . Please contact sales@hauppauge.com or look on our WEB store for more information on purchasing this optional cable.

WinTV crashes on a Dell Vostro desktop

If you experience a crash on the WinTV application when running on a Dell Vostro computer, check to make sure the speakers are plugged in. If speakers are not plugged in, the Dell Vostro disables the internal sound card. The WinTV application requires a sound card to be enabled to operate correctly.

I receive a "Low bit rate" error message when using Windows Media Center in Windows 7.

Microsoft has released Windows Media Center patches for the "Low bit rate" error message.
Click to view the information from Microsoft.

WinTV application locks or stops responding during analog scan under Windows 7.

In order to fix this issue, please check that your Power Options setting is not set to ‘Power Saver’. Please change it to ‘Balance’ or ‘High Performance’.

To change these settings on Windows 7, please do the following.

Click on Start and then Control Panel.

If Control Panel is set to View by: Category then click on ‘System and Security’ and then ‘Power Options’.

If Control Panel is set to View by: Large or Small icons then click on ‘Power Options’.

If you do not see Balanced or High Performance please click on the option for ‘Show additional plans’.

Once you make the change please restart your system. When the system restarts please rescan again for channels.

What file size will the recorded videos be?

Digital Broadcasts (ATSC or QAM)

The file size of a digital signal capture depends on the bitrate of the digital signal.  The bitrate is set by the broadcaster and cannot be user configured.  Bitrates for digital signals can range anywhere from about 1.2 Mbits/sec up to 19.3 Mbits/sec.  Most of the time these bitrates are variable and not constant.  Capture sizes for ATSC & QAM recordings are approximately 1.7 Gigabytes per hour up to 8.3 Gigabytes per hour.

Analog Broadcast.

The WinTV application has to convert analog signals to digital in order to record. There are four recording profiles. The following list shows recording file sizes for burning to 4.3Gb DVD:

Best - Approx 1 Hour+
Better - Approx 1 1/2 Hours
Good - Approx 2 Hours
Fair - Approx 3 Hours

WinTV v7 does not open or opens and then disappears?

This can be caused by a corrupt Channel database so you will need to uninstall and reinstall.  First you need to go to start, all programs, Hauppauge Wintv and in that folder run
“uninstall Wintv7” (or remove Wintv7 using control panel "add/remove programs) then you need to remove the backup channel database.

Windows Vista, 7 and 8 go to C:\program data ( this folder is a hidden folder so if you do not see it you need to “show hidden folders “ in your search
Options)  once you can get to this folder you will see a folder label “Hauppauge”  delete this folder.

Windows XP go to C:\documents and settings\all users\shared documents\application data ( this folder is a hidden folder so if you do not see it you need to “show hidden folders “ in your search Options)  once you can get to this folder you will see a folder label “Hauppauge”  delete this folder.

Then download the latest version of Wintv7 located in the support section of the website and reinstall (note: you must have your original CD to validate the download.)

Prodinfo: get information on your Hauppauge TV tuner

Prodinfo.exe is a program you can run which will extract information about the WinTV product you have installed such as model and serial number, MAC address, revision, and features which can be used to identify the exact model of your product. The driver for the device must be installed in order to run Prodinfo.exe


HCWClear

HCWCLEAR.exe is a program you run to remove all driver and files that were installed with the installation of the WinTV program.