Microsoft Windows 8, 7 or Vista (32 or 64-bit), or Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later.

Yes, a PC or laptop is required to use HD PVR 2. The PC is used to both run the HD PVR 2 application plus is the place where HD PVR 2 recordings are stored. HD PVR 2 does not have any internal disk storage.

HD PVR 2 connects to a PC or laptop computer through a USB 2.0 port. The HD PVR 2 recordings are stored on the PC's disk drive.

If you have a Mac, there is an application from HDPVRCapture which can be used. Go to http://www.hdpvrcapture.com for more information.

With the new Hauppauge Capture application, you can plug your microphone into the 'mic input' on your PC and mix your game play audio with microphone audio. There are seperate volume adjustments for game play and microphone audio.

http://www.hauppauge.com/capture

You can also use an external mixer to mix your chat with game play. Here is the link to the tutorial on connecting a microphone to the HD PVR 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhP_Pnw-19Y

You will need an audio mixer to 'mix in' your game audio. Here is the one we use (but there are lots others):
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DISTRIBUTED-BY-MCM-TC-43-/50-6182

HERE IS HOW TO CONNECT AN MICROPHONE WHEN USING AN XBOX
Here are the connections:

Connect the Xbox to the HD PVR 2 with an HDMI cable. This cable will be used for video only.
For audio, you need to use an 'Xbox audio adapter' to bring the Audio (stereo) from your Xbox to the Mixer. Here is this adapter:
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Audio-Adaptor-Xbox-360-Windows/dp/B004S5EH6Q/ref=sr_1_8
Now you connect the Microphone into the Mixer. There is usually a jack on the mixer marked 'mic' or 'mic in'.
The stereo output of the Mixer goes to the audio connectors on the Hauppauge AV adapter, and the Hauppauge AV adapter plugs into the back of HD PVR 2 in the 'AV in' connector.

Finally, in Showbiz Capture, you set the Video input to HDMI BUT THE AUDIO INPUT NEEDS TO BE SET TO "RCA (STEREO)". This is the key thing which needs to be done. And then you connect to your TV set with HDMI as normal

The HDMI output of the HD PVR 2 can only be used on an TV set with HDMI connectors. HDMI TV sets normally display 720p or 1080p video.

If you buy the HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus, it comes with a free copy of HDPVRCapture for the Mac.

If you have an HD PVR 2 or an HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition, you can buy HDPVRCapture separately. For more information, please go to:
www.hdpvrcapture.com.

Windows 8, 7, Vista and Windows XP with service pack 3. Mac support from HDPVRCapture.com

You can record HD PVR 2 video on pretty much any PC. Older, slow, laptop or desktop PCs can be used to record HD PVR 2 video. Preview video on older PCs and laptops might be jerky and laggy but your recordings will be fine.

But when you playback an HD PVR 2 recording on your PC screen, you need a fast CPU and at least 256MB of graphics memory. Here is what we recommend for video playback (minimum):

• Dual core CPU 2.0Ghz or faster
• Graphics with 256MB memory (or greater)
• Sound card
• USB 2.0 Port

Yes. Connect the yellow cable from your Wii to the Blue connector on the Hauppauge AV cable. Then connect the red and white audio cables from your Wii to the red and white connectors on the Hauppauge AV cable. Then, in Showbiz or Hauppauge Capture, select Composite under Video input and Line In under Audio input.

Here is a video which shows you how to use the HD PVR 2 with an Nintendo 64: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb541Ww09jg

You can access the HD PVR 2 in your DirectShow application. Simply build a Directshow graph and add the crossbar, capture and encoder filters. Then connect them all up, and it'll output a transport stream containing H.264 and AAC.

You can then demultiplex it or do whatever you want to it. And you can use standard Microsoft API like IVideoEncoder to control the bitrate. Here is a link to the Graphedit graph.

Currently, there are no drivers available for Linux.

Yes. If you use WinTV v7.2 with the HD PVR 2, you can record videos plus use Extend for live streaming.

Yes. By connecting the Component video output from your high definition cable TV or satellite TV set top box to the Component video inputs of the HD PVR 2, you will be able to record the TV programs coming from your set top box to the hard disk. Component video connections are normally the Red/Green/Blue connectors on the back of a set top box. Sometimes they are also called YPrPb or YCrCb connectors.

The HD PVR 2 model 1512 comes with the cables to connect to your satellite or cable TV set top box.

HD PVR 2 encodes in real time directly to the hard disk in an H.264 format. There are three formats which you can choose when recording a video:

• .MP4 which is compatible with many video editors plus playback on the XBox360. MP4 is the preferred format for Sony Vegas. Apple iMovie version 9.0.4 can edit HD PVR 2 MP4 files.
• .TS which is a generic 'transport stream' compatible with many digital media players

All record file types can be used to burn AVCHD Blu-ray compatible discs but you will need to supply your own disc burning application.

There are two ways of bringing audio into HD PVR 2: through the Line In (RCA) stereo audio jacks on the A/V connector or through the HDMI connector. When bringing audio in through the stereo jacks, audio is recorded as AAC. When bringing audio in through the HDMI connector, the audio is also recorded in the AAC format.

DTS audio is currently not supported.

MP4 format recordings are recorded using AAC.

If you have the HD PVR 2 model 1512 or the HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus and are bringing in 5.1 channel audio from either HDMI or optical audio, your recordings will be made with 5.1 channel AC3 audio.

No, the HD PVR 2 itself does not have the ability to play back recorded videos to an external monitor. To playback recorded videos, you will need to connect your laptop or PC to your TV set.

The HDMI video output on HD PVR 2 acts as a pass through for live video streaming from your video source through the HD PVR 2 back to your TV monitor. The power of the HD PVR must remain in the on position in order to pass the video through to the external TV.

Yes. Recordings made with HD PVR 2 are in a format which can be immediately uploaded to YouTube without conversion. ShowBiz records from HD PVR 2 in an H.264 form. ShowBiz Edit allows you to trim your videos very quickly without the need to re-encode. ShowBiz "Upload to YouTube" saves your login settings and allows you to upload your videos.

In Showbiz, you have to set the default resolution to at least 720P when uploading to YouTube in HD. This is done by going to Options; Preferences; Other and selecting the desired YouTube resolution.

The current driver for HD PVR 2 does not allow your PC to go into Hibernate or Standby mode when it is either recording or previewing video.

This happens if you connected your PS3 using HDMI and now want to use Component video so you can record with HD PVR 2.

To fix, you need to reset the video settings on your PS3. To do this:
- Make sure you have the HDMI cable disconnected on your PS3
- Then push the PS3 power button on the front of the PS3. You should see the light go Red. This means your PS3 is turned off.
- Then hold down the PS3's power button until you hear two beeps (one beep, then about 5 seconds and a second beep).
Your PS3 should now be set to Component video out and you should see video in the preview window in Showbiz Capture.

If you have a TV tuner card installed, Showbiz Capture may attach to this or any other capture device installed.  If you see a Channel button on the Capture Module window go to the Source drop down menu at the top and select the Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Capture Device.

Most of the time this is caused by either one of the Component video connectors is not connected. For example, if the Red connector is not connected correctly, your video picture will look green.
Also try updating to the latest drivers supplied by your graphics card manufacturer.

If you are running an AMD graphics card in the PC which the HD PVR 2 is connected to, you may experience a slight change in brightness every few seconds while in the preview or edit screens. This is due to an issue with hardware acceleration that we have seen in some AMD drivers. This shift does not affect recordings and typically can be eliminated by either changing drivers for the graphics card or by disabling Hardware acceleration.

This is caused by either a slow processor in your laptop or desktop PC, or the display adapter is having a problem. Make sure your video card meets the minimum requirements. Also try updating to the latest drivers supplied by the manufacturer.
In September 2012, there was a problem with the ATI graphics driver which would cause jerky video or freezing of the video screen. This should be fixed with an update from ATI on their graphics drivers.

Some set top boxes will disable or turn off the component output if the HDMI or DVI output is being used. Check to see how you have your Television connected to your set top box. You might need to disconnect the HDMI connector on your set top box when you want to record TV programs.

In order for the audio pass through to operate, you need to configure the settings in the Showbiz application. In Showbiz, click on Capture. Make sure Source is Hauppauge Siena Video Capture. Then click the Audio input pulldown from the drop down menu ( RCA, HDMI ). Once configured, the HD PVR 2 will retain these settings. Note: the HD PVR 2 must be powered on for the pass through to operate.

Increasing the recording bitrate will eliminate motion artifacts in your recordings. Here is how to do this:
In Showbiz Capture module, click the Format setting button. Then click the Video Encode tab. Under Bitrate, set to 10000000 (this is 10 Mbits/sec bitrate). Under Bitrate peak, set to 20,000,000 (this is 20 million bits/second). Under Bitrate mode, set to Variable.

You can experiment with other settings, but in our experience, these are good for uploading to YouTube.

• Video record resolutions are 1080p30, 720p60, 540p60, 480p60 and a number of downscale variants of these formats.
• You can record at datarates from 1Mbs to 13.5Mbs, constant and Variable Bit Rate

The default formats you can record in are: .TS (transport stream for AVCHD), .M2TS (for PS3), and .MP4 (for most video editors and for playback on an Xbox 360).

Approximately 2 GB per hour at 5Mb/s setting.
Approximately 4 GB per hour at 9Mb/s setting.
Approximately 6 GB per hour at 13.5 Mb/s setting.

No, the HD PVR 2 requires a PC to operate. But once you have connected your PC to HD PVR 2 and have gotten Showbiz running, you can disconnect the USB cable to your PC and the passthrough will continue to run as long as HD PVR 2 still has power.

It is not recommended to use a different USB cable other than the cable provided with the device.

You can burn Blu-ray compatible discs but a disc burner is not supplied with HD PVR 2.

The power adapter is 6V 1.6 amps.

Check for the presence of "Constant Guard" from Exfinity and uninstall if present then re run the installation for Hauppauge Capture. Once installed you can reinstall Constant Guard