It is challenging for us to provide a program that controls several different TV tuners from different manufacturers, and works with Windows Media Encoder and DirectShow, and runs under several different editions of Windows. We have tested the program for several different tuners, but you might run into incompatibility problems with your particular TV device.
Please let us know if you encounter problems, and include plenty of details, such as model, versions and dates of drivers, operating system, video card, sound card, exact text of error messages, and whether the problem appears constantly or randomly.
Remember, this program is not supported by any particular hardware vendor. Do NOT contact a hardware vendor if you encounter difficulties with this program.
Notes on particular TV tuners
Pinnacle Studio TV/USB : No known problems.
Hauppauge WinTV USB : Customer reports indicate this tuner displays and records with TVactive under Win98, although the OEM software included with the tuner might display with higher resolution.
Hauppauge WinTV PCI Radio (model 402) : In Win98, you have a choice of two different video drivers for this device, VFW and WDM. Both are not allowed to be active at the same time. The WDM (overlay) driver does not seem to be compatible with Windows Media Encoder recording. The VFW (legacy Video For Windows) driver works with Windows Media Encoder. (Only US tuning is supported for this card in v1.0.)
In Win2000, we have not been able to get this tuner to work with our program yet.
3dfx Voodoo3 3500 TV : For Win98, select the VFM (legacy Video For Windows) driver, not the WDM driver. (TVactive will automatically detect the WDM driver for accessing the TV tuner controls). (The current beta Win98 driver distribution from 3dfx does not seem to include both WDM and VFW video capture drivers, so use the latest non-beta drivers.)
In Win2000, the WDM driver provided does not appear to be compatible with Windows Media Encoder.
ATI TV Wonder VE : For Win98, this VFW driver does not seem to work with TVactive yet.
Nogatech USB TV/FM : Works on Win98 and Win2000 (tested with the Onradiodrivers). This is a nice tuner that we use a lot at present in the office. The appearance of the tuner is similar to USB TV/FM tuner models from several other vendors, so you might guess that the hardware comes from the same OEM source.Nogatech does not appear to sell this tuner directly anymore, but there is a good chance you can find one at an attractive price on Ebay.
Others: Let us know whether or not your other TV tuner devices work withTVactive. If you have a TV tuner that you would like us to support with TVactive, contact us.
Would you like us to Computer TV tuners, unlike some other devices, can be difficult to control by general TV control programs that were not written for that particular tuner. In some cases we have to write program code for each tuner individually. In most cases, the tuner manufacturer does not make information available to third-party developers like us on how to control their tv hardware. However, we now make this offer to you:
Send us a tv tuner device that we do not currently support, for us to keep, and we will support it in TVactive within two months, or we will return the tuner hardware. (Contact us by e-mail first, for approval and shipping address and complete terms.) We will also send you one TVactive registration upon completion of the support work.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do I optimize my computer for optimum video recording?
What are the rules for recording copyrighted radio broadcasts for personal use, for listening to programs at a later time?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) — (Answers)
How do I optimize my computer for optimum video recording?Make sure your processor speed is at least 450 MHz Pentium III class or faster. Use a fast defragmented hard drive in fast DMA mode. In Start->Control Panel->System->Performance, make sure your hard drive is not in “compatibility mode”, which may slow down disk access.
What are the rules for recording copyrighted radio broadcasts Nothing here should be construed as legal advice. Consult your lawyer or appropriate government agency. In the USA, recording broadcasts for personal use is arguably permitted under the “fair use” provision of copyright law, and seems clearly permitted for music broadcasts under the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992. For more information, consult the Copyright FAQ at
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/law/copyright/faq/part3
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/law/copyright/faq/part2