InterVideo WinDVR

InterVideo WinDVR is a commercial digital video recorder (DVR) software package for Windows operating systems. It lets you watch and record TV shows on the PC by allowing it to work as a TV set and a DVR at the same time. It requires that the host PC have a hardware based TV turner card. It has an integrated Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) that is updated via the Internet.

Overview

This property software package converts the computer into a TV set and a PVR at he same time by working as a front-end. With the Electronic Program Guide included you can search listings for favorite programs. And you can also convert VHS tapes to DVD or video CD discs.

Working as a TV, you can pause, rewind and replay while watching live TV.
Working as a VCR, with an integrated EPG, you can schedule programs for recording selected shows.

Platforms

This package software is only available for Microsoft Windows platforms: Windows 98SE/2000/Me/XP

Features

leep timer

This feature set up a sleep timer in case you doze off watching TV. You can set it up to turn off automatically after 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes.

Task manager

The Task Manager is like having a personal TV assistant. The Task Manager handles the scheduling of programs you want to record, manages lists of files to be burned to disc and performs off-line transcoding jobs.

creen capture

It captures screen shots from any program you are watching. The shots are saved as a digital picture (Bitmap file) and stored on your hard drive.

Television viewing

EPG (electronic programming guide)

This package software integrates an EPG. It works with Decisionmark's TitanTV in the United States, Fast TV in Europe, and Sony IEPG in Japan. With the EPG you find shows and schedule them for recording or viewing later.

Television standards

It supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2, VCD NTSC, VCD PAL, SVCD NTSC, SVCD PAL, DVD NTSC and DVD PAL formats.

Channel surfing

The program displays video thumbnails of 16 channels at once so you can scan what's on at a glance.

Television control

The TV Control is just like the controls on a regular television. It has all of the standard functions like volume control, changing the channel, and more.

Television control problems

A list of channels can be created using the Autoscan feature. The channels along with their chosen names can then be saved to a file with the extension of CHAN.However, for many users, the channel list file is not loaded when WinDVR is started. This means you have to scan for channels AGAIN, or if you saved your list of channels, MANUALLY load the channel list file. The only way to make a specific channel list load on startup is to complete the following steps:

# Install WinDVR
# Configure the channels exactly the way you want them, and save the list to a .CHAN file from the program to a safe location (outside the WinDVR's installation directory)
# Uninstall WinDVR
# Reinstall WinDVR
# When the program launches for the first time, a configuration wizard will start up. When given the chance to autoscan the channels, load the .CHAN list that was saved in step 2

Time-shifting

This feature allows you to pause live TV, create your own instant replay, or fast-forward through commercials with Time Shifting and InterVideo Home Theater. It can be useful in order not to miss any of the action if you’re called away from the TV.

Parental control

With Parental Control feature you can lock out channels you don't want them to view.

Teletext

The softxare incorporates Teletext, a television information service in Europe that offers fun, facts and information 24 hours a day.

Recording functions

DV, VCD, SVCD and DVD compatible file output

You can save shows as DV (digital video), VCD (video compact disc), SVCD (super video compact disc) and DVD files.

Video

It utilizes advanced de-interlacing technology for maximum compression efficiency and to remove the video artifacts that may appear when watching movies and TV shows on a computer screen. As in any digital video signal, compression algorithms are used and also full frame rate video capture (at full resolution, 720x480 or 720x576) and time-shifting in terms of video smoothness and synchronization.

Video encoder

It has a video encoder available for video recording. You can record video in real-time using this encoding technology.

ystem requirements

*Processor: PIII 500 MHz Intel or AMD processor (higher recording quality possible with faster processors)

*RAM: 64MB Minimum, 128MB Recommended

*Operating System: Windows 98 SE/ME/2000/XP

*Sound: Audio input device with WDM (Windows Driver Model) drivers

*Input Device: PCI or USB TV tuner with WDM drivers

*Others: DirectX 8 required

ee also

* Microsoft Windows
* Windows Media Center
* PVR
* Direct to Disk Recording
* Comparison of PVR software packages
* D-VHS
* DVD recorder
* Freeview+
* Hard disk recorder
* Media PC
* MythTV
* SageTV

External links

* [http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvr.htm How DVR works] .
* [http://www.thedvshow.com/ The DV Show] - Podcasting the Ins and Outs of Digital Video
* [http://www.dvrplayground.com/ DVRplayground] - Online community devoted to discussing DVR trends and technology