Highlights

In the June 2002 issue of DV Magazine I covered Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) in general and, specifically, a software-only Windows Media PVR named Snap-Stream (http://www.snapstream.com). The version I tested back then was 1.0. Currently the product is at Version 3 and is optimized to work with and otherwise exploit Windows Media 9 Series. I am covering it again here because I think it is an excellent vehicle for bringing WM9 to the attention of digital home theater enthusiasts, if not plain old TV junkies.

I installed SnapStream 3 on my HP reference box along with a Hauppauge WinTV tuner card with excellent results. For the record, I had to remove the Osprey 540 video capture card before I could complete a successful hardware setup. According to SnapStream tech support, there are driver issues that prevent this card (and possibly similar devices) from coexisting with the Hauppauge WinTV card, at least as of this writing. SnapStream recommends the Hauppauge product line and bundles their hardware. If you go with one of these boards, make sure to download the latest drivers from http://www.hauppauge.com.

If you're a TiVo convert like me, you'll appreciate the marriage of SnapStream and WM9. The SnapStream UI has a TiVo-like navigation mode that takes over the screen and makes you forget you're working on a Windows machine (see Figure 11.1). The SnapStream Program Guide has an easier-to-use search feature than TiVo and is also easily programmable if you know the time and channel of the...