You Don't Always Get What You Pay For

For years, I used a Hauppauge WinTV analogue model for viewing and recordng cable television programs on my PC.  It took me a little while to realize that the unit had to be plugged directly into a USB jack on the computer (no hubs), but once I did that, performance was good.
 
With the national move to all-digital signals, I decided to disconnect our cable television service, and move to over-the-air broadcasts.  I have a good antenna already installed on the roof, and can pick up many stations, with perfect clarity.  But to pick up these stations on my PC, I had to replace my WinTV unit.
 
Hauppauge has several units avalable that can handle digital over-the-air television (ATSC broadcasts.)  A basic unit is  the 850 model (a USB stick.)  The 950 is a USB stick that adds a remote and QAM (cable digital).  The 1950 is said  to be a HIGH PERFORMANCE USB tuner/PVR.  It also includes a good quality over the air FM receiver.  I decided to try both the 850 and the 1950 units.  The 850 costs less than $50, while the  1950 goes for about $130.  In reviewing the specs for the two units,  I found that Hauppauge recommended at least a 2.2 MHz Pentium 4 CPU for watching ATSC high def with the 1950, while the 850 called for a 3.0 MHz CPU.  My PC has 2.8 MHz, so I anticipated considerably better performance from the 1950 unit.
 
I used the WinTV version 6 software with both units.  For watching HDTV, the 850 performed adequately, although the load on the CPU was great.  The 1950 was a real disappointment.  HDTV would freeze up the whole PC, and was not able to be viewed for more than a few seconds.  I tried all suggestions, such as updating my graphics card drivers, but nothing helped.  I ended up returning the more expensive unit.
 
To be fair to Hauppauge, my PC is more than 6 years old, and thus it is hardly state-of-the-art.  The 1950 probably functions much better if you have a faster CPU and a more modern graphics processor.  But, in head-to-head comparison to the 850, it simply handled its most basic function, watching HDTV over a PC, considerably poorer.  I suggest going with the 850, and using the money saved to buy a superior over-the-air (preferably rooftop) antenna.