COMPRO COMPROPVR2 - 2005 User Manual

ComproPVR 2

User’s Guide

Compro Technology, Inc.

www.comprousa.com

Copyright © 2001-2005. Compro Technology, Inc. No part of this

document may be copied or reproduced in any form or by any means

without the prior written consent of Compro Technology, Inc.

Compro, VideoMate, Poladyne, Play with Power, and the Compro

logo are trademarks of Compro Technology, Inc. Other names and

marks are trademarks of their respective owners.

Compro makes no warranties with respect to this documentation and

disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability, quality, or fitness

for any particular purpose. The information in this document is subject

to change without notice. COMPRO reserves the right to make

revisions to this publication without obligation to notify any person or

entity of any such changes.

Compro Technology, Inc.
Tel. [phone], Fax [phone]
3/F, No.12, Alley 6, Lane 45, Pao Shin Road
Hsintein City, Taipei, Taiwan
www.comprousa.com

Table of Contents

i

Table of Contents

1 Introduction ................................................................1

Key Features................................................................ 2

Installation.................................................................... 4

Updates........................................................................ 4

Remove the Software...................................................4

2 Remote Control ..........................................................5

Definitions and Usage.................................................. 5

3 ComproPVR User Interface....................................... 9

Control Panel ............................................................... 9

Configuration.............................................................. 11

Channel Options.................................................... 11

Video/Audio Options.............................................. 16

Recording Options................................................. 19

Timeshifting Options.............................................. 23

User Interface........................................................ 25

System Devices Options ....................................... 28

4 Using ComproPVR................................................... 31

Watching ....................................................................31

Recording................................................................... 34

Scheduled Recording................................................. 36

Timeshifting................................................................ 42

Still Image Capture.....................................................44

Playback................................................................ 45

Closed Captioning (USA only)............................... 45

Teletext (PAL TV systems only)............................. 45

5 Troubleshooting....................................................... 47

OS requirement .....................................................47

Driver Installation................................................... 47

Video OK / No Audio ............................................. 47

No audio on the recorded file ................................48

Recorded file cannot be played............................. 48

Recorded file lags while playing back ...................48

Why can’t I choose MPEG-4 format for recording?49

ComproPVR User's Guide

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Why does the remote control fail?......................... 49

Why does ComproPVR start by itself? .................. 50

Contacting Compro Technical Support.................. 50

Introduction

1

1 Introduction

ComproPVR is a complete digital entertainment solution
for your PC. Watch and record TV programs on your PC,
in full-screen mode or in a window. Timeshifting lets you
watch TV, pause live TV, or review your favorite scenes
without missing a minute of the program. Integrated
deinterlacing technology assures the highest picture
quality. All this, with the industry's first universal remote
control.

ComproPVR can convert analog video sources, such as
TV programs, home video tapes, to MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 /
MPEG-4 formats for editing and recording to a CD or
DVD. Easy-to-use video quality presets simplify the
recording process. Everyone can enjoy this convenience
and powerful personal video recorder -- ComproPVR.

ComproPVR User's Guide

2

Key Features

 Watch and record TV programs.

 Supports all TV channels. View all available TV

programming.

 Never miss a second with Timeshifting.

 Powerful and easy to use schedule recording

functioning.

 Capture video from analog video sources and encode

them to digital MPEG-1, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 formats.

 12 and 16 channels surfing.

 Supports S-Video and Composite inputs.

 Deluxe all functioning wireless remote control.

 4:3, 16:9, full screen and customized ratio screens

available.

 Convenient Snapshot feature, series or single shot

supports.

 Zoom a zone of video image.

 Completely customized On-Screen-Display (OSD)

function. Your choices of size, color, and position.

 My favorite channels. Sorting and rearrangement

channel orders.

 Video smooth, noise reduction, and scalar

technology.

 Mono/Stereo/SAP or Nicam support.

 Support Closed Caption and Teletext (where

available).

 Electronic program guide support, for example,

TitanTV EPG in USA.

 Always on top and hiding window frame.

 Brightness, hue, contrast, saturation, and sharpness

options for adjustment. It’s also available for each

Introduction

3

channel.

 Auto splitting of recording files.

 Support for plug-in CODECs.

 Auto tune for best picture quality frequencies.

 Parental control to lock out selected channels.

Note

ComproPVR cannot duplicate VHS tapes and DVDs
protected by Macrovision™ technology.

ComproPVR User's Guide

4

Installation

Usually, ComproPVR is automatically installed upon
inserting the installation CD into your CD drive. Follow
the instructions of the software installer.

You can also manually install it by inserting the
installation CD. Open Explorer, double-click on the
“setup.exe” in the folder named ComproPVR.
ComproPVR will be installed right away.

Updates

User satisfaction is the first priority for Compro
Technology. Your opinion is crucial in improving our
products. Therefore, Compro Technology is continuously
improving our products. You can download the latest
version of ComproPVR from our website at

http://www.comprousa.com/

After downloading the patch files of ComproPVR, just
double-click the update file. It will automatically start the
installation program. Restart the computer when
prompted.

Remove the Software

You can remove ComproPVR through “Add/Remove
Programs” in Control Panel. Find the ComproPVR entry
in and click on the "Remove" button. ComproPVR will be
removed from your computer.

Remote Control

5

2 Remote Control

Definitions and Usage

Remote control keypad lets you control the ComproPVR
application with a familiar, user-friendly interface.

The next two pages describe how to use the remote
control to operate ComproPVR.

Note

Not all products support remote function. Please check
the description on the product box.

There are different kinds of remote controls. The
following illustrate one of the kinds only. Please refer the
product installation guide for more information.

The Compro remote control cannot be reprogrammed to
control other appliances such as your VCR or satellite
decoder box.

ComproPVR User's Guide

6

Remote Control

7

Number ComproPVR Function

0-9 Number keys

10 Mute sound

11 Zoom In/Out (Full Screen)

12 Start/Stop ComproDVD (if available)

13 Start/Stop ComproFM (if available)

14 Start/Stop ComproPVR

15 Replay

16

Pause when playing MPEG files
or enable timeshifting when watching live TV

17 Advance

18 Jump to previous channel

19

Stop MPEG file playback
or stop timeshifting mode

20 Tab function in play list

21 Open the on-line help file

22 Open setup dialog box

23

Up Arrow
or select Mono/Stereo/SAP while watching TV

24 Replay

25

Down Arrow
or snapshot

26 Advance

27 Volume Adjustment

28 Open play list

29 Channel Up

30 Channel Down

31 Record

32 Video source select: TV, S-Video, Composite

33 Channel surfing

34 Closed caption

35* Enable and setup sleep timer

ComproPVR User's Guide

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ComproPVR User Interface

9

3 ComproPVR User Interface

Control Panel

The ComproPVR control panel resembles the controls
on a VCR. Keep in mind that not all options are available
at all times, and may be grayed out or inaccessible
depending on your hardware setup and TV services
available. The following describe the ComproPVR
control panel functions, and tips for using ComproPVR.
The following figure gives you the function of the button
with (Hot Key.)

Snapshot

(Space)

Close

(CTRL+X)

Last Channel

(N)

Te le t ext

(T)

Schedule

(B)

Channel

Surf(F)

Language
Select (Q)

Timeshift

(T)

Channel Down

(Page down)

Stop

(S)

Docking

(D)

Volume

(+, -)

Full Screen

(Z)

Mute

(M)

Record

(R)

Channel Up (Page

Up) with lists( I )

Help

(H)

Minimize

(G)

Timeshift bar

Play

(P)

Pause

(U)

Replay

(Left Arrow)

Advance

(Right Arrow)

Options

(O)

EPG

(E)

Source

(V)

Lists

(

I )

ComproPVR User's Guide

10

Icon HotKey

Description

A

Enable/Disable Always-on-Top function for
TV window.(Oregon circle on the upper-right
corner of the TV window)

n/a

L Sleep function

Note: Language select is only available while the program supports it.

Watching

After installation, just press the PVR/TV button on the
remote or double click the ComproPVR icon on the
desktop you will be able to watch TV.

The first time you start ComproPVR, Autoscan will
automatically scan for available TV channels. When
Autoscan is finished, detected channels are
automatically enabled and marked with the green check
mark

. Channels, where a valid signal could not be

detected, are disabled and marked with a blank.

ComproPVR User Interface

11

Configuration

Click on the Options button to open the Options

dialog box.

Channel Options

ComproPVR User's Guide

12

Follow these steps to customize and configure your
channel list.

Video Source

First, select your video source, Cable or Antenna.

Autoscan

The first time you start ComproPVR, Autoscan will
automatically scan for available TV channels for both
Cable signal and Antenna signals. You can rescan the
channels at any time by pressing the Autoscan button.

1. ComproPVR will automatically scan all available
channels for content. The number of scanned
channels varies according to whether you use
antenna or cable TV input and your country settings.

2. You can interrupt the scanning process by pressing
the Stop button.

3. When Autoscan is finished, detected channels are
automatically enabled and marked with the green
check mark

. Channels, where a valid signal
could not be detected, are disabled and marked with
a blank.

After you are finished scanning for available channels,
you may select OK to return to the display window, or
customize the channel list according to your preferences,
as described below.

Channel Naming

You can customize the channel names by following
these steps.

Step1. Double-click on the Description field of the

channel you wish to rename.

Step2. Type a new name in the text box.

ComproPVR User Interface

13

Step3. Repeat steps 1 through 2 for any other channels

you wish to rename.

Step4. Click OK to confirm your modifications.

Note

If you enable the checkbox of “Clear Description field
while Autoscan,” then the text in the field will be erased
while Autoscan. The default is disabled.

Set Mem+

During the Autoscan process, ComproPVR
automatically detects and enables channels with valid
signal. By default, every available channel will be
enabled and marked with the green

icon. However,
you can shorten the list of enabled channels to reduce
channel-browsing time. Customize your list by enabling
or disabling channels from the channel list by clicking on
the green

icon.

Disabled channels will not shown when you use the
channel Up and Down or channel surfing functions.

Set Lock (Parental Control)

By default, ComproPVR lets you access all available
channels. A Parental Control feature allows you to
restrict the viewing of certain channels altogether or
during limited times.

You can lock a channel by clicking in the column labeled
Lock next to the channel number you wish to restrict.
You will then see a red check mark

in the box
next to the channel. You can unlock it by clicking the
check mark.

To use this feature, you should first set a password and
follow these steps:

Step1. Start ComproPVR and click on the Options

button and select the Channels tab.

ComproPVR User's Guide

14

Step2. Click on the Password button and enter the new

password in the fields labeled Password and
Confirm.

Step3. If you previously set a password, you must also

enter the old password in the appropriate field.

Step4. Click on the OK button.

Change Password

Click on the Password button. Enter the old password in
the field labeled Old Password. Then enter the new
password in the field labeled Password and Confirm.

Custom Channels

ComproPVR can let you set video properties (brightness,
contrast, etc) for each channel. Just press the button on
the custom column in Channel tab in Settings of
ComproPVR. The dialog box will pop up as follow.

Note

These settings are increasing or decreasing the value of
video properties in Video/Audio tab in the next section.

ComproPVR User Interface

15

My Favorite Channels List

ComproPVR includes a channels sorting and re-ordering
feature. Check the “Use My Favorites as My Channel
Lists” checkbox. You can see the window below.

Select the channel you wish to add to my favorite and
press the proper arrow button. You may double-click on
the channel to move it as well. In addition, adjusting the
channel order by using the proper arrow button.

Fine Tuning

ComproPVR includes a fine-tuning feature. Select the
channel you wish to fine tune and press the button
labeled, "Fine Tune." You may then adjust the slider and
then press the button labeled, "Exit."

Fine-tuning is normally unnecessary.

ComproPVR User's Guide

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Video/Audio Options

Source

Select the video source from among TV, S-Video, or

Composite. Also you can click the

button on the

control panel to switch video sources.

ComproPVR User Interface

17

Preview Video Size

ComproPVR supports the resolution from 160*120 to
720*480 for NTSC and from 160*120 to 720*576 for PAL.
You can choose the resolution here.

Note

This influences the snapshot resolution.

Country/Region

Use the pull-down menu to select the country you are in.
This allows ComproPVR to use the correct set of
frequencies for TV tuning.

Video Format

Select the proper video format for your area from the
drop-down menu. The options available depend on the
standards supported by the TV tuner in your system.

The NTSC standard is used in United States, Canada,
Japan, Taiwan and parts of Central and South America.
It specifies 525 lines of display at 30 frames per second.

The PAL standard is used in most of Europe, Australia,
China and parts of Central and South America, and
specifies 625 lines at 25 frames per second.

Additionally, each TV system uses slightly different
frequencies. Therefore, it is important to choose the
correct settings.

Video Properties Sliders

Use the sliders in this area to adjust:

 Brightness: Adjusts the amount of white in the image.

 Hue: Adjusts whether the image looks red, green,

blue, yellow, orange, etc.

ComproPVR User's Guide

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 Contrast: Adjusts the gradation of tone between the

image highlights, mid-tones, and shadows.

 Saturation: Adjusts the color intensity of the image.

 Sharpness: Adjusts the sharpness of the image.

Press the Default button to reset the sliders to their
original positions.

Note

Pressing the Default button for Video Properties
sometimes fixes the situation where you have audio but
a blank (black) or off-color video.

Audio Mode

You can select Mono, Stereo or SAP in this dialog box.

Note

Stereo and SAP sound may not be available in your area
or for all programs in your area.

Sleep Mode

You can enable sleep mode and set the time delay
before ComproPVR automatically shuts itself off.

If the check box “Close application and keep computer
on” is checked, then it will close ComproPVR instead of
shutting down the computer.

ComproPVR User Interface

19

Recording Options

Path (Recorded Programs Folder)

Click on the

button to set the folder where recorded

programs are stored. Check that you have ample disk
space to store recorded programs.

ComproPVR User's Guide

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Quality

Here you can select the video and audio quality settings
of recorded programs. ComproDTV includes useful
quality presets, from VCD to DVD-quality. However,
Custom settings may not be compatible with standard
formats. Use it with caution

You can also use custom settings by following these
steps.

Advanced Settings

Here you can select the details of video and audio quality
settings of recorded programs.

Format: Choose between MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video
encoding formats. For example, select MPEG-1 if you
want VCD format or select MPEG-2 if you want DVD
format.

Dimension: Select the recording resolution you like.

Video Bit Rate: Video bit rate is expressed in kilobits per

second. The higher the bit rate, the more processing
power and disk space are required to record and
playback video programs.

ComproPVR User Interface

21

Audio Bit Rate: Choose the audio bit rate you like here.

Audio bit rate is expressed in kilobits per second.

Frame Rate: NTSC system uses 29.97 FPS (Frame Per
Second) while PAL system uses 25 FPS.

Variable Bit Rates: Checking this box will use variable
bit rates to record. Usually, this will have better video
quality. However, CPU loading is higher as well.

Audio Frequencies: Standard DVD audio frequencies
are 48 KHz while other formats use 44.1 KHz.

Lock current channel while recording: Checking this
box will disable the channel switching. Unchecking this
box can change channel while recording.

Note

Switching channel while recording doesn’t mean you can
record two channels simultaneously. Instead, it is to
record another channel after the switch.

CODEC

CODECs encode to and decode from video files, usually
with a compression scheme, examples include, MPEG-4
and DiVX CODECs. In addition to the CODEC supplied
by Compro, ComproPVR can use third-party CODECs
that are already installed on your system. Select “Use
Customer Encoder” in other to use third-party CODECs.

Note

If you would like to record video in MPEG-4 format, you
must supply your own MPEG-4 CODEC. You can
download MPEG-4 CODEC from the following web sites.

http://www.divx.com/

ComproPVR User's Guide

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http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forma
t/codecdownload.aspx

After installing the CODEC software, you will see the
MPEG-4 format appear in the field of recording quality.

Compro does not guarantee compatibility or
performance with third-party CODECs.

Performance

You can choose the encoder performance here. The
better you choose, the picture quality will be better.
However, more processing power is required to record. If
CPU usage reaches 100%, the video will become jumpy.
Reduce the performance or choosing lower quality like
VCD will help.

File Split Size

Checking this box will enable the automatic splitting of
the recording file to the size you want. This is useful
burning recording files to CD.

Skip

Set the amount of programming skipped, in seconds,
when you press the Replay and Advance buttons
during video playback.

Recording Volume

You can adjust recording audio volume here. Moving the
bar to the right will increase recording audio volume.

ComproPVR User Interface

23

Timeshifting Options

Buffered Time

Set the amount of programming that is stored, or
“buffered” during Timeshifting. It also shows the total
recording time available.

Do not set the Buffered Time to consume all free disk
space.

ComproPVR User's Guide

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Path (Buffer file storage location)

Choose the folder where the Timeshifting buffer file is
stored. Choose a folder in a disk partition with ample free
disk space. See the video format table for estimates of
the amount of disk space needed.

Quality

Choose the recording quality used during Timeshifting.
Higher quality levels consume more disk space.

The appropriate quality setting depends on many factors,
including the speed of your PC, the amount of free disk
space, and the quality of source material. For example,
when recording broadcast television for later viewing, a
medium quality level is usually sufficient. If you plan to
archive or edit the video, a higher video quality may be
more appropriate.

Skip

Set the amount of programming time skipped when you
press the Advance and Replay buttons during
Timeshifting.

ComproPVR User Interface

25

User Interface

Path (Snapshot file storage location)

Choose the folder where the snapshot pictures are
stored. Choose a folder in a disk partition with ample free
disk space. See the video format table for estimates of
the amount of disk space needed.

ComproPVR User's Guide

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File Type (Snapshot file type)

Choose the snapshot file type. There are BMP and
JPEG format available.

If you choose JPEG format, you can also adjust the
JPEG Compression Quality on the bar of right side.

Channel Surfing

Choose the number of channel surfing. There are 12 and
16 options available.

Aspect Ratio

Select the display screen aspect ratio, the ratio of screen
width to screen height. The default ratio is 4:3. You may
also choose the 16:9 wide-screen or custom ratios.

If you select a standard ratio, i.e., 4:3 or 16:9, the screen
will retain this ratio when you resize it. If you select a
Custom, ratio, you can modify the ratio by clicking and
dragging the lower-right corner of the ComproPVR
display window.

Monitor Ratio

Select your monitor’s ratio of screen width to screen
height. The default ratio is 4:3. If your monitor’s ratio is
not 4:3, you still can have a full screen of 4:3 ratio by
choosing the correct ratio of monitor here. This is very
convenience for your viewing.

Video Trim

When you see the static strip on the top or bottom of
screen, you can crop those lines by adjusting the bar.

The static strip is called the "green line." You won't see
this line on normal televisions because they do not show
you the entire picture. Standard TV sets trim the edges of

ComproPVR User Interface

27

the TV picture. ComproPVR, on the other hand, can
show you the entire picture, including the "green line."

OSD (On-Screen Display)

When you select the checkbox next to enable OSD,
channel information such as channel numbers, channel
names, and audio quality will be displayed as you switch
channels. When this box is unchecked no information
will be displayed.

Also you can customize your own text color, position,
and size.

Default

If you press the default button, all User Interface tab
parameters will be set to the application program default
value.

Language

You are welcome to select the language you like for the
user interface of ComproDTV here.

ComproPVR User's Guide

28

System Devices Options

Video Device

Please refer the product manual for more information
about it. If you don’t see the device name here, then you
didn’t install the device driver properly. Please refer the
trouble shooting section in the product manual.

ComproPVR User Interface

29

Audio Device

ComproPVR automatically detects the audio input
devices available in your system. Here, you must select
the appropriate audio input devices for your system.

Note:

You must select the proper Video and Audio devices for
correct operation.

If you do not see the appropriate Video and Audio
devices, the drivers are not properly installed. Please
reinstall these drivers and see product manual for more
information.

TV LIVE Mixer

You can choose the audio source for watching live TV
programs. The default is set to main volume.

Recording Mixer

Please refer the product manual for more information
about it.

Support

Before contacting Compro for technical support, please
check our FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on our
website. Click on the FAQ button will lead to
http://www.comprousa.com.

You can download the latest update from our website.
Many issues may be solved on the newer version.

If you click on the E-mail Info button, ComproPVR will
attempt to e-mail this information to the Compro
Technical Support team. (

[e-mail]).

ComproPVR User's Guide

30

When you contact the Compro Support team about a
problem, please write enough details to help us
determine the problem. Please also provide the product
serial number (19 digits numbers) on the PCI TV tuner
card. You can submit your problem in the support form
provide by our website.

http://comprousa.com/ support/form.htm

Notes

Check the troubleshooting chapter of in this manual for
more information before you submit an email for support.

When contacting us, providing the product serial number
is important to helping us evaluate the problem. It tells us
exactly which product you have.

In order to solve the problem quickly, submitting the
details about your problem is crucial to understanding
the problem.

Using ComproPVR

31

4 Using ComproPVR

Watching

After installation, just press the ComproPVR button on
the remote or mouse click ComproPVR icon on the desk
you will be able to watch TV. Same as operate a normal
TV set. Watch TV programs on your PC, in full-screen
mode or in a window. Channel up and down. Close
ComproPVR and even shutdown the computer with full
function remote control keypad.

Channel Browsing

When watching TV, you can browse channels with the

Channel Down

and Channel Up

buttons to

scroll up and down through the available, enabled
channels.

The keyboard shortcuts Page Up and Page Dn, and the
Compro remote control can also be used.

Jump directly to the desired channel by using the
number pad on your keyboard or remote control.

The Last Channel

(recall) button jumps back to

the previously selected TV channel.

If the On-Screen Display function is enabled on the
Display Options page, channel information will appear
briefly in the corner of the display window as you switch
channels.

ComproPVR User's Guide

32

Channel Surfing

While watching TV, the channel surfing feature displays
a 4x4 grid of channel images to give you an overview of
available programming.

To start the channel surfing feature, press the Channel

Surfing

button on the ComproPVR control panel.

Thumbnail images will begin to appear in the display
window. With your mouse, click on the program you wish
to watch and you will exit surf mode. You can also return
to normal mode by clicking on the Channel Surfing
button again.

There are 12 and 16 options available for the number of
channel surfing. The setting is available on the User
Interface tab in the Options of ComproPVR.

Using ComproPVR

33

Right-Click Mouse Menu

If using mouse to right-click on the TV screen, you can
see the menu below. There are many useful options for
your convenience.

Zooming image

If you like to see more detail on the part of video image,
you can press the mouse right button to drag a zone of
the screen. You will see the zooming image.

Also you can press the mouse right button and move on
the screen to shift the zone area of the image.

Just click the mouse left button to resume the normal
mode.

ComproPVR User's Guide

34

Recording

ComproPVR is a digital video recorder. ComproPVR can
record full-motion video and audio from your video
source and save it to your hard disk. ComproPVR
supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 encoding, which
saves disk space while providing high video quality.

To instantly start recording:

1. Press the Record button

. ComproPVR starts
recording the video source currently showing in the
display window. It will save it to a file on your disk.

2. Press the Stop button

to stop recording.

3. When you stop recording, ComproPVR prompts you
to name the file containing the recorded video. Enter
the name and press OK.

To playback the recorded file, press the Play button and
select the file you wish to view.

Disk usage

The actual disk space used primarily depends on the
quality settings for recording. A higher quality setting,
e.g., DVD-quality, requires significantly more disk space
than a lower quality setting, such as VCD-quality. The
appropriate quality depends on the quality of the source
material, e.g., DV camera versus broadcast TV, and your
intended use of the recorded programming.

Using ComproPVR

35

Video File Formats Table

Format

Screen

Size

Video

Bit Rate

(Mbps)

Audio

Bit Rate

(Kbps)

Typi c al

Disk

Usage

NTSC DVD 720*480 6.4 224 3 GB/hr
NTSC
1/2-DVD

352*480 3.6 224 1.7 GB/hr

NTSC
1/4-DVD

352*240 1.8 224 1 GB/hr

NTSC VCD 352*240 1.1 224 600

MB/hr
NTSC SVCD 480*480 2.2 224 1 GB/hr
NTSC PC
MPEG-2

720*480 6.4 224 3 GB/hr

NTSC 1/4-PC
MPEG-2

720*480 1.8 224 1 GB/hr

PAL DVD 720*579 6.4 224 3 GB/hr
PAL 1/4-DVD 352*288 1.8 224 1 GB/hr
PAL VCD 352*288 1.1 224 600

MB/hr
PAL SVCD 480*576 2.2 224 1 GB/hr
PAL PC
MPEG-2

720*288 4.0 224 2 GB/hr

PAL 1/4-PC
MPEG-2

352*288 1.8 224 1 GB/hr

Note

You can adjust recording quality settings, and thus disk
usage, in the Recording Options menu.

Not all formats are available for all products.

ComproPVR User's Guide

36

Scheduled Recording

ComproPVR can be scheduled to record a TV program
later or remind you of an upcoming program. The
schedule can be set for a one-time or a recurring session.
You can repeatedly record any regularly scheduled
programming. Relax. Never miss your favorite shows.

Press the icon

to open the Schedule Recording

dialog box.

Scheduled Program Lists

Create: Create a new scheduled recording event.

Modify: Modify an existing recording event.

Delete: Delete an existing recording event.

Using ComproPVR

37

Event Information: Shows details about your recording

schedule.

Scheduled Recording Settings

You can see the following after clicking Create.

Event Name: Type the event name. The saved

recording file will also use this name.

If you leave this field blank, ComproPVR will
automatically create the Event Name and file name. The
Format button lets you select the file name format.

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38

Channel Number: Check this box to add channel

numbers to the names of the recording files.

Start Date: Check this box to add the start date to the
names of the recording files.

Start Time: Check this box to add the start time to the
names of the recording files.

Power Up Scheduling feature

If your hardware supports Compro Power Up Scheduling,
ComproPVR can wake your PC from the Shutdown
(ACPI:S5) or Stand by (ACPI:S3) states.

Note

In order to enable scheduled recording from the
Shutdown state, the Power Up power switch circuit
connections must be properly connected.

Power Up Scheduling is only available with VideoMate
TV Gold, Gold Plus, and Ultra.

Enable automatic power function: Check this box if
you wish to use Power Up Scheduling function, i.e.,

Using ComproPVR

39

wake up the computer from Shutdown or Stand by states
for scheduled recording.

This option is available only if your hardware supports
Power Up Scheduling.

Power Up will start your computer 5 minutes in advance
of the scheduled time. If you set schedule to 4 o’clock,
Power up will wake up your computer at 3:55. Therefore,
you need to shut down the computer before 3:54 in order
to let Power Up start the computer.

There are three possible actions after recording is
complete:

 Shut down the system: After recording, shut down

the system.

 System stand by: After recording, put computer in

stand by mode.

 Keep system power on: After recording, do not

shutdown system.

Enable automatic logon: When using Power Up
Scheduling, ComproPVR will start Windows. If Windows
requires you to enter a username and password during
start up, you should check this box and enter the
required information.

This option will be grayed out if your hardware doesn’t
support Power Up Scheduling.

If “Enable automatic logon” is checked, you will see a
popup window.

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40

There are three fields in the Automatic Logon window.

 User: ComproPVR will detect your current user name

automatically. Unless you wish to logon by a different
user, there is no need to change it.

 Password: Type in your password.

 Domain: ComproPVR will automatically detect your

Windows Domain name, if any. In most home PCs,
this field will be blank and need not be changed. (See
Note below). Do not modify this field unless you
need to logon to a different Windows Domain during
the Power Up process.

Press the OK button to proceed.

Notes

Enabling the automatic logon function is only necessary
when you need to type user name and password to
logon to Windows.

The Windows Domain name is not the Internet domain
name that you may be familiar with, e.g., Yahoo.com.
Windows Domains usually only exist in business
networks. For most users, this field should be left blank.

Your password will be stored on your computer. There is
a chance that your password could be discovered by
another user

The ComproPVR does not use the logon information for
any other purpose.

Recording Settings

Schedule mode: There are two ways to set the

schedule.

 Recording: At the set time, ComproPVR starts

recording the program.

 Reminder: At the set time, ComproPVR starts

Using ComproPVR

41

showing the program without recording it.

Video Source: Select video source from CATV or
Antenna.

Channel: Select the channel you want to record.

Audio mode: Select the audio source you want to

record.

Mute speakers while recording: Check this box to
mute speakers while recording. This feature is useful if
the program is to be recorded while you are asleep.

Quality Settings

Quality settings: Select the video quality at which you

wish to record. Refer to the Video File Formats Table
(page 30) to better understand the relationship between
video quality and disk usage.

Date/Time Settings

Once: Select this to record this program once.

Repeat: Select this to record this program repeatedly.

You can select any kind of combination in a week to
record the programs repeatedly. You can press

Weekday or Daily button to select multiple days. Press
Clear to uncheck the boxes.

Date/Start Date: Select the date you want to record the

program or the start date for repeat scheduling.

Start time: Select the starting time for recording.

Duration: Amount of programming to be recorded.

OK: Click it to add this schedule.

Notes

The ComproPVR scheduler program must be running
(orange circle visible in the system tray).

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42

Timeshifting

Timeshifting lets you pause, replay, or skip commercials
during live TV, without interrupting an ongoing recording
session. Timeshifting gives you absolute control over
how you watch television, like never before. For example,
you watch your favorite sporting event, pause the live
action and help yourself to an ice-cold beverage from the
fridge.

Press the Timeshifting

button and the Time

Monitoring bar will appear. (See below.)

The Time Monitoring bar informs you of how much of the
timeshifting buffer is in use You can also use your mouse
to drag the Time Control Shuttle to jump to a specific
time in the program.

You may also press the Advance (for commercial skip)
and Replay (for instant replay) buttons on the control
panel or remote control to navigate through the program.

Timeshifting temporary saves the video to your hard disk
for a specified period of time.

When you return to your seat, you can resume viewing
the program from the point when you left.

Note

Timeshifting can use significant disk space and cannot
automatically skip commercials.

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43

Additional Discussion

In timeshifting, you are recording to and playing back
from the same video file or buffer. You can playback from
various locations in that buffer.

Similar to video playback, you can pause, fast-forward,
and rewind. A major difference, however, is that
ComproPVR is simultaneously recording live television.
This means you will see greater CPU utilization during
timeshifting because you are simultaneously recording
and playing recorded videos. At full DVD quality,
timeshifting can require up to a 1.7 GHz CPU.

Timeshifting and Playback modes also differ in that
Timeshifting lets you pause and replay live TV while
Playback only allows you to replay a previously recorded
program.

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44

Still Image Capture

Click on the capture icon on the control panel or

hit the "Space Bar" of the keyboard shortcut to capture
an image of the display window. You can see the screen
capture dialog as below.

Click on the Shoot to take another shot. Serial Shoot
will shoot 6 straight shots at once. This is useful for
action scenes.

There are BMP and JPEG format available for snapshot
file type. Check “Save as JPG” box will save the
shapshot as JPEG file type.

More settings are available on the User Interface tab in
the Options of ComproPVR.

Make sure Save your shots before close this dialog or
the files will not be saved.

The screen capture image size is fixed at 640 x 480.

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45

Playback

ComproPVR can play recorded video files.

Press the Play button to open the Play dialog box.
Highlight the file name in the program list, double-click or
press Play to start playback.

During playback, the display area of the control panel
provides information about currently playing program
and provides playback control functions.

To delete a recorded program, open the Play dialog box,
highlight the file name on the program list, and press the

Delete button.

Closed Captioning (USA only)

The closed captioning feature is used to display overlaid
text captions. This feature is only available with
programming that provides Closed Captioning.

Press the Closed Caption

button to enable or

disable closed captioning. If supported, the overlaid text
captions will be displayed.

Teletext (PAL TV systems only)

ComproPVR includes Teletext display capabilities. Press

the

button to activate Teletext functions. Availability

of specific Teletext features depends on your local TV
broadcasters.

ComproPVR User's Guide

46

Troubleshooting

47

5 Troubleshooting

OS requirement

ComproPVR 2 has to work on Windows XP / Windows
2000 or above OS. It’s recommended to
www.WindowsUpdate.com website for the Service Pack
update of Microsoft.

Driver Installation

The most common cause of problems with ComproPVR
is incorrect installation of TV Tuner product drivers. If
you have problems watching, recording, or timeshifting
live TV, please refer the product installation FAQ to
check the status of TV Tuner product drivers with Device
Manager.

Video OK / No Audio

If you can view the TV picture but get no audio, you
should check the following:

Check the Windows Volume Control dialog for muted
sound or volume levels that are too low. (Double-click on
the speaker icon in the system tray to see the Volume
Control dialog.)

If you are using an external audio patch cable, verify
that it is connected between the Audio-Out of TV tuner
card and Line-In of your sound card and that you
selected the audio source to be “Line-In.” If using the
internal audio patch cable, check that it is connected
between the internal Audio-Out of the TV tuner card and
AUX-IN of your sound card and that you selected the
audio source to “AUX.”

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48

Please refer to your hardware installation guides for
more information.

No audio on the recorded file

This may be a result of choosing the wrong record audio
source in the System Device in ComproPVR Settings.

If you are using an external audio patch cable, verify
that it is connected between the Audio-Out of TV tuner
card and Line-In of your sound card and that you
selected the audio source to be “Line-In.” If using the
internal audio patch cable, check that it is connected
between the internal Audio-Out of the TV tuner card and
AUX-In of your sound card and that you selected the
audio source to “AUX.”

Check the ComproPVR in the Record tab of Settings
dialog for recording volume levels that is not too low.

Please refer to your hardware installation guides for
more information.

Recorded file cannot be played

The main reason for this problem usually is the result of
installing other CODEC software like Nimo. This kind of
software forces applications to use their CODEC for play
back. Therefore, the recorded file cannot be played
since a different CODEC is being used for playback.
Please uninstall the CODEC software and reinstalling
DirectX usually solves the problem. For more information,
please check our FAQ on the www.comprousa.com

Recorded file lags while playing back

Video recording uses significant CPU resources. If CPU
usage hits 100% while recording, the quality of your
recordings may suffer. If this happens, close other

Troubleshooting

49

applications while recording or use a lower recording
resolution, such as VCD or SVCD formats.

Why can’t I choose MPEG-4 format for recording?

If you would like to record video in MPEG-4 format, you
must supply your own MPEG-4 CODEC. Furthermore,
the CODEC must be installed before using ComproPVR.
In general, you can download MPEG-4 CODEC from the
following web sites.

http://www.divx.com/

After you install the CODEC software, you will see the
MPEG-4 format appear in the field of recording quality.

Why does the remote control fail?

Not all products support remote function. Please check
the description on the product box.

The remote control sensor, which is plugged into the TV
card, may be loose. Please unplug it and plug it again.
You should also check the batteries of the remote control.
Do not use rechargeable batteries.

Verify that the

IR icon (ComproRemote) is in the
system tray on the lower-right corner of the screen. If
you don't have ComproRemote on the system tray, start
the following program:

C:\Program Files\Common
Files\VideoMate\ComproRemote.exe

Then you should see the icon on the system tray. The IR
icon should turn bright when you press buttons on the
remote. If you see no response, your IR drivers may not
be not properly installed. Please remove ComproPVR
using "Add/Remove programs" in the Control Panel and
reinstall it.

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50

If you have switched the blue jumper to another pins set,
you have to switch the red jumper to 2-3 (right) in order
to use remote function.

Why does ComproPVR start by itself?

Some device emits the IR signal around. Please check if
there is any microwave or light could do that. And make
sure as few cable as possible crossing the IR receiver.
Also do not use rechargeable batteries for remote
keypad. And make sure there is no button getting
stocked.

Contacting Compro Technical Support

Before you submit an email for support, please check
support FAQs on our web site.
http://www.comprousa.com

You can download the latest update from our website.
Many issues should be solved on the newer version.

When contacting Compro for technical support, please
use the Compro support request form and provide as
much of the requested information as possible. Please
write the details in order to determine the problem. And
also provide the product serial number (19 digits
numbers) on the PCI card. Please use the form from
http://comprousa.com/support/form.htm

or directly email to [e-mail].

Note

Make sure you include the information of hitting the
button of "E-mail Info" in the System Device in Settings
of ComproPVR in order to determine the problem.

Troubleshooting

51

In order to solve the problem quickly, it is very important
to provide as much detail regarding the problem as
possible.