Cheap Beyond TV 4 (Software) (Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, Microsoft XP Media Center Edition) Price

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Customer Reviews of Beyond TV 4

BeyondTV Works Dependably for Me!
(Note: this is copied from another spot reviewing the same software. I saw that the one guy plastered his comments in several places, so I wanted to voice mine to retort ... but only to 2 spots). <
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>I'm not sure what got into a couple of the previous reviewers, but he inspired me to provide my quite contrasting opinion. I'll note up front that I have no interest in any software's 'DivX' capabilities; I just wanted a Tivo-like device for my room. One that didn't charge $12.95 a month for an online TV schedule. My Tivo was and is wonderful, but I figured I could do better without the monthly overhead. <
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>I purchased an older (used) 1.8 Ghz Dell and a Hauppauge PVR-150 card; the PC already had a TV-out on its video card, so I was all set. Ok, I added a 300Gb drive to it. <
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>I spent considerable time trying EVERYTHING I could find, software-wise. And I mean everything (Windows-based). In the end, I had to choose between BeyondTV and SageTV. I found enough quirkinesses in SageTV that I went with BeyondTV and have never really looked back. <
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>Oh, one more note. In between the Tivo and this machine (I call it my PC-VO! :), I also had purchased an HP Media Center machine. This for my personal use AND to watch and record TV while I worked. This featured a 2002 Media Center setup, and it worked pretty well (TV card is currently broken ... working on a replacement). Except that I had to jump through hoops to convert the resulting .ms-dvr files to MPEG so I could edit them and make DVD's out of them. Creating my own DVD recordings was a primary goal for me, and MediaCenter IS NOT the best source for DVD-recordable media. It can be done and was, but everything else records to ready-to-go MPEG files. Even Tivo. <
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>So, I've been using BeyondTV for some time now (currently at v4.5). There are some things I could see being improved, but for me, it's been nothing but a trooper. I have a Wireless USB network connection and can copy MPEG files to my HP for DVD creation. And the 300gig drive is a great holding place for these recordings until I'm ready for them. <
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>I can't claim to have 42 shows scheduled to record, but I have a decent amount of them, and my list has changed over time. I've never seen a problem maintaining or using this list. It finds the shows I ask it to and records them. <
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>In all, I've very happy with BeyondTV and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. For fun, I've just ordered parts for my first "ground up" build of a HTPC machine, and after I fiddle with Linux and MythTV for awhile, I have a feeling I'll be back to Windows and BeyondTV on this machine, too. <
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>Gripes? Well, perhaps one. Maybe 2. I do see some occassional pokiness in the video and/or sound. Occassional is the key, and I blame this partially on my older machine and ancient video card. I could try beefing these up, but it doesn't bother me enough. The BIGGEST gripe I have may also be machine-centric, but BeyondTV also fails to tell me when there is a problem. Every 3-4 weeks it seems I lose my network connection. Well, BeyondTV doesn't see it and cannot connect to refresh the program guide. Now that I know this happens, I simply check once a week and boot about once a month. Perhaps if I was hard-wired this might not happen, I can't say. For me, booting on occassion isn't such a bad thing. <
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>Bottom line? Beyond TV was an excellent choice for me. They still offer a 21 day free trial, so it's easy to try it for yourself. I have no affiliation at all with SnapStream, I just don't like to see the software I use (successfully) given an unjust bad rap. Please try it for yourself! <
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>It's a shame I can't give a 4.5 rating ... I didn't feel right with 5 stars, but a 4.5 would have been more accurate. <
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>Nick <
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GREAT PRODUCT
This product is soooo cool. <
>I am currently using it w/ a hauppauge card and an ati tv wonder card. This one application will support multiple cards (as many as you can fit) and can record shows just like other set top boxes. It also sets up a web server that allows you to access any tv shows and download them from across the network and set recordings. As if thats not enough you can also log into [...] and add shows when your away from your home network. This software IS PERFECT. Do not waste any more time and BUY THIS.

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Works Great!
I made the mistake of purchasing a new machine with XP 64bit and had problems finding a tv tuner and software that would work with the operating system. I installed the ATI TV Wonder 650 (software truly sucks) and downloaded the trial version of Beyond TV4, version 4.4 & 4.5. I LOVE IT! It is the best combination of hardware and software that I have used. Beyond TV is very easy to get up and running so that you can start recording your favorite shows right then. <
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>I have had no problems with this software at all (even on XP 64bit) and would highly recommend it!!!