Hey! I'm currently building a computer. One of the things that I want it to be able to do is record footage using my Hauppauge PVR (NOT #2, which is made for PC footage as well unfortunately). The graphics card I'm looking at is this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131546

Is there any way to use this card and my PVR box to record PC footage without springing for a 75 dollar analog converter?

Is this the PVR you're referring to?

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html

If so, it seems like it should be possible with a simple HDMI to Component cable, which costs less than $10. I believe the video card can redirect the audio through the HDMI port as well, so that should work almost out of the box.

You should probably also be aware that the PVR seems to be limited to 1080i. PC output is not interlaced, so that may be a problem if you want to record at that resolution. In that case, you would presumably need to record at 720p; if that's not good enough, you could consider actual screen recording software like Fraps.

I have not tried this myself, but that is how I read these pages.

Note that some cables sold with the correct connectors don't actually do the conversion so might not work with your PVR.

That is indeed it. So you're thinking like computer output -> the cable you listed -> PVR -> television? All right! Thanks! Is there a good way to tell the cords that do and the cords that don't apart?

I don't have any experience in this area but some of the store pages on Amazon etc. specifically say the cable does not convert the signal.

Allrighty. I'll check it out.

That's the theory, yes, but like Arkose mentions, conversion may be necessary (if your PVR can't handle it on its own). If that is the case, you almost certainly need a different (and more expensive) cable. Fundamentally, the main issue is that your PVR doesn't have any inputs designed for digital signals - all of them are for analog signals, and HDMI only has a digital signal. A simple cable like this won't convert things, but some devices may still be able to figure it out - I haven't been able to dig up anything definitive, but it might be worth a shot if you really want to use your PVR and want to try a cheap(er) solution.

Another option, a DVI to Component cable, would probably be more likely to succeed, since DVI carries both an analog and a digital RGB signal. This is still different than the analog YPbPr signal that would be expected over component, but I would assume there is a conversion chip in the DVI plug (it is very simple to convert from RGB to YPbPr, so it is more likely to be the case for such a cable), or maybe your PVR supports the configuration through some setting. However, DVI doesn't carry audio, so you'd need a separate cable for that (and you might have to worry about synchronization issues when it's not coming over the same cable).

Once again, this is all theory. I can't promise it'll work; that all depends on the PVR.

So would I need to get a splitter, or just use the three DVI plugs on the one cable and the 2 sounds plugs on the second cable?

You should be able to just hook up both cables seperately.