My old AverMedia system quit working so I decided to try this Hauppauge DH-DVR System. I used this system to capture video from my DirecTV Receiver and, using an HDMI Splitter, I was even able to connect my Roku 3 Player to bypass HDCP protection.
I thought about giving the Hauppauge 4 stars because it isn't the easiest system to set up, but the performance is so good it really does rate 5 stars. I had to read the instructions several times before I clearly understood the setup procedures. Overall it also took me about an hour to set up. Once you know how to do it, however, you should be able to set up, install the software and connect the system in under a half-hour.
The system doesn't come with an installed CD, you must download the software from the Hauppauge web site. It was also a little disconcerting to hook the Hauppauge hardware up but not see any video. You must complete the software installation on your PC before the video is connected. However, once I finished this set, the video popped right in.
As for performance, the Hauppauge PVR is all that is advertised. I can now view and capture video from either my DirecTV receiver or from my Roku. The Hauppauge isn't error-free however; I do find that when changing channels on my DirecTV receiver, I see a brief flash of color bars on my screen before the receiver connects to the new channel. This will happen on the Hauppauge since it is connected to the PC. Not a big issue, just something I have to get used to living with.
This system comes with several software tools to view input on your PC, plus a special Hauppauge capture app which works superbly (manual and timed record, stream video and a YouTube Link to upload videos).
Overall, the Hauppauge HD-PVR does everything I hoped it would and does it well. I don't miss my old system one bit.

I purchased the Hauppauge 1512 HD-PVR 2 High Definition Personal Video Recorder with Digital Audio (SPDIF) and IR Blaster Technology on June 14, 2016. It was great when it was working. However, it stopped detecting HDMI signal August 20th. It was working just the day before. No changes were made to my computer, devices, or cabling. After reading other reviews and searching online, I see I'm not the only person to experience this. I have used Hauppauge products before and they worked great. This one is my only disappointment. I can submit for repair but I have to pay about $35 shipping. I think I would rather invest my $35 into another brand of capture device.

I use it to cap TV shows and movies off my DirecTV Genie, and this unit does a great job. I have it recording at 1920 x 1080, 60i, and the recordings look great. The software supplied with the unit doesn't run on Mac (one star off for that). I purchased Kernel Labs's HDPVRCapture, which is reasonably priced and works very well. There was a related glitch, though: The unit Hauppauge shipped was not really an HD-PVR 2, but a Gaming Edition Plus. Kernel Labs told me that Hauppauge does this when it's overstocked with GE Pluses, since a GE Plus and the HD-PVR 2 are just about the same thing. Be aware of this, though: The GE Plus comes with Mac software but the HD-PVR 2 does not, and HDPVRCapture is not designed to work with the GE Plus. Truly a Catch-22, and not Kernel's fault. Some very helpful soul at Kernel had to tweak my license file so the software would recognize the hardware and, ever since then, all has been well. (I am told that the lighted band that runs around the HD-PVR 2 is blue while the one on the GE Plus is green, and that's how you can tell the difference.) Once you get the unit going, though, it does a terrific job.

I ordered this for a new custom computer I built. My primary purpose was to record TV shows and to digitize VHS tapes. I had used a Hauppage capture PCI card in an older computer and that worked fine for the time. This new HD capture device is far superior to the old card. You can move this from computer to computer. The image quality with this PVR is quite clear and well defined, as is the sound. Setup is easy and the recorder works with no glitches. Computer: AMD A-7850K APU, 8 GB RAM.

Update on 06/18/2016: PVR 2 is dead! Will not record! Will be contacting Hauppauge. Bought this based on previous internal Hauppauge capture card that still works on an older computer (Windows XP, upgraded to Windows 7, new in 2005). Internal capture card working going on 11 years with no problems!

Very nice and easy to use. I went and upgraded the firmware first thing, to be on the safe side, and I've had almost no problem with it.

Key word being almost. There is no head phone out on this device, so you might want to have a work-around in mind if you're using HDMI directly from your laptop! You will NOT get any sound otherwise!

It's a bit of a port-hog, and you end up with a mess of wires which can get a touch annoying in non-permanent set-ups, but I can deal until I can get the space to make my set up less mobile.

NOTE: There does not seem to be a max size limit for the device you use to record to! I'm using a nearly 1 TB external Hard Drive, and other than some play-back issues that mostly look like they're client-side (for some reason, jumping around the video file introduces a de-sync with the audio lagging behind, and one program has video issues with that jumping around) I've had no problems! I have a 1+ hour video file from a testing session, and at no point does the video cut out because it can't make files that big.

And, it records my voice at a level that I like- Low quality recorders tend to cut out the lows and the highs, making me sound like I'm congested. This does not.