problems recording with Windows Media Center

Did you install the Hauppage Media Center specific setup software/drivers?

Support for WinTV-HVR-1250

Click on the Windows Media Center Install tab, then install the MCEKit_setup.

Also here are some notes from Hauppauge site:

Jerky video with live ATSC digital TV

Jerky or distorted video can be caused by two things in your PC or
laptop: a slow CPU which cannot decode the ATSC TV signal fast
enough, and a graphics system which cannot keep up with the high
datarates of ATSC TV.
Many times, improving the performance of the graphics display will
fix the jerky video display of ATSC digital TV. Here are some tips on
improving graphics performance:
-

Use the latest graphics driver: graphics drivers are often
‘tweaked’ to improve performance, especially the built-in graphics
on laptops. Check the Microsoft Windows update site to download
the latest graphics driver for your computer. For Dell computers,
check the Dell website for the latest graphics driver.
- Use Hauppauge’s Primary program to optimize graphics
performance: Primary.exe is used to change the display mode of
a graphics card for TV watching. This does not affect any other
Windows program. Primary.exe is found in the Hauppauge WinTV
program group. The default mode used by WinTV is Force
Primary. Force Primary uses your processor to move the digital
TV image into the graphics memory. It is more CPU intensive but
often fixes display problems on some laptops.
To use hardware graphics acceleration, close your TV application,
then run Primary. Click Allow VMR. Close Primary and rerun your
TV application. The Allow VMR setting will allow your graphics system
to use hardware acceleration for video decode. Note: graphics
hardware acceleration does not work on all systems.
If this setting does not help, or if your TV application does not
respond after a channel change, then your graphics system cannot
use hardware graphics acceleration.

In this case, re-run Primary. Click Force Primary and Close.

I guess I didn't run that particular program. I kept trying to run the install Win TV 7 CD 1.2c which I downloaded from their website. I have been having trouble installing it because it asks me to insert a CD which I don't have. Maybe that was the wrong program. They certainly seem to make things very confusing with their software.

I appreciate your suggestions Desslok, but as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I have an extremely powerful PC and graphics card. The fact that it performs flawlessly 99% of the time leads me to think it is not simply an issue of performance.

see this thread:

TV flickers in WMC not in HDHRQuick TV

I have an Alienware PC. Don't they make their own motherboards? I don't think I have a gigabyte motherboard.

You should check with Alienware for Windows 7 support for your product. These are highly customized PC's and you likely lost much of that if you upgraded to W7.

This is the problem I have and it may be yours too:

I think many people have reported related problems, that is video freezing, Low Bit Rate errors,... .

It is always recording the TV Tuner (KWorld U315 USB Tuner) video feed.
... but I don't want every Live TV show I watch to be recorded!!.

When I hover the cursor over WMC:
- Controls show: [](Stop); <<(Fast Rev); ||(Pause)/>(Play);>>(Fast Fwd); Spr; -;+;
- a 1 hour time bar above controls (e.g., 8:00 =======----------------- 9:00 )
- a time location above the time bar (e.g., 8:25:45)
- a clock in the upper right hand corner
- a Back Arrow and Win Logo in upper left hand corner.

When I click on <<(Fast Rev), the video runs backwards.

When starting WMC:
- it has most options slightly grayed out,
- the "TV" option is enhanced (brighter),
- when I move the cursor over WMC, the controls (detailed above) show up,
- I click on "live TV", which moves "live TV" to the left and enhances it,
- WMC then goes to the TV channel selected the last time it was shut down,

It apparently begins recording immediately, as the <<(Fast Rev) is operational back to the point that the "live TV" began.

In the "Tasks-Setting" -> TV -> Recorder, I have "Cleared Recording Schedule".

If I select TV-Recorded TV, it says "No shows have been recored".

What you're experiencing is totally different from the problem I have.

A problem that i had sounds the same as yours, except i did get it while watching live tv as well. I was told that a tv tuner card cannot recieve a signal as well as a hdtv. I bought and installed some tv signal boosters on my tv areial wire, problem solved.