« previous next »
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 8

Author Topic: Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200  (Read 42619 times)

Offline rampy

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 6846
  • Karma: 279
  • Defender of DIY DVR, PVR, HTPC, and Semicolons!
    • View Profile
    • Build Your Own PVR Main Site
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« on: July 26, 2004, 12:38:08 AM »
2n takes a pvr250 OEM and a mediaMVP coupled with his home office PC to cobble together a thrifty PVR.  Read the article or post your comments and questions below.

Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200


Rampy
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2004, 02:49:19 AM »
hi all,

what are the minimum PC requirements (processor, memory, etc.) needed in order to make a viable PVR?

thanks,,

kham :D  
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2004, 06:16:32 AM »
Great review - this is pretty much what I'm doing.

I've been beta testing the new version of GB-PVR due in the next couple of days, and its looking very good. It includes a few more MVP improvements that make things much more stable.
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2004, 07:42:42 PM »
Thank you very much for this article.  It provides us frugal (cheap!) guys with some alternatives.  My question is...Will this configuration work with Dish Network and if so, what adjustments need to be made.  Thanks again in advance.
Logged

Offline rampy

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 6846
  • Karma: 279
  • Defender of DIY DVR, PVR, HTPC, and Semicolons!
    • View Profile
    • Build Your Own PVR Main Site
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2004, 08:00:56 PM »
Quote
Thank you very much for this article.  It provides us frugal (cheap!) guys with some alternatives.  My question is...Will this configuration work with Dish Network and if so, what adjustments need to be made.  Thanks again in advance.


Well, the rub is that you'll need a dish network receiver box that you'd plug into your pvr250... and then find a way to have your PC control the satellite box.

I'm not fully versed on GBPVR's capabilties (and specifically with the MediaMVP ) but it does seem to support external control devices like USB UIRT ir blaster thingie.  Not sure if it does serial control of dish network recievers.  If I find out I'll let you know =)

rampy
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2004, 08:25:15 PM »
I'm guessing that this MediaMVP will not with with Sage or Beyond TV?
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2004, 12:19:16 AM »
GBPVR supports Actisys IR200L and USB-UIRT IR blaster which would allow you to change channels on your Dish Network set top box. It also supports girder, which could in turn use a serial cable to change channels etc. Lots of options.
Logged

Offline rampy

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 6846
  • Karma: 279
  • Defender of DIY DVR, PVR, HTPC, and Semicolons!
    • View Profile
    • Build Your Own PVR Main Site
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2004, 01:13:27 AM »
Quote
I'm guessing that this MediaMVP will not with with Sage or Beyond TV?  


The mediamvp by itself/default software/"firmware" will stream mpeg content from your PC... so hypothetically it will "work" in conjunction with Sagetv/BTV recorded content, but thos applications doesn't act like a "frontend" replacement for MediaMVP like GBPVR does.

I thought I read something somewhere about frey tech looking into sage support for mediamvp, but that might be a rumor (or a dream I had)... or just a feature request listed on a sage forum =)

Hope that answers the question =)

rampy
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2004, 08:16:02 PM »
I'm the one who asked about dish network.  Thanks for the reply.  How would my conections go if I were to use this set-up with dish network.  What I mean is what connects to what (250, network, TV, Stereo, MVP, IR Blaster, Anything I might have left out?)  One other question, can I hook one of the MVP's up to each TV and view different items at the same time?  Thank you in advance for any help you can lend.
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2004, 09:16:28 PM »
2n Here

The basic software porvided with mediamvp supports up to twelve separate devices. I am fairly certain GBPVR supports multiple MVPs, as I have seen some people discussing it on the bulletin board, but I have no idea how well that sort of function works. You might consider putting a question up on the GBPVR bulletin board  http:// http://gbpvr.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=d61ef72c3985f15ba92cf89042c738d6.
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #10 on: July 28, 2004, 10:29:08 PM »
 2n, (or any others)

Can you give me the rundown on how my system would connect (PC, 250, MVP, Network, IR Blaster, Dish Box)  I'm new to this but very interresed in getting started and the article you wrote looks very "do-able" for me.

Thanks Again
Logged

Offline rampy

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 6846
  • Karma: 279
  • Defender of DIY DVR, PVR, HTPC, and Semicolons!
    • View Profile
    • Build Your Own PVR Main Site
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2004, 12:09:15 AM »
Quote
2n, (or any others)

Can you give me the rundown on how my system would connect (PC, 250, MVP, Network, IR Blaster, Dish Box)  I'm new to this but very interresed in getting started and the article you wrote looks very "do-able" for me.

Thanks Again


Satellite dish box svideo/composite out --> pvr250 input

PC---->IR Blaster---->Satellite Dish reciever box

PC<--->network<--->MediaMVP--->TV

hope that helps =)

rampy
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2004, 08:20:11 PM »
Great article.  One of the things I'm hoping for in a build-you-own PVR is the capability to have _two_ tuners in order to record two programs at the same time.  Is there a tuner card that would work in this configuration that has two tuners?  Thanks - Geoff
Logged

Anonymous

  • Guest
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #13 on: July 30, 2004, 08:20:18 PM »
Do you need the MediaMVP in order to use this program, or can you do without it if the computer is in the same room as the television? Also, how does the PVR350 work if you have a digital cable box???
Logged

Offline rampy

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 6846
  • Karma: 279
  • Defender of DIY DVR, PVR, HTPC, and Semicolons!
    • View Profile
    • Build Your Own PVR Main Site
Building a PVR in 3 Or So Steps for About $200
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2004, 08:38:35 PM »
Quote
Great article.  One of the things I'm hoping for in a build-you-own PVR is the capability to have _two_ tuners in order to record two programs at the same time.  Is there a tuner card that would work in this configuration that has two tuners?  Thanks - Geoff


Hey Geoff,

you can use multiple pvr250's in a machine...  as you add multiple tuners you'll want to make sure to have enough horsepower though.  Probably not a big deal for 2 cards on a "normal" PC, but if you go crazy with 3 or 4 =)

I don't know if or how well GBPVR supports multiple tuners, i'd check their forum for more info...  I know SageTV supports multiple tuners (and so does myth on the linux side).. but i'm also unsure of how MediaMVP woudl fit in, in such a situation...

rampy
Logged
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 8
« previous next »