Recommendations on DVR/PVR Equipment...

[Petch]

Hey All,

As mentioned, I am new to building my PVR/DVR and I have an idea on where to start, but some of the hardware has me confused.  For what I am looking to do, I can't find anything printed by the manufactures in "non-technical" terms on what my requirements are.  Also, I don't understand the requirements for the encoding/decoding.

What I am looking to do with my box:
- Record at minimum 2 things at once.
- Have the option to record in HD in the future (currently I do not have an HD TV).
- Setup recordings from the internet.
- Remove Commercials.
- Burn recordings to DVD.
- Play/Rip/Burn DVDs.
- Archive ripped DVDs (I am running out of rack space for all my DVDs and would like to store some old ones).
- Control the system easily from the remote (as with a TiVo).

I have been looking at the Hauppauge line of cards, because I hear about them more than anything else.  I would like to have the setup be as easy to use as a TiVo, as I am building this box in-lue of purchasing a TiVo.   

My current PVR system specs are as follows:
CPU:  Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz w/ Hyper Threading
Mobo:  MSI 865PE Neo2-PFS(PE) 478 Intel 865PE
Video:  ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XT
Sound:  SB Audigy Platinum eX (with the external box)
Memory:  1.5GB Kingston HyperX DDR333 PC2700
Hard Drive Controller:   HighPoint RocketRAID 454 PCI IDE Controller Card RAID 0/1/5/10 JBOD
Hard Drives:  4x 120gb Seagate PATA 7200rpm Drives Setup in RAID 5 (360gb usable storage), and an 80gb Western Digital 7200rpm Drive (for OS, etc.)
DVD-Burner:  18x Samsung DVD +- R Burner
DVD-Reader:  12x Lite-On DVD-Reader
Power Supply:  500Watt (Something, I forget what brand it is)
Case:  Rosewill R6A34-SL

I don't believe that I can utilize my current video card for anything other than HD output, but I am not sure.  So given my setup and what I would like to do, what tuner cards would everyone recommend?  Also, if there is anything else you notice that I need to change or recommend that I do, please leave some comments.   

Thanks all,

Petch

[Miller]

I would get either 2 hvr-1600s or a pvr500 and an HDHomeRun (if you have the extra $$). The hvr1600s will record 1 SD and 1 HD show each, hence the need for 2. The pvr 500 will record 2 SD shows and the HDHomeRun will record 2 HD shows. The 1600s are a cheaper option, but will take up 2 pci slots. The pvr500 will only take 1 slot and the HDHomeRun is an external box. (You won't be able to record HD off of cable either way you go.)

To get that Tivo feel you need to use a good pvr program. GBPVR is free and works great. SageTV and BeyondTV also work great, but cost $$. They do have free trials though if you want to give them a try. All do pretty much the same thing, but they have a different interface.

www.gbpvr.com
www.sage.tv
www.snapstream.com

[Petch]

The PCI slots aren't a problem, as this is a full size motherboard/case.  Plus I would like to keep everything internal, so it seems that the 1600's might be the way to go.  Also, I take it that the HD recording off of the cable can only be done after the cable goes into the STB?

Also, from my reading, I take it that my ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XT (http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx800/aiwx800xt/specs.html) is fairly useless  (aside of HD output to a TV) in this application?  I would really like to utilize this card a little bit more as I spend over $300 on it when I originally purchased it, and really haven't got much use out of it (I upgrade my main system not long after the purchase).

Thanks once again for the timely replies,
Petch

[Miller]

I think BeyondTV can use an All-in-Wonder, but truth be told you don't really want to. Unless it's been changed and I didn't notice, the AIW cards use a software decoder. This means your cpu does most of the work when a show is recording. The Hauppauge cards (and others) have hardware decoder which means the card does most of the work. When I used my AIW to record my cpu would be near ~100%, I couldn't do anything else and I still dropped frames. Now my cpu is around ~5% and I use the computer to do pretty much anything else I want while shows are recording. It will still work for video-out though.

[Petch]

Ok fair enough, I guess I should be glad that it's still a good card and can give me a nice output.

You had mentioned:

I would get either 2 hvr-1600s or a pvr500 and an HDHomeRun (if you have the extra $$). The hvr1600s will record 1 SD and 1 HD show each, hence the need for 2. The pvr 500 will record 2 SD shows and the HDHomeRun will record 2 HD shows. The 1600s are a cheaper option, but will take up 2 pci slots. The pvr500 will only take 1 slot and the HDHomeRun is an external box. (You won't be able to record HD off of cable either way you go.)

So what would it take for me to be able to record two HD feeds at the same time?

You also mentioned, on our previous topic, when talking about the HDHomeRun that:

"If you wanted to record from STBs then you would need one for each tuner, but the HDHomeRun's specialty is that it will record QAM or OTA HD so you wouldn't use an STB for this."

Since I am against giving the cable company any money, I would prefer to be able to record HD without having the STBs.  Is this possible, or am I just overlooking what your saying?

Also, is the only difference between the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 and HVR-1800, that the HVR-1800 works with Windows Vista (their site could contain more detail about their hardware)?

Hehe, sorry, I'm just filled with questions today.


Thanks,
Petch

[Petch]

In addition to my other questions about this, I was wondering how the remote works into this?  I was looking at getting a Logitech Harmony 880.  What would I need to get this to work?

Thanks,
Petch

[Miller]

The HDHomeRun is can record 2 HD channels at the same time. It takes the signal from a QAM source or from an antenna (OTA). If you use QAM, then you are recording the unencrypted channels from your coax. You will not be able to record premium channels (with this or any option), but you should get all the regular channels.

The 1600 is a pci card, the 1800 is a pci-express card (1x).

The Logitech remote is nice and works well. (I got one for my dad.) You will need a IR reciever to interface with your pvr software. One comes with the hvr1600 (and 1800 I believe as long as you buy the retail version). I think this one will work fine with the Harmony remote. If not, you'll need to buy a usb-uirt.

[Petch]

I just saw that the difference between the 1600's and the 1800's, and then I got the notification of your update to the post *laff*... I guess I was looking for something other than the type of interface that the card uses.  They should really revise the way they have there model numbers... but anyway.

I just purchased two 1600's (1101 series) for my HTPC, and now I'm searching for a good price on the Logitech Harmony 880 remote. 

It seems that I will need 4 separate cable runs to the back of this box to hook all the inputs correctly, does anyone have any suggestions on this?  I was thinking on using a boosted splitter to ensure that the signal quality is there.

Thanks for the help!

Petch

[Miller]

You will need four runs. Two for the SD and two for the HD.

If you're willing to wait, everyone so often (6 months or so??) Dell Home sells the 880 for ~$130. It's a great deal when you find it.

I used monoprice.com and deepsurplus.com to order my own cable and make my own runs and wall patches. It was surprisingly simple (and I have a 2-story with runs to both floors). I also ordered a amp from them to boost my signal. There prices and products are both outstanding.

[Petch]

I already have all the cable, it happens that I have a 1000 ft box actually, and the compression crimp ends.  Although, I will still need to look for a booster, so I'll check the sites out.

I found a Harmony via Froogle.com listed for $119 (new) + shipping from:  http://www.compuplus.com/i-Logitech-Harmony-880-Advanced-Universal-Remote-966187-0403-1005129~.html?sid=7vr7k3l08j4d270

Looks legit to me.  Take a look and tell me what you think!


Petch

[Petch]

Also I just came across the Harmony 890 and 1000 from the same seller at a good price:

Harmony 890:
http://www.compuplus.com/i-Logitech-Harmony-890-Advanced-Universal-Remote-966193-0403-1005918~.html?sid=80t6d7hy95r1133

Harmony 1000:
http://www.compuplus.com/i-Logitech-Harmony-1000-Advanced-Universal-Remote-966230-0403-1008706~.html?sid=sl9xtf8wp01k9p3

Petch

[Miller]

As long as it's new and you're checked their return policy it's probably ok. You might want to check a ratings site to see how they fare if you're nervous. The price is great. The 890 is nicer because it has RF capability so you don't need line-of-sight for your receiver. It would also probably work with X10 stuff if you have it.

[Petch]

I checked their rating on pricegrabber.com:
http://reviews.pricegrabber.com/compuplus/r/131/

Seems that they have a decent rating overall, a 30 day money back guarantee, and that is a stellar price for either remote.  I have to decide which one I would like to get, I'll update here and then once I get everything, I'll start a project post.

I need to go look and compare the 880 and the 890 to see what makes the one $70 better.

Thanks for all the help,

Petch

[Miller]

The only difference between the 2 is the RF capabilities. It's a nice feature, but not really a must-have unless it's hard to establish line-of-sight between your remote and your computer.

[Petch]

I found the 880 and 890 on Amazon.com fairly cheap also, and they are sure to be a reliable supplier (free shipping too!)  .

Logitech Harmony 880:
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Advanced-Universal-Control/dp/B00093IIRA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-7230575-7229642?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1189533819&sr=1-1

Logitech Harmony 890:
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Advanced-Universal-Control/dp/B000CS1TLE/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-7230575-7229642?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1189533819&sr=1-3

Petch