[mythtv] TiVo Out! MythTV In! Help me buy the right stuff...
John
mythtv-dev@snowman.net
Tue, 17 Dec 2002 21:35:57 -0500
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MessageHi Chris,
Thanks for the tips.. I've checked out the sites you mentioned below =
and the only hardware recommended is an ATI TV Wonder VE. Is this the =
best h/w to go with? I thought Isaac wasn't too hot on these cards? I =
noticed in the thread on the Buffer Flushing that Harondel is using TWO =
tuner cards and a HARDWARE decoder (dxr3). This sounds like the way to =
go, no?
I guess it would be REALLY useful if there was someplace everyone could =
go and put in their H/W config and how their performance is. I searched =
the archives but didn't find anyplace that everyone threw their 2 cents =
in. Bits and pieces scattered here and there about this card or driver.
How about if people just chime in with their current:
Vid Cap card:
Video Out option (card or external):
Audio card:
CPU, RAM, HD:
Remote ctrl solution:
Linux variant:
Comments:
They can say how much cpu they're using up at a given res, how happy =
they are with this config, how stable, if simultaneous record/play works =
well, etc...
How about it? What's the best way to collect all this info from =
everyone into one thread so we can all benefit and make the right =
decisions for future hardware?
Thanks!
John
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Chris Liscio=20
To: mythtv-dev@snowman.net=20
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:57 PM
Subject: RE: [mythtv] TiVo Out! MythTV In! Help me buy the right =
stuff...
Hi John,
Someone has set up a site at www.freeplaytv.org, and I am working on =
www.supermegaultragroovy.com/mythbox to help people just like you that =
are going shopping for a new box. You could either try a "buy =
everything that'll work" solution, or just use the parts either of those =
sites list to build your own machine.
Along with that, you can search the archives (a link is posted on =
www.mythtv.org) to help see if anything particular is supported or not.
Hope this helps,
Chris
-----Original Message-----
From: mythtv-dev-admin@snowman.net =
[mailto:mythtv-dev-admin@snowman.net] On Behalf Of John
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:40 PM
To: mythtv-dev@snowman.net
Subject: [mythtv] TiVo Out! MythTV In! Help me buy the right =
stuff...
Hi all,
First time member of the list here, but hope to be quite active. I =
need your help in selecting the right equipment to setup my new MythTV =
system. I know that there are lots of choices for video output, =
capture, remotes, etc. and don't want to make a wrong decision. Thanks =
in advance for your help!
Background...
I currently have a ReplayTV and a TiVo. I'm going to be giving the =
Tivo (which we like better than Replay by the way - actually we love the =
Tivo) to my in-laws for a Christmas present. Reason we're giving it =
away is 1) The "free" store demo programming subscription has expired =
and we have to cough up $250 for lifetime which I just hate, 2) It's =
only 14 hours (and I know I could add a hard drive), my (retired) =
in-laws really need this - they watch TV about 10 hours a day easy, the =
whole family is going in on the $250 so the subscription is covered. =
Anyway, after using both Replay and TiVo for over a year, our family of =
four is totally SOLD on a PVR. They're simply awesome. Tivo is the =
best and their remote and interface is outstanding. Well, anyway, I =
really like the idea of using a PC with a network card wired into our =
home network to our cable modem, and being able to edit out commercials, =
send to other PCs in the house, etc. I think MythTv is the answer. It =
blows away everything else out there.
Equipment...
I have recently freed up a Dell Dimension 8100 PIII-800 w/512mb RAM =
and 80gb 7200rpm drive, SoundBlaster 64 PCI. I'll need to buy a video =
capture card, video card with video out, and wireless remote/recvr. =
This system will be sitting in our family room and will be wired up to =
our TV at all times. I'll tuck the keyboard, processor and 14" monitor =
out of the way for the occasional updates, etc. but I want the remote to =
be the main control for daily use. That's why it is so important that =
it's as powerful as possible. I know that MythTV can make do with =
something like 4 arrows and Enter, but if I've got a pause, play, rec, =
stop, ff, rew, skip back, slow mo, last channel, vol up/down and channel =
up/down, I'll be all set!
Typical Use...
We'll mostly use it for recording shows for later playback, and =
timeshifting - watching shows delayed to eliminate the need for watching =
commercials and allow pausing to do other things. We also want to be =
able to watch pre-recorded shows while recording new live ones. Dual =
tuners would be a fantastic addition, but I understand it requires h/w =
assistance. Ok, so I'm game? I also like being able to edit out =
commercials and then save to tape will be nice for those "special" shows =
that we want to archive. The unit will get used a LOT by our typical =
family of four (kids 12, 13) so a great interface like MythTv is =
essential.
What I need...
I need you "experts" out there to help me go shopping! I already =
bought and returned an ATI All-in-wonder 8500 DV. It worked, but the =
on-screen guide was lame with ads filling up 1/3 of the screen, it =
couldn't record live and play back pre-recorded shows simultaneously, =
a/v got out of sync easily, and it crashed too much. So, I'm back to =
square one. While I'm mainly a Windows s/w developer by profession, I =
have tinkered with various flavors of Linux and am willing to reformat =
the h.d. to any install you all recommend. The sole purpose of this =
machine is a PVR so the O/S is irrelevant. Whatever flavor is most =
"supported" and "stable" is all that counts.
So...
Can you please tell me, if you had to start making a clean fresh =
system, what would be your recommended:
1) Capture card
2) Video output card (S-Video would be nice)
3) Remote control & receiver (the more powerful the better!)
4) Linux version (stable and compatible is all I want)
5) Is there a hardware encoder/decoder card out there? If so, which =
one to buy?
6) Do any of those USB boxes work? I see a lot in the catalogs. =
They even claim MPEG 2. They've obviously got some encoder/decoder h/w =
onboard right? Are they the way to go?
I'm trying to keep the expenditure to around $200 or less, but will =
listen to all ideas.
THANKS A MILLION for your feedback. It's going to be a Mythical =
Christmas!
John
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Chris,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for the tips.. I've checked out the
sites you mentioned below and the only hardware recommended is an
ATI TV Wonder VE. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>Is this the
best h/w to go with? I thought Isaac wasn't too hot on these cards?
</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>I noticed in the thread on the Buffer Flushing
that Harondel is using TWO tuner cards and a HARDWARE decoder (dxr3).
</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>This sounds like the way to go, no?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I guess it would be REALLY useful if there was
someplace everyone could go and put in their H/W config and how their
performance is. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>I searched the archives but
didn't find anyplace that everyone threw their 2 cents in. Bits and pieces
scattered here and there about this card or driver.</FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=2>
<DIV><BR>How about if people just chime in with their current:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Vid Cap card:</DIV>
<DIV>Video Out option (card or external):</DIV>
<DIV>Audio card:</DIV>
<DIV>CPU, RAM, HD:</DIV>
<DIV>Remote ctrl solution:</DIV>
<DIV>Linux variant:</DIV>
<DIV>Comments:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>They can say how much cpu they're using up at a given res, how happy they
are with this config, how stable, if simultaneous record/play works
well, etc...</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>How about it? What's the best way to collect all this info from
everyone into one thread so we can all benefit and make the right decisions for
future hardware?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks!</DIV>
<DIV>John</DIV>
<DIV></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=chris@supermegaultragroovy.com
href="mailto:chris@supermegaultragroovy.com">Chris Liscio</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=mythtv-dev@snowman.net
href="mailto:mythtv-dev@snowman.net">mythtv-dev@snowman.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:57
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: [mythtv] TiVo Out! MythTV
In! Help me buy the right stuff...</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=747075522-17122002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Hi John,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=747075522-17122002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=747075522-17122002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Someone has set up a site at <A
href="http://www.freeplaytv.org">www.freeplaytv.org</A>, and I am working on
<A
href="http://www.supermegaultragroovy.com/mythbox">www.supermegaultragroovy.com/mythbox</A>
to help people just like you that are going shopping for a new box. You
could either try a "buy everything that'll work" solution, or just use the
parts either of those sites list to build your own
machine.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=747075522-17122002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=747075522-17122002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Along with that, you can search the archives (a link is posted on <A
href="http://www.mythtv.org">www.mythtv.org</A>) to help see if anything
particular is supported or not.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=747075522-17122002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=747075522-17122002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Hope
this helps,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=747075522-17122002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Chris</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
mythtv-dev-admin@snowman.net [mailto:mythtv-dev-admin@snowman.net] <B>On
Behalf Of </B>John<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, December 17, 2002 5:40
PM<BR><B>To:</B> mythtv-dev@snowman.net<BR><B>Subject:</B> [mythtv] TiVo
Out! MythTV In! Help me buy the right stuff...<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First time member of the list here, but hope to
be quite active. I need your help in selecting the right
equipment to setup my new MythTV system. I know that there are lots of
choices for video output, capture, remotes, etc. and don't want to make a
wrong decision. Thanks in advance for your help!</FONT></DIV><FONT
face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><BR>Background...</DIV>
<DIV>I currently have a ReplayTV and a TiVo. I'm going to be giving
the Tivo (which we like better than Replay by the way - actually we love the
Tivo) to my in-laws for a Christmas present. Reason we're giving it
away is 1) The "free" store demo programming subscription has expired and we
have to cough up $250 for lifetime which I just hate, 2) It's only 14 hours
(and I know I could add a hard drive), my (retired) in-laws really need this
- they watch TV about 10 hours a day easy, the whole family is going in on
the $250 so the subscription is covered. Anyway, after using
both Replay and TiVo for over a year, our family of four is totally
SOLD on a PVR. They're simply awesome. Tivo is the best and
their remote and interface is outstanding. Well, anyway, I really like
the idea of using a PC with a network card wired into our home network to
our cable modem, and being able to edit out commercials, send to other PCs
in the house, etc. I think MythTv is the answer. It blows away
everything else out there.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Equipment...</DIV>
<DIV>I have recently freed up a Dell Dimension 8100 PIII-800 w/512mb RAM and
80gb 7200rpm drive, SoundBlaster 64 PCI. I'll need to buy a video
capture card, video card with video out, and wireless remote/recvr.
This system will be sitting in our family room and will be wired up to our
TV at all times. I'll tuck the keyboard, processor and 14" monitor out
of the way for the occasional updates, etc. but I want the remote to be the
main control for daily use. That's why it is so important that it's as
powerful as possible. I know that MythTV can make do with
something like 4 arrows and Enter, but if I've got a pause, play,
rec, stop, ff, rew, skip back, slow mo, last channel, vol up/down
and channel up/down, I'll be all set!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Typical Use...</DIV>
<DIV>We'll mostly use it for recording shows for later playback, and
timeshifting - watching shows delayed to eliminate the need for watching
commercials and allow pausing to do other things. We also want to be
able to watch pre-recorded shows while recording new live ones. Dual
tuners would be a fantastic addition, but I understand it requires h/w
assistance. Ok, so I'm game? I also like being able to edit
out commercials and then save to tape will be nice for those "special" shows
that we want to archive. The unit will get used a LOT by our
typical family of four (kids 12, 13) so a great interface like MythTv is
essential.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>What I need...</DIV>
<DIV>I need you "experts" out there to help me go shopping! I already
bought and returned an ATI All-in-wonder 8500 DV. It worked, but the
on-screen guide was lame with ads filling up 1/3 of the screen, it couldn't
record live and play back pre-recorded shows simultaneously, a/v got out of
sync easily, and it crashed too much. So, I'm back to square
one. While I'm mainly a Windows s/w developer by profession, I have
tinkered with various flavors of Linux and am willing to reformat the h.d.
to any install you all recommend. The sole purpose of this machine is
a PVR so the O/S is irrelevant. Whatever flavor is most "supported"
and "stable" is all that counts.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So...</DIV>
<DIV>Can you please tell me, if you had to start making a clean fresh
system, what would be your recommended:</DIV>
<DIV>1) Capture card</DIV>
<DIV>2) Video output card (S-Video would be nice)</DIV>
<DIV>3) Remote control & receiver (the more powerful the better!)</DIV>
<DIV>4) Linux version (stable and compatible is all I want)</DIV>
<DIV>5) Is there a hardware encoder/decoder card out there? If
so, which one to buy?</DIV>
<DIV>6) Do any of those USB boxes work? I see a lot in the
catalogs. They even claim MPEG 2. They've obviously got some
encoder/decoder h/w onboard right? Are they the way to go?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I'm trying to keep the expenditure to around $200 or less, but will
listen to all ideas.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>THANKS A MILLION for your feedback. It's going to be a
Mythical Christmas!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>John</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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