[mythtv-users] suggested hardware?

[Chris Petersen]

I've been thinking (somewhat seriously) about getting a pvr lately, but
don't like the idea of being tied to a subscription service, and have
worries about ReplayTV going out of business..

Anyway, I finally have some money to start putting toward a dedicated
system.  I ran across MythTV a few months back, and since it seems to be
a little more mature than Freevo, I thought I'd start here.

Since this box will be living with my stereo equipment, I need something
small and quiet.  I was thinking about a 2.0-2.2 Ghz P4 celeron proc in
a Shuttle (us.shuttle.com) box, along with a 120 Gb Seagate Barracuda IV
drive (they're virtually silent, and slightly quieter than the latest
7200.7 model that is currently the quietest on the market). This box has
one AGP and one PCI card, along with onboard video and sound (though no
tv out like the p3 versions do).

Anyway, that much is relatively easy (unless someone could suggest a
case that fits better with stereo components but will hold 2-3 expansion
cards - it would be cool to get 2 tuners).

What do you suggest for a video card?  I assume I wouldn't need anything
particularly advanced - just enough to give me s-video out, right?

And for the tuner card?  I've seen lots of info on the Hauppage PVR
250/350 cards, but they're quite expensive in comparison to the
TV-Wonder or WinTV cards (anyone here use software encoding on a p4
celeron?)

I'm also looking at remotes.  I like the idea of having an RF remote,
though IR would work too (since I already have a pile of those sitting
around, anyway).

Anyway, any help/suggestions would be great.

-Chris