[mythtv-users] Cost of MythTV Machines

[Robert Bray]

I used a PC I had --- a Pentium2 400  (I think I paid around $250 for it
off-lease several years ago - I see that they now sell for around $40)
bought a pvr350 - $150
a 120GB disk - $60 (with rebates)
256 MB memory (I had laying around - cheap to buy)


With the PVR350 it works great for me. I can watch and record at the same
time.  I wouldn't try any fancy transcoding on it, but it is in my oppinion
very usable.  The secret to using such and old slow machine it the PVR350
without it, the machine would be unusable.  I tried another card and it was
unusable.



On 1/23/06, Mark Hetherington <redcane at dodo.com.au> wrote:
>
> On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 03:26 pm, Brian Wood wrote:
> > With some recent discussion here about CPUs and costs I wonder what
> > the "average" cost of a MythTV machine might be.
> > I think if one was constructing a computer specifically for MythTV a
> > minimal F/B configuration might cost $600, using refurbed components
> > perhaps, and with 1 MPEG-encoding capture card. $1500 would buy a
> > very nice machine with maybe 1TB of storage and 3 capture cards.
> > These guesses include a "computer" monitor but not an entertainment-
> > quality display.
> >
>
> US$600? I guess it depends on what you want from your mythbox, but I think
> you
> could get it done for less than $AUD500 (Maybe $US400 with the exchange
> rate
> now). Then again, maybe I'm just thinking that way because my mythbox is
> part
> time, I run it on a machine I already had. But I can run standard
> definition
> digital on my celeron 1.7 no problems. HD is a bit jerky of course. But if
> you only wanted either analogue or standard def, I reckon you could head
> over
> to www.cheapestpc.com.au and get a machine for about $380, and whack in a
> tuner for about $110. That machine would be a lot faster than the one I'm
> using, and so would probably do a magnificent job. I imagine if you were
> given $US600 to spend on a box, you'd probably get HDTV in there.
> In any case, it's one of those things where you can probably spend as much
> or
> as little as you want (depending on how many spare parts or PCs you have).
>
> I think anyone who isn't trying it out due to cost should get their
> existing
> PC, perhaps put a tuner in it and try one of the live CD distros that
> includes myth, thats a pretty good way to try before you buy.
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