[mythtv-users] New HTPC case from Antec

[Jay R. Ashworth]

On Tue, Sep 12, 2006 at 02:47:55PM -0500, Kevin Hulse wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 12, 2006 at 10:52:03AM -0700, Dawning Sky wrote:
> > On 9/12/06, Mike Frisch <mfrisch at isurfer.ca> wrote:
> > > On Tue, Sep 12, 2006 at 09:36:33AM -0700, Dawning Sky wrote:
> > > > It seems newer mATX board usually have 2 PCI + 2 PCI Express slots.
> > > > So now I start looking for PCI Express tuner cards, which I still have
> > > > difficulty to find one.  I don't want to give up any of my three tuner
> > > > cards, 2 DVB HDTV cards and 1 PVR-500.
> > >
> > > My approach is slightly different...  separate the frontend from the
> > > backend.  The backend can be a big ugly case somewhere in the basement
> > > or a closet with lots of slots and tuners and the frontend will be a
> > > slick machine with minimal hardware installed.
> > 
> > Sounds good, except there are already too many computers (in my wife's
> > opinion) in our house.  And running ethernet cable around the house
> > could be a chanllege too.  Anyways, I'll probably have to take
> > master/slave approach in the end if we want an additional FE in our
> > bedroom.
> 
>      It will be well worth the effort. Just make sure that you "overdo"
> things once you decide to break into walls and whatnot. With multiple
> cable packages (structured cabling) you get 2 or 4 or 5 for the price
> of one. I have a new house where I decided on the 5 cable bundle since
> I needed to have them put in a cable of my choosing anyways. They just
> gave me a blank stare when I mentioned Cat6.

Oh, yeah.  Copper's cheap: breaking holes in walls is expensive.  If
you're going to have cable pulled, you want 2 4pr cat 5e's and 2 RG-6's
minimum.  (Ok, RG-59, if you must, but -6 is better.)  Belden 8527 is
also good; I've been told that the quad-shielded cable is actually
*not* as good.

Home run everything to a backboard in the garage; install a *good*
bidirectional wideband amp (Blonder Tongue), if you're going to feed
more than about 3 devices.  (And you are.  Oh, yes, you are.  :-)

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra at baylink.com
Designer                          Baylink                             RFC 2100
Ashworth & Associates        The Things I Think                        '87 e24
St Petersburg FL USA      http://baylink.pitas.com             +1 727 647 1274

	"That's women for you; you divorce them, and 10 years later,
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