[mythtv-users] MythTV vs. Windows Media Center

[Andrew Close]

On Sun, Feb 13, 2011 at 9:06 PM, Reynolds, Brian
<Brian.Reynolds at fiserv.com> wrote:
<snip/>
> Windows MCE stores everything in wtv format.  2TB should give me
> approximately 300 hours of HD content.  I think that's plenty.  I only
> get about 20 hours on my current DVR.  That's nowhere near enough, but I
> think 300 is good.
>
> How many hours would this get me in Myth?
>
> The price of a 7200RPM WD 1TB drive is $70.  The price of a 2TB 7200RPM
> drive from WD is $170.  I can always add more storage later if needed,
> and it's cheaper to buy two 1TB drives vs. one 2TB drive in this
> scenario.

with Myth you can transcode/convert your recordings into almost any
format you like.  so if you want to save space, transcode them to
something smaller.
the previously recommended HD-PVR already transcodes/compresses the
video for you.  the also previously recommended HDHR just dumps the
raw MPEG-2 stream to disk.  the output of either one can be
manipulated to save you space or allow other devices to play a
specific format.

one consideration you're overlooking on the 1 HD vs 2 HD's is the
amount of power used.  two 1TB drives will consume more power than a
single 2TB drive.  if you search around a bit you'll find better deals
on 2 (or even 3TB) HDs.  they (2TB) are more expensive, but generally
not 2+ x more expensive.


-- 
Andrew Close