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<p class=MsoNormal>OK,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>So I’ve found this cool tuner card that has four
tuners that use a single CableCARD to receive everything the cable company has
to offer, except VOD. It’s the Ceton InfiniTV (<a
href="http://www.cetoncorp.com">www.cetoncorp.com</a>). It’s
$399.99 and available now (with a 3 month backlog on orders).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Of course, copy protected content is only supported in
Windows MCE, with a supported HDCP compliant video card. I don’t
know if the card has drivers for Linux, but if I can’t watch copy
protected content on Linux, why would I want to do that?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Also, with an X-Box or a D-Link or Linksys media center
extender (found on e-bay for $100), I can watch live or recorded TV, Blu-Ray
movies, DVD’s, and just about anything else that Windows can decode on as
many frontends as my MCE server can handle, which depends on how many tuners I
install, how much I/O the machine can handle, and CPU power.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>So... I’ve put together a list of hardware that would be
required to handle four extenders and also to be able to play 3D content on the
MCE server. The components I’ve selected will enable me to
configure the hard drives in a Raid-0 so that I can maximize I/O throughput and
will even include two Blu-Ray drives that can be shared with any of the
extenders.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>It’s a pretty beefy machine using high end parts that should
be very reliable, quiet and stable. The parts will cost me around
$1500.00. This includes 2TB of storage, a BluRay reader, a BluRay writer,
four tuners with cableCARD and two more tuners that will receive
ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM. I can get my hands on Windows 7 with MCE for around
$100.00 through a program my employer has with M$.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Now to my question... what’s the advantage of MythTV
over Win MCE? Why would I want to go this route instead of MCE when I can
get copy protected content in MCE?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Please understand that I mean no disrespect. I
understand the benefits of open source software and the fun that goes into a
project like that. I just don’t understand why I would choose
MythTV over MCE. Please help me out.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Oh... and to add to my previous e-mails, Brighthouse (Time
Warner) now offers a whole-house solution in my area (Central Florida).
In order to have four tuners and five rooms, I would need two DVR’s and
three cable boxes. Each box has its own tuner, but the four in the DVR’s
are the only ones available for recording/pausing/rewinding TV shows. The
total cost to rent a 5 room system with four DVR tuners is $62/month.
With the four tuner card I mentioned above, my costs would be $2.95/mo for the
cable card and $3.80/mo for each SDV Tuning Adapter (one required for each two
tuners). I don’t know which channels are using SDV in my area
yet... so there could be no need for the Tuning Adapters if I don’t want
any of those channels. Plus... if I want more tuners, I can add some that
will receive clear QAM, ATSC and NTSC, which would give me plenty of tuners to
satisfy my needs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Please let me know if you know of a cheaper way to build a
HTPC that will accomplish my goals. Also, let me know if I’m way
off here and MythTV adds some functionality that I can’t do without.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Brian
K. Reynolds</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
Sr. Applications Supervisor<br>
Spectrum ASP<br>
Credit Union Solutions<br>
</span><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Fiserv</span></b><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
Office: 321-268-2622, ext. 5249<br>
Fax: 321-264-2942<br>
</span><span style='font-size:9.0pt'><a
href="http://www.creditunions.fiserv.com"><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:blue'>www.creditunions.fiserv.com</span></a></span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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