[mythtv-users] PCIe analog capture card recommendations

[Karl Newman]

Hi all,

It appears that one of the tuners/encoders of my (9 year old!) PVR-500 has
given up the ghost (recordings are all 0 byte). I could replace it with an
eBay version, but given that those are going to be a similar vintage, and
the fact that I had to search around for a MB with PCI slots last time I
upgraded, I want to go to PCIe for better compatibility. I only need analog
SD capture. I can't use digital at all--cable has been encrypted for years
and I'd probably need about a 300 foot mast to pick up any ATSC broadcasts.
I don't need any IR support. I noticed the HVR-2250 was listed on the Wiki,
and it looks like this supports dual analog capture which appeals to me as
a complete replacement for my PVR-500 (who knows how much longer the other
tuner/encoder will last). So, anybody using this card for analog? Or any
other suggestions for cards (stability is the utmost concern). Ideally it
will support tuning RF NTSC that my DTA box is putting out, because I don't
know if that part is still working on the PVR-500 (the functional tuner is
using composite+stereo). I could use a single tuner card as long as I can
continue to use my PVR-500 as well (I know about stable device naming with
udev).

On a related note, I'll need to get a new case to accommodate this card.
I'm currently using a low profile Silverstone LC-11M with a PCI riser card
that turns the cards sideways. I no longer have the height constraints that
I did when I bought that case, so my options are a lot broader. Silverstone
or Antec or ??? Just looking for something black/dark that will blend in to
the living room. Doesn't necessarily need a LCD display--I hardly look at
it now--but it would be nice I guess. Needs to accommodate a microATX
board, 3x 3.5 inch HDDs and a BluRay drive. My current case is relatively
noisy with fans but it doesn't really bother us much, however quieter is
always better.

This failure is actually not all bad--it was overdue for a replacement,
it's still partly functional (I was surprised I didn't have more conflicts
when I removed the bad tuner) and this will get me on a path to my planned
future setup with a single analog card tied to the STB so we can record the
premium channels and eventually a CableCard Ethernet tuner (*still* waiting
on the transcoding model SiliconDust...)

Thanks,

Karl
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