Hey everyone, first off thanks for the great open source project and the great community. I have been researching this for a couple weeks and finally think I have decided on MediaPortal to run my machine. Now, speaking of the machine, this is where I may need some input.
The Goal:
An inexpensive, entry-level, dvr/pvr for my parents. I would love to have most if not all of the following features:
-Record and pause live tv
-Work with their existing digital cable through comcast
-Programmable detailed EPG with scheduled recording
-Watch and record two different channels
-Remote control
What I have:
I have an older system laying around I was hoping to use for parts. It's not the best but here are the specs:
Antec Minuet Black Micro-ATX Case 220W PSU
Antec - Minuet - Tom's Hardware : 2003 Winter Case Review Part 1: MicroATX Case Madness
Intel Celeron 430 1.8Hz
Intel Celeron 430 1.8Hz 800MHz 512K LGA775 CPU, OEM
ECS RC410L/800-M 2.0 LGA 775 ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - ECS RC410L/800-M 2.0 LGA 775 ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
Kingston 1GB 533MHz DDR2
Amazon.com: Kingston KVR533D2N4/1G ValueRam 1GB 533MHz DDR2 NonECC CL4 DIMM Memory: Electronics
Besides the TV Tuner, which I will explain below, is this enough of a comp to meet my goals?
TV Tuner:
I could not find a good tv tuner that fits a micro-atx case, but I did find a workaround:
TV Tuner:
Newegg.com - Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 ATSC/ClearQAM/NTSC TV Tuner PCI w/Remote 1178 PCI Interface - TV Tuners & Video Devices
Workaround Mod:
Case mod - Full-height PCI cards in a micro-ATX case
Sorry if that was lengthy but I am very excited about starting this project. If the existing hardware doesn't work out for what I hope is a minimal pvr, I already have the replacements spec'ed out and bookmarked. Please jump in and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
The Goal:
An inexpensive, entry-level, dvr/pvr for my parents. I would love to have most if not all of the following features:
-Record and pause live tv
-Work with their existing digital cable through comcast
-Programmable detailed EPG with scheduled recording
-Watch and record two different channels
-Remote control
What I have:
I have an older system laying around I was hoping to use for parts. It's not the best but here are the specs:
Antec Minuet Black Micro-ATX Case 220W PSU
Antec - Minuet - Tom's Hardware : 2003 Winter Case Review Part 1: MicroATX Case Madness
Intel Celeron 430 1.8Hz
Intel Celeron 430 1.8Hz 800MHz 512K LGA775 CPU, OEM
ECS RC410L/800-M 2.0 LGA 775 ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - ECS RC410L/800-M 2.0 LGA 775 ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
Kingston 1GB 533MHz DDR2
Amazon.com: Kingston KVR533D2N4/1G ValueRam 1GB 533MHz DDR2 NonECC CL4 DIMM Memory: Electronics
Besides the TV Tuner, which I will explain below, is this enough of a comp to meet my goals?
TV Tuner:
I could not find a good tv tuner that fits a micro-atx case, but I did find a workaround:
TV Tuner:
Newegg.com - Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 ATSC/ClearQAM/NTSC TV Tuner PCI w/Remote 1178 PCI Interface - TV Tuners & Video Devices
Workaround Mod:
Case mod - Full-height PCI cards in a micro-ATX case
Sorry if that was lengthy but I am very excited about starting this project. If the existing hardware doesn't work out for what I hope is a minimal pvr, I already have the replacements spec'ed out and bookmarked. Please jump in and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!