Hardware recommendations?

[cat]

Hello All,

I'm about to setup my first install of GB-PVR. I've been reading the forum and checked out the wiki and I’m really excited to get started. I have (digital) cable through Comcast (I have a set-top-box). I do need some recommendations.

I'd been planning on using an old Pentium 4, 2.40GHz, 1GB, XP, but after reading here I'm thinking you'll recommend I upgrade. I was thinking about getting a Hauppauge WINTV-HVR-1600 (http://newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?I...6815116010), anything that would be a better fit? How about other hardware, video-card, or anything else.

Lastly, I'm a little confused about the IR-Blasters, if I'm using a set-top-box I'll need an IR-Blaster, right? Does GB-PVR have software to control the IR-Blaster or is additional software needed for this?

Thanks guys,
-Cat

[LewE]

I'm about to setup my first install of GB-PVR. I've been reading the forum and checked out the wiki and I’m really excited to get started. I have (digital) cable through Comcast (I have a set-top-box). I do need some recommendations.

I'd been planning on using an old Pentium 4, 2.40GHz, 1GB, XP, but after reading here I'm thinking you'll recommend I upgrade. I was thinking about getting a Hauppauge WINTV-HVR-1600 (http://newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?I...6815116010), anything that would be a better fit? How about other hardware, video-card, or anything else.

Lastly, I'm a little confused about the IR-Blasters, if I'm using a set-top-box I'll need an IR-Blaster, right? Does GB-PVR have software to control the IR-Blaster or is additional software needed for this?

Thanks guys,
-Cat

You do realize that the 1600 has two tuners: an NTSC (analog) and QAM. Would those serve your needs?

I am looking into getting a 1600 but I have analog cable so I will use the analog tuner part to be able to record the whole lineup in analog (no set top boxes needed) and record local channels in HD via the QAM tuner (again, no set top box needed). I don't think this is the situation you have.

If you still are interested in buying the 1600 there are a number of sellers on EBay that have it for significantly less than NewEgg. I am familiar with NewEgg. They are a fine store located not too far from me (so buying things with ground shipping gets me the product the day after I place my order) and I have bought quite a bit of stuff from them.

[cat]

You do realize that the 1600 has two tuners: an NTSC (analog) and QAM.

That's good info,

I think my best option is to take the decoded (analog?) signal that comes out of my set-top-box and feed that into my tuner card and use an IR Blaster to change the channels. Is this correct? If so what would be a more appropriate tuner card?

Using this setup, I would only be able to record the channel that I'm watching, right?

Thanks for any help you can offer, I'm definitely limited on funds so I don't want to buy hardware that I don't need.

-Cat

[LewE]

That's good info,

I think my best option is to take the decoded (analog?) signal that comes out of my set-top-box and feed that into my tuner card and use an IR Blaster to change the channels. Is this correct? If so what would be a more appropriate tuner card?

Since I don't have a STB, all of what I say must be taken with at least a little grain of salt, however it does reflect what I think is reality.

I believe that this card does come with an IR blaster and GBPVR does support the Hauppauge iR blasters. You need to either use an IR Blaster or, possibly a serial link, to control the channel of a STB.

If your STB supports it, I think you can use an S-Video interface between the STB to the card rather than the RF one. I suspect this would result in a better picture being recorded.

Using this setup, I would only be able to record the channel that I'm watching, right?

Thanks for any help you can offer, I'm definitely limited on funds so I don't want to buy hardware that I don't need.

-Cat

The card has two tuners so while one is busy recording you can view a channel with the other. This is something that confuses many people. If you want to watch (Live TV) a channel being broadcast, you need a tuner. If you want to record a channel you need a tuner. If you want to view a previously recorded program, you don't need a tuner. But, to view the recorded MPG file you will need something to decode that and output the video. This could either be a software decoder running on your PC or a hardware client like the MediaMVP or Popcornhour.

Just keep in mind that, assuming your cable company does transmit some channels in Clear QAM (i.e. unencrypted so you don't need a cable card or STB) they probably only transmit a small subset of the channels in QAM.

On my setup, I use my day to day PC (Dell 3000, 2.8GHz with 1.25GB RAM and a separate 500GB USB-connected disk drive for storing recorded programs) for GBPVR. I don't watch any of the recorded programs directly on the PC or even watch Live TV via GBPVR. My capture cards (Hauppauge 150 and 350) both have hardware encoders (like the 1600 so they can record programs and stream the file to disk with very little imposition on the PC. I frequently am using my PC while it is even recording two programs simultaneously.

[INDENT]NOTE: Although the Hauppauge card has a hardware decoder on it, it (the hardware decoder) is not supported by GBPVR anymore. The card is still supported as an encoder. I had bought the 150 card because of this decoder to drive a television in the same room as my PC. That aspect became a casualty of progress. I only mention this to you so you don't make an uninformed decision.[/INDENT]

I watch the programs on televisions in other rooms. I use an MVP to put the picture on one and a PCH on the other. These devices network to the PC and have their own decoders so watching a recorded program puts little burden on the PC since it is just streaming a file to another computing device over a network.

I live in an apartment so putting in a physical network was not an option and from what I had read using wireless versions of the MediaMVP seemed to not quite do the job. I ended up using ZyXEL HomePlug (powerline) networking (which I bought from NewEgg). This came with its own router which has several physical ports on it, interfaces to the powerline networking and also does Wifi.

In summary, I don't have a dedicated PC for GBPVR. The only things it does that are compute intensive are the download and enhancement by UltraXMLTVEnhancer once a day of the EPG (which I run in the middle of the night) and running Comskip immediately after each program is recorded. Comskip takes maybe 8 minutes or less to process a 30 minute show.

I don't do any transcoding...yet. Currently, I have a strictly analog signal setup. I am about to add the 1600 card to replace one of my current ones so I will have a total of three channels I can record (using two PCI slots). QAM will be limited to the local broadcast channels so if I have a total of 3 programs I want to record and one is a broadcast network (or I'd like to record it in HD), I will use the QAM tuner for that one. I have yet to decide whether I will transcode those programs since the MVP can not view them directly (but the pCH can). If I don't transcode then it will only limit their playback to the PCH-connected TV.

End of Rambling: Hope this helps you plan your setup and that there isn't too much misinformation in it.

[cat]

First off a big thanks to LewE, you're definitely helping me get a clearer picture of what I’ll need. I'm still a little confused\slow about two things (keep in mind I'm a newbie).

The card has two tuners so while one is busy recording you can view a channel with the other. This is something that confuses many people. If you want to watch (Live TV) a channel being broadcast, you need a tuner. If you want to record a channel you need a tuner. If you want to view a previously recorded program, you don't need a tuner.

I understand that no tuner will be needed to view live TV I'll just need an available s-video port (or similar) from my computer to the TV, but as far as watching a show and recording another this is where I'm confused. If I understand right, the set-top-box decodes a signal and sends the decoded signal of only one channel at a time to the TV\Tuner card. So if I wanted to record live TV I could not be watching a different live channel at the same time unless I:
a) have 2 set-top-boxes or
b) have the direct cable feed into the second tuner and I'm recording or watching at least one unencrypted signal (Clear QAM).

Is this correct?


This may get a little confusing, but... I would like to be able to watch TV without having to turn on the DVR so I would like to have a bypass so-to-speak. I checked my set-top-box and see I do not have a firewire port or s-video only coaxial and RCA. My TV is an old analog unit and has 3 inputs, 1 coaxial, and two RCA. I currently have a video switch that I use for my archos, playstation, etc. can I splice the coaxial from the cable box and feed one end into the TV's coaxial input and the other into my DVR. Then take output from the DVR and feed it into the TV (probably via the video switch). This way I can watch TV with, or without the DVR being on. Is this the best solution?

thanks,
-Cat

[LewE]

I understand that no tuner will be needed to view live TV I'll just need an available s-video port (or similar) from my computer to the TV

I am guessing at this but I think it doesn't matter whether you input the signal via the coax or the s-video port, it still uses the tuner/encoder. Even with Live TV the program uses a MPG file as a buffer between the capture card and display on the television so it needs the encoder. That is how it allows you to back up in a currently aired program.

It's possible that technically you aren't using the tuner but you are using the encoder. So, that input would count as one of the two possible (analog and QAM) with 1600 card.

, but as far as watching a show and recording another this is where I'm confused. If I understand right, the set-top-box decodes a signal and sends the decoded signal of only one channel at a time to the TV\Tuner card. So if I wanted to record live TV I could not be watching a different live channel at the same time unless I:
a) have 2 set-top-boxes or
b) have the direct cable feed into the second tuner and I'm recording or watching at least one unencrypted signal (Clear QAM).

Is this correct?

a) No. As mentioned above, each set top box needs a tuner/encoder to get into GBPVR and your planned 1600 card only has one analog tuner/encoder. QAM is the exception but you were talking about STBs with analog outs.
b) Yes, at least to my understanding.

This may get a little confusing, but... I would like to be able to watch TV without having to turn on the DVR so I would like to have a bypass so-to-speak. I checked my set-top-box and see I do not have a firewire port or s-video only coaxial and RCA. My TV is an old analog unit and has 3 inputs, 1 coaxial, and two RCA. I currently have a video switch that I use for my archos, playstation, etc. can I splice the coaxial from the cable box and feed one end into the TV's coaxial input and the other into my DVR. Then take output from the DVR and feed it into the TV (probably via the video switch). This way I can watch TV with, or without the DVR being on. Is this the best solution?

I never watch Live TV via GBPVR. If I want to see GBPVR stuff on the televison, I switch to another input on the television.

You could either go through the video switch or just split the coax and connect the second to the coax input on the television. If your video switch has a built-in signal amplifier then this might be a good way to go since it will keep the signal level high.

One More Thing To Think About: With your setup you might want to consider a more sophisticated remote control. I use a Logitech Harmony 880. You define the devices you want it to control and then define "activities" like "watch TV" or "watch TV using your home theater system for sound". I have one activity defined of "Use MediaMVP and Home Theater System". This involves using the television, switched to the appropriate input, the MediaMVP, and the Home Theater System. It also turns down the television's volume (mute) so it doesn't interfere with the HTS sound. It does this based on what you were doing before so if you already were watching television it knows it does not have to turn the TV on again and it knows to turn off devices you are no longer using in the new activity. It also redefines the physical buttons on the remote to correspond to the appropriate commands for the devices.

When you use the remote, you press the single button for the activity you want to do and the remote then does all the turning on/off of equipment and switching inputs on the individual equipment (e.g.switch television to input #2) and any other actions that must be done.

Logitech has a large database of IR commands for all sorts of devices so when you define a new device, it checks its data base to find the IR commands to store on the remote and then you can assign them to any key you want.

The remote is a little tricky to learn how to program but once you have it set up it is great. It is hard to describe how much of a change this is from using the run of the mill Universal Remotes when you are controlling more than just one or two devices.