Using my PC currently concurrently with GB-PVR? (performance ok?)

[callagga]

Hi,

Before heading down the GB-PVR/tuners cards path on my only PC I wondering whether I would have an issue with someone using our PC at the same time there might say 1 tuner card recording something and 1 being used for watching live TV? Would this be a problem? Would having a dedicated disk drive for GB-PVR recording help?

That is, if I had dual DVB-T tuners, and were recording 2 simultaneous shows, then on top of this if we used the computer (e.g. a game), is there the potential for the recording quality to be affected?

At the moment my PC is a Pentium 4, 1.6GHz, 512MB RAM

Tks

[Pioneer4x4]

From my experience, playback suffers first. The recordings are usually OK. I wouldn't run any full screen 3d game with recording. I frequently, compile DVDs, or Burn a DVD while recording. If I can, what ever I am doing while recording, I set to low priority, just in case. If it won't run well enough for me at low, I figure it won't leave enough for GBPVR to do it's thing.

[callagga]

Thanks - Sounds like if we actively use the PC in the family, then we may need to have a cheap SD digital set top box to ensure we'll be able to watch live digital TV with no flaws? Also that there may be the potential for some recording glitches if my son is playing games on the PC at the same time?

I guess I'm trying to find out from others their experience to help determine whether I go down the path of (a) investing in PC tuner cards & MVP hardware [assuming I don't need a 2nd PC], as opposed to (b) investing in a dedicated PVR. At this stage if I had to get another PC + tuner cards + MVP + cabling I think I would have to consider a dedicated PVR (even though I like the concept of GB-PVR and plugins etc). Just a money issue.

Any other comments from others would be appreciated.


Thanks

[blader_se]

I'm able to record a show, look at a recording and moderatly use the PC at the same time (meaning MS office/web surfing etc). Playback can begin to stutter when word is firing up, but I have never seen any affects on the recording. Since I'm using the graphics cards output, there's no way to look at video and play games at the same time (audio is merged...), but I have noticed a recording starting while I was playing. Even now the recording is fine, but the gaming was so stuttered so I had to quit.

I'm using P4 3GHz and PVR250.

[reboot]

I play Doom 3, and Dungeon Siege 2, while recording, with no problems.