Flaming noob questions

[sethg]

Hi! I'm going to put together a HTPC using an old IBM desktop that is quiet enough to live near the TV. The processor is an 800MHz PIII, so it should be adequate if I use a tuner card with hardware encoding and the video card with MPEG-2 decoding. I can see from reading the forums that using a Hauppauge PVR350 would solve both problems, as would a PVR150 with a suitable video card.

Here's where I could use some real advice. I am in the US and am interested in OTA reception only, as I am one of the last troglodytes without cable (and intend to stay that way). My local TV stations are now transmitting ATSC as well as NTSC, so I have a difficult choice. I could get a tuner card, such as the DVICO HDTV Fusion Gold (USB or PCI) that has both ATSC and NTSC tuners and hardware MPEG-2 encoding. It appears that these two tuner models have BDA drivers and can work with GBPVR. My TV is still a NTSC model that can't take advantage of HDTV, but I still wonder if the reconstructed MPEG-2 signal downsampled to NTSC resolution is superior to natively recorded NTSC when using the S-video output?

I ask this because standard NTSC video is a bandwidth compromise that allows luminance or chorminance to change quickly, but not both. It is is crude form of analog compression that is "pretty good" from the visual perspective. The ATSC signal has much more information content, and S-video has a bit more bandwidth capability than a composite signal, so I was hoping that recording ATSC and playing it back through S-video might give better results than just NTSC in and out. Any thoughts or experience with that? Even if it doesn't improve the picture quality, I would be already set up if I can eventually afford a HDTV monitor.

Another use I would like for this system, if possible, is to play back MPEG-4 files in .avi containers that I download (all legal, of course). Unless I get a video card that has hardware MPEG-4 support, I would have to depend on software decoding to MPEG-2 on the fly and using the MPEG-2 hardware assist in the video card. This is exactly what VLS does, and it seems to work without using much CPU at all (10-15% on an AMD 1.4GHz T-bird). Can GBPVR stream MPEG-4 files in this manner? If not, can I call VLS from GBPVR as a "helper" application?

The DVICO HDTV Fusion web page claims the ability to convert a HD stream into MPEG-4, but they are silent as to whether this is a hardware or a software function. When used with GBPVR, is there a way to stream to a file in MPEG-4 format in order to use a lot less disk space, or would this be a post-processing step?

I was also wondering about the advisability of getting a video card with MPEG-4 hardware decoding. Most of the chipsets I've seen for this purpose do only the simple modes of MPEG-4 and specifically do not handle global motion compensation. Does this make them not useful for most downloaded MPEG-4 fiiles? Would such a card be useful if GBPVR can stream to a file in one of the simple MPEG-4 formats or is a regular nVidia card with MPEG-2 decoding sufficient?

Finally, I was wondering about the possibility of controlling GBPVR and the TV with a single remote. The girder framework under Linux has a shot at doing that, but I don't know about running it under Cygwin and problems that may causes with GBPVR. Also, TV control codes are not necessarily simple keystrokes, as GBPVR commands appear to be. Is a single remote a reasonable possiblity? Do people have a recommendation for the remote itself? The Hauppauge has its own remote, and the USB and PCI models of the DVICO cards each have different remotes that ship with the cards. I have no idea if any of these are good, bad or ugly.

Thanks in advance for your help in selecting the hardware for this system. This sounds like a fun project and I hope that by asking questions ahead of time, I can limit this to a moderate, instead of infinite, time sink.

[sethg]

Won't anyone please help a noob? It's Christmas and it's cold up here in Wisconsin.

[sub]

Hi! I'm going to put together a HTPC using an old IBM desktop that is quiet enough to live near the TV. The processor is an 800MHz PIII, so it should be adequate if I use a tuner card with hardware encoding and the video card with MPEG-2 decoding. I can see from reading the forums that using a Hauppauge PVR350 would solve both problems, as would a PVR150 with a suitable video card.

Here's where I could use some real advice. I am in the US and am interested in OTA reception only, as I am one of the last troglodytes without cable (and intend to stay that way). My local TV stations are now transmitting ATSC as well as NTSC, so I have a difficult choice. I could get a tuner card, such as the DVICO HDTV Fusion Gold (USB or PCI) that has both ATSC and NTSC tuners and hardware MPEG-2 encoding. It appears that these two tuner models have BDA drivers and can work with GBPVR. My TV is still a NTSC model that can't take advantage of HDTV, but I still wonder if the reconstructed MPEG-2 signal downsampled to NTSC resolution is superior to natively recorded NTSC when using the S-video output?

A few of things worth pointing out with these first paragraphs:

- GB-PVR will only work with the digital side of these DVICO devices. The analog side is not compatible.

- The PVR350 is problematic for many users, often causing the machines to lock hard. There is no known work around for this other than changing the motherboard.

- As result of frustration with these difficulties with the PVR350's tv out, I no longer develop features new for this device, or even actively support the use of it's tv out feature.

Another use I would like for this system, if possible, is to play back MPEG-4 files in .avi containers that I download (all legal, of course). Unless I get a video card that has hardware MPEG-4 support, I would have to depend on software decoding to MPEG-2 on the fly and using the MPEG-2 hardware assist in the video card.

The PVR350 only supports MPEG-2, so if you attempt to play one of these videos, it needs to convert it to MPEG-4 on the fly. Your 800MHz CPU would not be adequate for this task.

If not, can I call VLS from GBPVR as a "helper" application?

No.

The DVICO HDTV Fusion web page claims the ability to convert a HD stream into MPEG-4, but they are silent as to whether this is a hardware or a software function. When used with GBPVR, is there a way to stream to a file in MPEG-4 format in order to use a lot less disk space, or would this be a post-processing step?

This is done in software by the Fusion app. With GB-PVR it cant be done at recording time, but it can be later converted using the post processing features.

Finally, I was wondering about the possibility of controlling GBPVR and the TV with a single remote. The girder framework under Linux has a shot at doing that, but I don't know about running it under Cygwin and problems that may causes with GBPVR. Also, TV control codes are not necessarily simple keystrokes, as GBPVR commands appear to be.

Sure, you can do this. I use a single remote (HTM MX-500). This is a learning device with macros.

If you'd prefer to do it with a dumb remote, then yes you can still do it, but you'd need to use Girder (for windows).

[sethg]

- GB-PVR will only work with the digital side of these DVICO devices. The analog side is not compatible.

Thanks, that's really important. Is this because the MPEG-2 encoder doesn't have compatible drivers? If so, then I need to check to make sure that every local station is now transmitting ATSC. The FCC here in the US has been pushing very hard on this, even though there are relatively few HDTV receivers among the viewing public. They were originally going to shut off NTSC OTA transmissions in 2006 or 2007, though I think they may have extended it due to slow adoption of HDTV (prices on HDTV receivers are still high).

- The PVR350 is problematic for many users, often causing the machines to lock hard. There is no known work around for this other than changing the motherboard.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll stay away from that card. Unless all the local OTA broadcasts are or will soon be ATSC, it sounds like I'd be better off with a PVR150 and regular video card with MPEG-2 hardware/TV out for the time being. Are there any plans to support the NTSC side of the DVICO boards, or does that depend on DVICO supplying appropriate drivers?

Sure, you can do this. I use a single remote (HTM MX-500). This is a learning device with macros.

If you'd prefer to do it with a dumb remote, then yes you can still do it, but you'd need to use Girder (for windows).

Thanks again. The smart remote sounds better.

[sethg]

Also was wondering about how GBPVR deals with video cards that have MPEG-4 hardware. I don't know if any of the current crop of cards can handle global motion compensation. Can the post-processing available produce a MPEG-4 file that can be streamed to a MPEG-4 video card? What happens if you try to play back a downloaded file that is encoded using global motion compensation?

[sub]

Are there any plans to support the NTSC side of the DVICO boards, or does that depend on DVICO supplying appropriate drivers?

No, the are no plans to ever support the analog side of the DVICO devices.

Also was wondering about how GBPVR deals with video cards that have MPEG-4 hardware. I don't know if any of the current crop of cards can handle global motion compensation. Can the post-processing available produce a MPEG-4 file that can be streamed to a MPEG-4 video card? What happens if you try to play back a downloaded file that is encoded using global motion compensation?

This all depends on the video decoders and drivers for your video hardware. GB-PVR doesnt do any of the playback itself. Instead, it just hands this task over to directshow, which uses a combination of DirectX and other third party audio/video decoders to perform playback. Certain video decoders and able to make use of accelleration features offered my video cards.

[crickert]

I've been using a Dvico Fusion 5 USB tuner for about 1 month. Doesn't work very well with GBPVR - Crashes almost every time I try to view live TV. It works 2 out of 10 times and picture quality is not as good when it does work. I have no idea why this happens but it does. The Dvico software 3.2 version works great for viewing HDTV down here in Iowa. Running on an AMD 64 3200 venice core w/512 mb ram. I'm holding out for divine intervention to make it work with GBPVR.

good luck.