Dual tuners and EPGs - a new build

[PhilTheDoc]

I'm using GB-PVR on my main PC with a Pinnacle PCTV 200e DVB-T card and it's great, especially now I have the remote working. Now I want to build a new system to go in the lounge with the TV. I'm in the UK - I have NTL digital cable with a Pace STB and a Freeview aerial signal. I'd like to put a DVB-T tuner and a MPEG capture device such as the Hauppauge PVR-150 in the new machine so I can control and record NTL as well as Freeview, independently of each other. I may also want to use a wireless MVP later on. Scouring these forums I think I know how to proceed, but can I ask:

1. What do I do about EPGs for 2 cards? How does GB-PVR handle this scenario? Can I use the DVB-T EPG as well as XMLTV (say) for NTL? Are they independent or all mixed up?

2. What's the best way to get an EPG for NTL? XMLTV?

3. Will any old display card with a TV out socket do or is there a "best buy" for a PC like this?

4. Is the Hauppauge PVR-150 the best thing for this setup?

5. What's the current feeling on the best IR blaster to control an NTL Pace STB?

6. Can I get a third party remote that will control both tuner cards or will I have to resign myself to the 2 remotes that come with the cards?

7. Any wisdom on small mobo's for PCs like this?

8. How powerful should the processor be? This machine will only do 2 things - run GB-PVR and browse the internet (via wireless G), nothing else.

Thanks

[melearp]

I am also in the UK and use freeview. I have NTL but do not connect it to the PVR. I hope this helps a bit.

1. What do I do about EPGs for 2 cards? How does GB-PVR handle this scenario? Can I use the DVB-T EPG as well as XMLTV (say) for NTL? Are they independent or all mixed up?

I would go for just XMLTV using XMLTVGUI. I have found the OTA guide not to be very satisfactory. With XMLTVGUI it just arrives and does the job. You should be able to select just the channels you want (or a decent superset of them) and then you tell GBPVR which channels are available on which medium (DVBT card or capture card). It then figures out the scheduling.

2. What's the best way to get an EPG for NTL? XMLTV??

See above. I use Radio Times for TV and Bleb for Radio. XMLTVGUI merges them.

3. Will any old display card with a TV out socket do or is there a "best buy" for a PC like this??

This depends soooo much on your TV. If its a brand new up to date LCD, then probably/possibly it has VGA/DVI?HDMI inputs. Then you have to tread into the complex territory of what it will like. I have just been through a very painful exercise with a friend, of discovery that his beautiful 42" Panasonic will not accept any more than 800x600 through its VGA connector. At this setting it actually does a very good job and since freeview is only 720x576, nothing is lost anyway. My own TV will take 1024x768 through VGA and that works well. If you haven't got VGA input then you just need a decent TV Out, but one that gives RGB over SVGA would be preferable. I don't have huge experience of this as I have been able to use VGA mostly.

4. Is the Hauppauge PVR-150 the best thing for this setup??

I have one which I use for transferring old VHS recordings. It works well. I see no reason why it shouldn't do the job from the pace.

5. What's the current feeling on the best IR blaster to control an NTL Pace STB??

Sorry, no experience on this one.

6. Can I get a third party remote that will control both tuner cards or will I have to resign myself to the 2 remotes that come with the cards??

You shouldn't be controlling both cards. What you control is GBPVR. It then chooses which card and does the necessary settings with them (internally - not over IR). As far as I understand what you are trying to do, the only other control that is needed is to blast the Pace box, and GBPVR will do that through your blaster, as long as you do the proper configuration. You probably will only get one remote anyway (with a Hauppauge DVBT (retail but not MCE version)) for example.

7. Any wisdom on small mobo's for PCs like this??

If you are buying new then most likely anything will be up to this job, but you need to be sure that you have the slots available for your tuner(s), your capture card and your graphics card if not already on board. I would work back from the external requirements. For example, are you going for a fanless design, what cards do you want, what case are you going to use.....

8. How powerful should the processor be? This machine will only do 2 things - run GB-PVR and browse the internet (via wireless G), nothing else.?

What you NEED is very frugal indeed, but it might not be what you WANT. Lot's of people post here running 1GHZ celerons (and less, but that's really tight). My view is that you would be unlikely to be able to purchase anything new which couldn't do the job that you specify. But are you really sure that it will stop there. You have no desires for HD.... If you are really sure then you might consider pitching quite low, say 2GHZ or so with the proviso that you will need an upgrade to add other functions to the box. My test rig runs very happily at 2.4GHZ Pentium 4, but my new build will have a 3GHZ processor. I am going for a single processor, simply because I don't think that a D is necessary for the job to be done on that machine (pure HTPC as you say). In a few short months time it probably won't be possible to buy single processors any more.


Anyway - all just opinions. Ultimate decisions are yours. I am sure you will get others pitching in - especially to disagree with me

[PhilTheDoc]

Thanks melearp. I'm going to plug this in to a regular widescreen TV with inputs for composite and s-video. You're right about is this all I'm going to do with it - after I posted I was wondering if my teenagers would end up wanting a couple of wireless game pads and some software...

I'd be interested if anyone has any experience with NTL?

[garyeuph]

Hi,

I have NTL with NTL (Samsung box) and it works fine with the PVR150 - I also get freeview with the Hauppauge PCI card.

I went with Redeye serial for the IR blaster - it just works (I think for the early pace boxes, this is also essential as they use a diiferent form if IR from most other boxes

I suggest you use the Alan Birtles XMLTV grabber - its realy easy to use