Hello, I have a question about how to setup

[Morticia]

Hi!

I don't know how to put all this but I'll try.
I have a pretty intense setup m ex built for me and I want to expand it.
My network is fiber optic (with some wires too) and a bunch of PC's. Mac's, Linux machines and a few windows pc's that I only use for HTPC applications..
I'm not totally dumb, I learned quite a bit watching him and reading up on stuff but there's still a lot of stuff I just don't know about.

I want to build a media center. I have an old Dell PC that I want to use.
It is a low profile kind. It takes these little short cards that are only maybe 2" tall.
It has an Nvidia card (I think it's an FX5200) with svideo out.
It has one other slot and I would prefer to leave the fiber optic network card in it but if I have to I can remove it and use the built in network.

Here's what I want to do. I want this new machine to be a media center for playback only. I don't want to put a TV tuner in it. I just want to use it to play back files from the hard disk or from the network OR from a live video input.

I have a 36" TV that only has ONE svideo input. Currently I have another computer plugged into it, it's running MyTheatre with a Nexus satellite card. I can watch satellite TV on it just fine, it's wonderful. But I can't use the Nexus remote to play back stuff from the disc or whatever. It's pretty much a satellite receiver only.

That's all fine and dandy but I want to play back other stuff, I tried windows media center but it was horrible and I hated it. This GB-PVR looks cool.

So what I want to be able to do is connect the svideo output of the Mytheatre machine into the little Dell. Then I plug the Dell into the big TV through the svideo.

[mytheatre pc]------[Dell GB-PVR]-----[TV]

See what I mean? Then I can watch either stuff that's on the Dell OR switch over to the live svideo input, basically piping the live A/V through the Dell into the TV..

The question is, what sort of capture card would I need to get that would fit in that low profile card slot OR, is there a capture device that would do this that I could plug into one of the USB ports?

I can't run GB-PVR on my satellite machine because the Nexus card I have isn't supported, something about drivers.

So that means I have to pipe the live A/V through the GB-PVR somehow.

I hope you can understand what I'm wanting to do here and why. If you can understand what I said. It makes sense to me. Or am I not making sense?
I don't want to spend a lot of money either. I don't want to replace the satellite card.
I already did that once before, I had a Twinhan and it was garbage so my ex had me buy a Nexus and it's worked great. I'm not about to buy another one when this one works perfectly. Besides, I don't have a lot of money anymore...

I have everything I need to build a second machine, the PC, the Nvidia card with svideo output, a MS MCE remote and the USB remote receiver. I just need some sort of way to get svideo into it that GB-PVR will work with. Everything I've read in the wiki and help files all have to do with putting a TV tuner or a satellite card in. I don't want to do that.
I just want playback of prerecorded stuff and the ability to view a live svideo A/V signal.
If it can go in a slot, that's fine but it would be nice if there was a USB thing to do it with.

Please tell me there's a way to do it!
Thanks!

[dvasco]

An option is to get a switch. You might be able to find one that is remote controlled.

[sub]

I can't run GB-PVR on my satellite machine because the Nexus card I have isn't supported, something about drivers

Correct, this device doesnt have BDA drivers.

I just want playback of prerecorded stuff and the ability to view a live svideo A/V signal.

In the setup you describe, you'll only be able to use if for playing pre-recorded file from a network share. Live tv wont work.

If the Nexus card was in the local machine, you might be able to get live tv also working by using the virtual BDA drivers described here: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=29910

Alternatively, you could sell the Nexus and buy a modern card with BDA drivers. I'm sure it would cover the costs.

[Morticia]

Correct, this device doesnt have BDA drivers.

In the setup you describe, you'll only be able to use if for playing pre-recorded file from a network share. Live tv wont work.

If the Nexus card was in the local machine, you might be able to get live tv also working by using the virtual BDA drivers described here: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=29910

Alternatively, you could sell the Nexus and buy a modern card with BDA drivers. I'm sure it would cover the costs.

Um. I don't want to touch the satellite machine. It works great and I am leaving it alone. I'm not changing the cards, not selling or buying new ones, I'm not touching it at all. It works. I like it the way it is. I don't want to put funny experimental drivers in it or do anything else to the way it is now. I just want to pipe it into another machine.

Let's pretend it's something different. Let's pretend it's a a simple stand alone DVD player.

I know that the gb-pvr machine won't do live tv because I have no intentions of putting any sort of TV tuner or satellite tuner in it. At all. Ever.

I just want it to be a playback only machine. It will play back files stored on it's hard disk. Ok?

And, I want it to be able to also display video from an external source, such as the imaginary DVD player via svideo input.

[EXTERNAL dvd player]------[gb-pvr]------[TV]

Everything connected 100% with svideo only.

How can I do that? Does this make it any more clear?

Thanks...

[sub]

Um. I don't want to touch the satellite machine. It works great and I am leaving it alone. I'm not changing the cards, not selling or buying new ones, I'm not touching it at all. It works. I like it the way it is. I don't want to put funny experimental drivers in it or do anything else to the way it is now. I just want to pipe it into another machine.

Let's pretend it's something different. Let's pretend it's a a simple stand alone DVD player.

I know that the gb-pvr machine won't do live tv because I have no intentions of putting any sort of TV tuner or satellite tuner in it. At all. Ever.

Thats fine. I was just making it clear what you'd have to do to get live tv in this type of setup.

I just want it to be a playback only machine. It will play back files stored on it's hard disk. Ok?

Yep, it can do that.

And, I want it to be able to also display video from an external source, such as the imaginary DVD player via svideo input.

[EXTERNAL dvd player]------[gb-pvr]------[TV]

Everything connected 100% with svideo only.

The only way you get the video into the PC is using a supported analog capture device, with svideo input, like a Hauppauge PVR150 etc. GB-PVR wouldnt be able to control that external dvd player though, so you'd need to be controlling it externalling.

If it was a DVD player, then you'd be better off using GB-PVR's built in DVD player, so you'd be able have GB-PVR control playback and give useful on screen display like how far through the video it was etc.

[Morticia]

omg. Never mind.
I give up..

[sub]

ok

[Morticia]

Sorry to have wasted your time.
Please delete my account.
:mad:

[sub]

Whats with the angry faces? What did I do?

[Jaggy]

If you re-read sub's reply you will find he did answer your question.

I know that the gb-pvr machine won't do live tv because I have no intentions of putting any sort of TV tuner or satellite tuner in it. At all. Ever.

Unfortunately to get it to do what you want you will have to.

You just hook your sat machines svidio output into the dell using a supported analog tv capture card (ie. Hauppauge 150) & then use the svideo output from the video card to feed the tv.