Multiple Capture Cards

[greatkingrat]

First off, let me say I read the wiki (most of it, like the part concerning my question for example) and debated putting this in hardware, so I apologize if this is misplaced.


I am reading that multiple tuners is more trouble then I expected it would be. I want to record while watching another show - that is all - in HD if the channel offers it. Some higher end Hauppauge's can do that to my knowledge, and they come with a remove.

However, can I view AND record Digital channels at once with two cards? There was a large statement about only being able to do analog + digital, even with two tuners? Does this mean that no mater what i do, I can record say, history channel (digital cable) and watch sifi (syfy, whatever, also digital cable). this seems like a limitation two cards would completely prevent. No one has trouble with two tv's with separate turners (boxes)....


Second questions came up after lurking on the forums for a few hours- Can one remote handle everything i want it to handle? or are remotes soft wired to teh cards themselves, and i'll need to use both, one to controll card 1, one to control card 2...

General information is fine for now (in responses for the remotes, don't need a step by step or anything). Just making sure GB PVR is the product i'm looking for.

[sub]

First off, let me say I read the wiki (most of it, like the part concerning my question for example) and debated putting this in hardware, so I apologize if this is misplaced.

I am reading that multiple tuners is more trouble then I expected it would be. I want to record while watching another show - that is all - in HD if the channel offers it. Some higher end Hauppauge's can do that to my knowledge, and they come with a remove.

However, can I view AND record Digital channels at once with two cards? There was a large statement about only being able to do analog + digital, even with two tuners? Does this mean that no mater what i do, I can record say, history channel (digital cable) and watch sifi (syfy, whatever, also digital cable). this seems like a limitation two cards would completely prevent. No one has trouble with two tv's with separate turners (boxes)....

Multiple tuners isnt typically any issue. If you two cards (or a dual tuner card like HVR-2250), and each tuner is capable of either analog or digital, you can be doing any combination of those - ie, recording digital+digital or analog+digital or analog+analog, or watching either analog or digital while recording either analog or digital.

Second questions came up after lurking on the forums for a few hours- Can one remote handle everything i want it to handle? or are remotes soft wired to teh cards themselves, and i'll need to use both, one to controll card 1, one to control card 2...

General information is fine for now (in responses for the remotes, don't need a step by step or anything). Just making sure GB PVR is the product i'm looking for.

You only need one remote to control GB-PVR, and it in turn can control whatever capture devices you have in the machine.

[greatkingrat]

first off, thank you for clearing up the D+D thing. Glad to hear that. It didn't make sense when i was reading it.



With the remote question, so what your saying is GBPVR takes control of the remote that's plugged in through card 1, and dynamicly switches it to whatever card i need it for (card 1 while i set it up to record, then card 2 as i'm channel surfing, for instance)?

This would mean that one remote (in my case one ir extender as well, as the actual box for this is one story down on a server rack) would suffice to control both card, and can watch AND record digital - all out of box with, in theory, no issues (i understand everything else very completely, this was my only concern).

[sub]

yes, one remote can used to drive everything in GB-PVR.

[Graham]

Forgive me if I have misunderstood ...

one set top box typically equals one channel.

The multiple tuners equals multiple channels thing works if you can plug the cable directly into the tuner without using an STB.

[sub]

He wasnt clear in his post that he was talking about using set top boxes, but yes - if he is only intending to recording analog as output from set top boxes, he'd have to have enough set top boxes for one feeding each tuner.

[greatkingrat]

yeah, that was poorly explained. Apparently it still got the point across enough for me to get an answer. Very excited about building the box now. It's actually going to sit in a server rack below the living room with the rest of my machines, with an HDMI / Audio cables running straight up through the wall (over a bit to, but with a distance well within HDMI's length requirements - people have tested 1080p at 150 feet and had no trouble, this will be half, or even a quarter of that). IR extender to have the remote work, and it prevents me from having a computer in the living room or an extender that limits my options.


Thank you again, I'm sure i'll be back for nit-picking questions after I get everything set up in the coming weeks