Feedback requested - NextPVR backend

[WreckedM]

I'm looking for input from the community. I've had it with cable and have finally decided to bail-out. From my research I believe an XBMC front with NextPVR backend will deliver what I need with a minimum of wrath from wife and kids. I was hoping the community could look over my thoughts below and advise where appropriate, particularly around the tuners, processor and video card.

This post is all about the NextPVR backend system

My personal requirements:

• XBMC front-end
  
• NextPVR back-end
  
• Separate front/back -end systems
  
• US OTA digital broadcasts
  
• Watch 1 Live TV stream (w/ record/pause etc.) & simultaneously record another station.
  
• 1080p is preferred but not hard requirement (best broadcast in area is 1080i)
  
• Avoid pointless complexity
  

Tuner card / device decision

• Silicondust HDHomeRun Dual -- But, would this make the XBMC front-end more complicated to control?
  

• Hauppauge (HopHog??) WinTV-HVR-2250 -- Looks like this is the only one with 2 digital tuners that would meet my dual watch/record requirement. Would it be better to get 2x single tuner boards though? Any reason to favor this over the Silcondust route?
  

• Others I may have overlooked??? One down side options above support max of 1080i. So, if another source were to come along with 1080p I would need to upgrade to take advantage.
  

OS

• Assume this should be Win7 x64? Any advantage to Win8 in terms of codecs maybe?
  

Processor decision

• HVR2250 requires minimum P4- 2.2Ghz
  
• Silicon Dust requires minimum of dual core
  
• NextPVR min is P4 1.4Ghz
  
• Miminums scare me -- what would community recommend based on my goals? I'm guessing Duo or X2 would cover?
  

Video Card

• The tuners don't list requirements
  
• NextPVR says 'a modern video card' ...well alrighty then
  
• Does vid card even matter for a backend? Or can I just grab a mobo with basic built-in capability?
  

[mvallevand]

Are you planning on running the front-end on a different machine? Most of the minimums are playback related. My backend is headless so the video doesn't really matter. If not you don't need too much, but you may want a motherboard that supports 3TB and 4TB as well.

You do confuse your requirements a bit when you mention Prime/Cablecard. I'm not sure I'd want two sets of network tuners if you ever want atsc and cablecard. For me the biggest factor for 2250 vs HDHR would be the determine how to get the antenna feed to my PC. It might be easier to run cat 5/6 then coax.

Martin

[johnsonx42]

Don't be confused by 1080p vs 1080i. The tuner cards/device don't know or care what video format is in the transport stream coming from the broadcaster; they just deliver the stream to the application. The original ATSC MPEG-2 standard did include specs for 1080p30 and below, but no broadcaster has ever used it; recently they updated the standard to provide for H.264 encoded 1080p50 and 1080p60, but again no broadcaster yet uses it; since no existing HD TV would have an H.264 decoder, there's no point in broadcasting it. Maybe in a few years...

For the tuner choice, if it's not a problem to get the coax from the antenna directly to the back of the computer then I think you'll be better off with the HVR-2250 (I have one, fantastic device). Plus it has analog support, which you never know when you might need.

For the rest, first as Martin said please clarify whether you want to run the front-end and back-end on different machines or not.

[WreckedM]

Yes, I plan to build a separate front-end for near the TV. It will be a beefy system to handle the playback functions. Something along the lines of this Lifehacker Guide. I'll stick the NPVR backend in a closet where I can load it with drives and not care about how big or loud it is.

Regarding the Prime vs. Dual. Re-reading their material I now realize the Prime doesn't even support OTA/ATSC. Thank you for calling out the mistake there.

Between the HDHR-Dual and the HVR-2250, I'll be wallowing in attic insulation pulling cables regardless of the choice. So, really I'd like the choice of tuner to be about performance. Ie. Does one deliver better picture, change channels faster, better reliability, compatibility, etc. I had not thought about potentially using the analog tuner -- but I agree having more options is always a good thing.

[mvallevand]

For the backend I'd just use a recent refurb Win7 PC plus whatever drive you need, don't be cheap there, an hour of 1080i can be 8GB

If you are going to be transcoding to h264, make sure to get an Inel IGP that supports QuickSync

I agree about the 2250, it also lets you sleep your entire backend.

Martin

[Graham]

Video Card

• The tuners don't list requirements
  
• NextPVR says 'a modern video card' ...well alrighty then
  
• Does vid card even matter for a backend? Or can I just grab a mobo with basic built-in capability?
  

You don't need to go over the top on the video card for the front end. I use a Nvidia 210 and have no problems playing h.264 1080 HD.