Some Questions

[Killing2Live]

Hi I have been researching all of this stuff for the past week and have read lots of stuff recently and I have had a few questions/clarifications.

The setup I am thinking of getting is a PVR-150MCE on Windows XP and then going to a Media MVP to my tv. Both running GB-PVR.

1. After setting up the MediaMVP I would just go to like a Video 2 input or whatever to see it right?

2. After going to the tv video input that my MediaMVP input is set up on I will see GB-PVRs menu and be able to watch Live TV and such? (So pretty much have too accessable ways to watch TV, one through normal TV input and through my MediaMVP?)

3. Is Live TV shown through my MediaMVP going to be worse quality than watching standard TV? (Because if not than I would never have to use just normal TV again.....or bad idea?)


4. When I decide I want to record something I have read that I will either not be able to watch tv or watch the show that is being currently recorded? (What happens if I accidently change the channel?) Or could I just flip it off Video whatever input and just go to normal tv for the time being to watch other shows?
EDIT: I just read that this is impossible with only one TV tuner (PVR-150MCE) which made me look into the PVR-500MCE but I do not have enough money right now, so could I buy another PVR-150 later on and be able to record one show and watch another just like the PVR-500MCE?

5. The shows that I set my tv to record will be recorded on to my computer that is controlling the MediaMVP, correct?

6. In the GB-PVR wiki, it says that:
What software do I need for DivX playback?

* You absolutely have to have the Hauppauge software installed if you want to watch AVI files.

So am I going to have to uninstall GB-PVR from the MediaMVP and install Hauppauge software just to watch AVI files? (You guys are probably laughing by now but I am just really confused)

7. I have read that there is a 1-2 second delay between switching channels, Is that really annoying and make it take forever to change channels?

8. To be able to pause live tv and rewind and such, to my knowledge, its basically recording the tv in real time, does this take up lots and lots of hard drive space?

Sorry for all these questions, Ive tried searching the forums and sorry if I did not try hard enough. Tried looking through the wiki and could not find that much either, just hoping you guys can give a quick clarification. Thanks a bunch!

[stefan]

Hi I have been researching all of this stuff for the past week and have read lots of stuff recently and I have had a few questions/clarifications.

Welcome to the forum.

The setup I am thinking of getting is a PVR-150MCE on Windows XP and then going to a Media MVP to my tv. Both running GB-PVR.

Not a bad decision, but you might want to think about getting a non-MCE version, so you get a remote control with it?

1. After setting up the MediaMVP I would just go to like a Video 2 input or whatever to see it right?

I assume that depends on how you connect the MVP to your TV, and on how your TV set works, but I believe you are correct.

2. After going to the tv video input that my MediaMVP input is set up on I will see GB-PVRs menu and be able to watch Live TV and such?

Yes.

(So pretty much have too accessable ways to watch TV, one through normal TV input and through my MediaMVP?)

Well... that depends on how you connect stuff. You would need a splitter from you antenna, and then two caoxes from the splitter, one to your tv and one to your pvr-150. That might degrade the signal quality, so you might need a signal booster before the splitter. But then again, it might work without it. You will however need a splitter.

3. Is Live TV shown through my MediaMVP going to be worse quality than watching standard TV?

I don't own an MVP, but I'm under the impression that most people are very happy with image quality. It will however be compressed into MPEG, which is a tad "worse" quality. My wife, for example, would never notice, though ;-)

(Because if not than I would never have to use just normal TV again.....or bad idea?)

You might be correct, but it depends on your habits. You might want to watch one thing and let GBPVR record something else at the same time? On the other hand, that would be solvable with yet another capture card (then you could go for the MCE version, you don't need two remotes )

4. When I decide I want to record something I have read that I will either not be able to watch tv or watch the show that is being currently recorded? (What happens if I accidently change the channel?) Or could I just flip it off Video whatever input and just go to normal tv for the time being to watch other shows? EDIT: I just read that this is impossible with only one TV tuner (PVR-150MCE) which made me look into the PVR-500MCE but I do not have enough money right now, so could I buy another PVR-150 later on and be able to record one show and watch another just like the PVR-500MCE?

Ah... I should have read your entire post before answering your question above...

5. The shows that I set my tv to record will be recorded on to my computer that is controlling the MediaMVP, correct?

Yes, unless you specify another location (like a network drive somewhere else) to record to. I wouldn't recommend that, though.

6. In the GB-PVR wiki, it says that:
What software do I need for DivX playback?

* You absolutely have to have the Hauppauge software installed if you want to watch AVI files.

So am I going to have to uninstall GB-PVR from the MediaMVP and install Hauppauge software just to watch AVI files? (You guys are probably laughing by now but I am just really confused)

Good question. I don't know the answer to it, but I think that nowadays, if you have a fast enough computer, GBPVR will convert avi files to mpeg on-the-fly, so that the MVP can play it for you.

7. I have read that there is a 1-2 second delay between switching channels, Is that really annoying and make it take forever to change channels?

Whether it's annoying is up to you =) Changing channels takes longer time if you use time-shift than if you use live tv mode. It also takes longer if you have an external set top box that you want gbpvr to change channels on (because then you need an ir blaster that GBPVR needs to tell to blast a signal from, and then the set top box needs to actually change the channel...)

8. To be able to pause live tv and rewind and such, to my knowledge, its basically recording the tv in real time, does this take up lots and lots of hard drive space?

Depending on what quality setting you use, between 1 and 2 GB per hour.

Sorry for all these questions, Ive tried searching the forums and sorry if I did not try hard enough. Tried looking through the wiki and could not find that much either, just hoping you guys can give a quick clarification. Thanks a bunch!

No problems. In fact, the wiki always needs adding, and if you find that any information is missing that you think would be useful to others, you are welcome to ask blader_se and he'll tell you how to add the information =)

[djtaylor]

I don't own an MVP, but I'm under the impression that most people are very happy with image quality. It will however be compressed into MPEG, which is a tad "worse" quality. My wife, for example, would never notice, though ;-)

Just to add that those of us receiving DVB broadcasts are already receiving the data as an MPG stream.

It does however amuse me that the sales pitch for set top boxes is that they offer "digital quality". From a sales point of view that is supposed to mean it's *better*.

Next time, I might just ask what the salesman means and then offer back "Right so what you're telling me is that they take the perfect analogue master, subject it to sampling and quantisation errors, then dump information due to it being a lossy compression method and this is better for me because?..."

What I will say is that if you're able to receive digital broadcasts and use a digital capture method such as a Nova-T, what you watch or record will be the same broadcast stream so quality will be no different.

In a few years, we'll have no choice anyway when the analogue broadcasts get turned off.

David.

[stefan]

In a few years, we'll have no choice anyway when the analogue broadcasts get turned off.

You are correct on all points. However, I assume that if you have cable, you will not be affected. At least that's the case in Sweden. The cable companies still provide analogue versions of the channels, even though there are no analogue broadcasts available. I assume they convert them back into analogue? Nevertheless, they have said that they will continue with this. (Then, of course, they do have channels that have never been available as analogue channels, and those will not be converted into analogue...)

[djtaylor]

You are correct on all points. However, I assume that if you have cable, you will not be affected. At least that's the case in Sweden. The cable companies still provide analogue versions of the channels, even though there are no analogue broadcasts available. I assume they convert them back into analogue? Nevertheless, they have said that they will continue with this. (Then, of course, they do have channels that have never been available as analogue channels, and those will not be converted into analogue...)

I don't know what they do here, I don't pay for cable TV, I'll just take the free satellite and terrestrial broadcasts instead. If nothing else, the connection from the aerial cable right into the PC with GBPVR capturing the broadcast stream means that the quality is that of the broadcast, signal issues not withstanding.

David.

[betlit]

Not a bad decision, but you might want to think about getting a non-MCE version, so you get a remote control with it?

why should he get a non-mce version (with remote control)? as i understand it, killing2live will only watch tv through the mediaMVP (or the tv itself)... and the mvp comes already with a remote, doesn't it?

[stefan]

:o doh... of course you are right... sorry... MCE version would be enough... unless you plan on using its blaster with a set top box

[pBS]

oh and the MVP will play divx, [and other avi's if you have the codec] if you install the MVP software...you'll have to turn off the services that run for the MVP software, but you need the converter that comes with it to be installed..
[the mvp software converts the avi to mpg, for gbpvr and mvp to play]
GBPVR has a MVP server built in,so you don't need the MVP one..but you do need the converter...[only reason to install MVP software]
hope that clears things up..

although now GBPVR will allow you to use ffmpeg or others to transfer to MVP [but it's totally manual setup,so may not be for you] [using trans2mvp.bat]

[wtg]

Actually now that gbpvr is using ffmpeg to convert AVIs there's no need for the Hauppauge MVP software to be installed. The only reason it was necessary before was to transcode using their software, but with ffmpeg its not used.

[Killing2Live]

Wow, thank you guys, I wasn't expecting my answers to be answered so quickly and easily But yeah, since I was getting the MediaMVP I figured I didnt need two remotes so the PVR-150MCE would be fine. Well now I think I am all ready to set everything up thanks to you guys! Although I have one more clarification,

In the Wiki it says, "LiveTV is saved to files related to the programme name/time/date, and are automatically deleted by the system a few minutes after you finish watching the file (unless you pressed the “record” button, then the file is kept)."

So first scenario: If I turn on my TV through the MediaMVP and start just watching normal TV on any channel, it will start recording, right? And then if I decide to watch another channel, I flip to a different channel and It will start recording that one and automatically delete the first channel stuff that I was on? (So should I have 5-10gb set aside just as a buffer or space to make Live TV work?)

Second scenerio: What If I am having a lazy day and the TV is set on for like 5+ hours and I dont really care about rewinding live tv all the way to the first hour I started watching it, Is there a way to set it so that It only records around 2 hours behind of what I am currently watching?

Sorry If you don't understand the second scenerio, It is kinda hard to say what I mean. But Thank you so much for answering my first question and these should be the last two questions I have and I'll leave you guys alone