1 or 2 set top boxes?

[pvrdude]

Is this possible?

Two monitors/lcd tvs, two pvr boxes (or computers) and 1 set top box. I don't care if they are both using the same channel but can you splice a s-video cord to two different computers (each having a tv tuner card and video card)? Or one can use s-video and 1 hdmi/dvi?

I want to compare various pvr systems but I am leaning towards gb-pvr anyway as it's free, Windows (easier and more familiar with) but I'd like to compare simultaneously. If I can't do this, I plan on suspending my usuage with mythtv or other Windows pvr software as I want to try Windows first and gb-pvr.

All this might even be ignorance in how it works so I might be able to answer my own question this way: perhaps, I need *two* set top boxes (digital cable box) and then it's easily routed each to a computer and the corresponding tuner/video cards? Perhaps, this is the only option to use simultaneously and to compare else it's choose one or the other to be used with the digital cable set top box?

Can anyone explain and help me confirm which scenario(s) I can use?

Thanks.

[zehd]

Is this possible?

Two monitors/lcd tvs, two pvr boxes (or computers) and 1 set top box. I don't care if they are both using the same channel but can you splice a s-video cord to two different computers (each having a tv tuner card and video card)? Or one can use s-video and 1 hdmi/dvi?

I want to compare various pvr systems but I am leaning towards gb-pvr anyway as it's free, Windows (easier and more familiar with) but I'd like to compare simultaneously. If I can't do this, I plan on suspending my usuage with mythtv or other Windows pvr software as I want to try Windows first and gb-pvr.

All this might even be ignorance in how it works so I might be able to answer my own question this way: perhaps, I need *two* set top boxes (digital cable box) and then it's easily routed each to a computer and the corresponding tuner/video cards? Perhaps, this is the only option to use simultaneously and to compare else it's choose one or the other to be used with the digital cable set top box?

Can anyone explain and help me confirm which scenario(s) I can use?

Thanks.

You're making it more complicated than it is. (we all do it sometimes) You have it right in the end, use two of everything...

I suppose you could use Composite/coax and split the signal of the STB out, and then feed it into the coax ins on the two tuner cards, but that's a recipe for disaster.

I read within your post that if it can't be done, You'll ditch everything for the Windows/GBPVR route... There are way too many people here in this forum that have already made the happy switch to GB-PVR. I would avoid a lot of head banging, and just switch from the benefit of their hindsight...

IMHO

[replaytv]

Since you want to test this, the cable box DCT700 put out the same signal from RF and composite video. You can feed both signals to different computer. Of course, there will be only one computer controls the IR blaster.

Dan L.

[stefan]

Since you want to test this, the cable box DCT700 put out the same signal from RF and composite video. You can feed both signals to different computer.

But there's no guarantee that the quality of the feed will be the same over RF and composite, so that would probably not be a good test to compare video quality.

[jbyram2]

Yes, it's possible...but why?

Set the set top box up with one computer and GB-PVR.

and set the other computer/monitor up as a GB-PVR client. It can command the other one to tune the set top box, and will display the live TV with a slight delay. The display of the host in unaffected, so you can even watch a different recorded video in each room, while recording a third program.

The only thing you cannot do is watch/record two different live shows at once...since you only have one set top box and tuner card.

EDIT Reread original post..trying to compare GBPVR vs myth TV vs replayTV for menu operation, picture quality "jitteryness" etc?. A lot of those quality issues are hardware, demux and driver related, so unless the two machines are identical hardware and software install (except for the PVR software), you would not get a fair comparison.

[stefan]

But the problem at hand was to be able to compare gbpvr to another pvr software, by running the softwares simultaneously... Otherwise, you'd be correct