Would this work?

[tumnasgt]

First, I will explain my setup.
Currently I have:
A Windows-based server
3 computers in various rooms
A couple of spare PCs I could set up on the TV

Hardware I would get to do this:
2 dual DVB-T tuners.

Okay, what I would like to do is install the TV tuners into the server and be able to record to the server, so all the PCs can watch recorded shows. On top of this, I would like to be able to stream video to the other PCs, especially the one attached to the TV, in place of a MyFreeview unit (which are just too expensive).

I understand this should be possible, but I have a couple of questions.

1. Is the video decoded on the server, or the client? I ask as I would like to know whether a spare laptop I have with integrated video would work, or if I really ought to set up a desktop with hardware MPEG-4 decoding.

2. When TV is recorded, does the computer decode anything, or is it just deposited on the disk in a raw format? Again, this is about hardware, as the server only has a GMA3100, it would struggle to decode HD MPEG-4 streams without a new video card.

3. Am I correct in thinking that having 4 tuners will mean I am able (in theory) to record all the TV stations at the same time? I believe Wellington transmits with 3 transponders (I don't think that is quite the right word for it), as when I tune my STB they always appear in three groups. (1,2,6,7 in one, 3,4,8 in another, 5,100, and the other stations in the third.)

Thanks in advance for any help

[stustunz]

dvb-t playback needs a semi decent pc dual core or better 8 series nvidia or better
dvb-s playback is a better way to go if you dont have the cash or want to upgrade everything (not HD but still digital so still a decent picture)

q1 server decodes nothing
old laptop wont do with dvb-t plus forget wireless if thats what you are thinking
(although i just got wireless N and am yet to test it properly)

q2 when recording digital its just dumped onto the harddrive pretty much what the broadcaster sends out is what you get

q3 multirecord will recording every channel on that transponder
so if its how you say it is you should only need 3 physical tuners to record everything at once (thats right record 9 channels all at once)

you need a big hard drive for dvb-t aswell think terabytes

[tumnasgt]

I have a spare Celeron Dual Core (C2D based) desktop with a 7300GS that I will try out playing some HD content I have, ranging from 5Mbps to 67Mbps. Hopefully it will be fine, otherwise I will look into getting a GeForce 8400 for it.

HDD space shouldn't be too much of an issue, I'm about to add 2TB of storage to the server.

Thanks for the assistance.

[stustunz]

wireless wont stream well with gbpvr many have tried many have failed sure you can play HD stuff but streaming from the server needs to be duplex.
wireless 54g is not duplex
you have not said what type of network wired or wireless?


the 7300 gs cant do h264 decoding which is what we have in NZ but you may be able to get the pc to do it with no head room for anything else

some downloaded HD is not true HD so its not a true comparison as to how much bandwidth dvbt in nz will really be putting out

2t is a good start
between 4to8Gb an hour for dvbt from memory

[tumnasgt]

I have 100Mbps Ethernet, and I'm considering going to gigabit, dependent on whether my wiring will take it (house was wired in '97). Whether the network is full or half duplex is not really an issue, as there should be little up traffic to interrupt the down traffic, though I do have full duplex.

I believe the 7300GS has partial h264 decoding, but the CPU is pretty decent, and the PC will only ever be playing one media file at a time, so for now I am going to save the money to help pay for the HTPC case and quieter CPU cooler I am going to need.

As I said, my true HD content is between 5Mbps (1/2 TV3 HD) to 67Mbps (6.7x TV3 HD), so it should benchmark it well. I'm still waiting on XP to go through the whole update process before I start benchmarking.

As I progress I will report back in case anyone else is considering a similar setup.

[stustunz]

well streaming on 54g from gbpvr is always a bit hit and miss was what i was getting at
100m should be fine

if your motherboard is agp you might be better off saving for a new motherboard cpu than wasting money on cpu cooler as the decoding from a video card is the way to go

[tumnasgt]

The motherboard is PCIe, I don't think the 7300GS was ever released for AGP.

The reason it needs a new cooler is the current one has bung bearings, so it can be heard in the next room, not really ideal for watching media on

The GPU is not absolutely essential to playback, so it gets put after making the PC fit in the cabinet and making it quiet. When I go to Australia in August I might get an 8600 and a blu-ray drive/

[Reddwarf]

For a quiet HTPC you should consider watercooling, I just installed it in my htpc and it works very well.

[tumnasgt]

I am going to use a Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 LP (Low Profile), as it is only $60NZ, and my budget is rather limited. Part of the idea of doing this is will cost less than the Freeview recorders (about $1000NZ), while being far more feature complete.

My budget is basically:
Cooler - $60
TV tuners - about $150 each, but as there are two, I can delay the purchase of the second.
Case - $250

So all up around $600, not bad really.

[stustunz]

prime is not on freeview
so the hvr2200 is a good choice for tv tuner as it does analog and dvbt with hardware encoder for the analog

nova500 is a dual dvbt

i would also recommend sticking to hauppauge tuners as thats what gbpvr is based around
other tuners will work but not always well