Newbie - WAF - PCH C-200 and HD-PVR

[Scifidude]

Hello all,

By way of introduction I'm somewhat of a GB-PVR, NMT newbie. However, I have 30+ years IT experience from mainframes through PCs.

Having waded through several forums looking for answers and not really finding a solution I am humbly posting this to seek your expert opinions.

With the demise of analog TV (no more VCR) I'm trying to get a relatively simple setup in place that will give me a 5 star WAF (read that as the wife can operate the system to do simple record and playback) out-of-the-gate.

Once I've gotten the 5 stars I can use that leverage to add other components to the system (like a new quad core server) for video editing, etc.

I want to minimize the number of boxes, cables, remotes, power cords, etc that now inhabit the video cabinet. To that end I don't want to have to add a PC to the stack that already includes a DVD player, Satellite box, VCR, Analog to Digital converter, power controller/surge protector,etc.

My question relates to the PCH C-200 and Hauppage's HD-PVR. I'm interested in the C-200 since it has support for gigabit enet, WIFI, and internal hard drive and the HD-PVR since it can capture HD content.

Is it (or will it be) possible to connect the HD-PVR to the C-200 (with an internal hard drive) and not require a separate PC to do manual recording and playback?

If I can get that setup to work for ~ $500 it would go a long way in getting the 5 star WAF rating.

Thanks for all your help.

Scifidude

[sub]

Sorry, but GB-PVR is not compatible with the C-200 at this stage. GB-PVR is only compatible with the previous generation of devices at this stage (A-100, A-110 etc).

Is it (or will it be) possible to connect the HD-PVR to the C-200 (with an internal hard drive) and not require a separate PC to do manual recording and playback?

I havnt heard too much about the C-200 software yet, but I'm pretty sure you cant do that either.

[mvallevand]

The C200 NMT's still need to be hacked to run any program including telnet. Even if someone ported the linux HDPVR drivers to the platform, which would be a feat in itself, someone would also need to write a program to use it.

As for GigE media extenders performance typically fall way below their rated spec. The C200 will not be a server class machine.

Martin

[Jaggy]

With the demise of analog TV (no more VCR) I'm trying to get a relatively simple setup in place that will give me a 5 star WAF (read that as the wife can operate the system to do simple record and playback) out-of-the-gate.

When I first setup GB-PVR quite a number of years ago now my objective was exactly the same as yours is & I went the server on top a cupboard out in the hallway & MVP's for clients route, I put one MVP in the sitting room & the MOST important one to gain the WAF in the bedroom & after an evening of watching TV on the sitting room one (where she could see what it could do) I just gave the remote to her for the bedroom one & let her go to it, instant high WAF.

Once I've gotten the 5 stars I can use that leverage to add other components to the system (like a new quad core server) for video editing, etc.

Much the same way I did & am still doing & with the wife's approval no less latest upgrade for me was an NMT & I have already received her order to get one for the bedroom

I want to minimize the number of boxes, cables, remotes, power cords, etc that now inhabit the video cabinet. To that end I don't want to have to add a PC to the stack that already includes a DVD player, Satellite box, VCR, Analog to Digital converter, power controller/surge protector,etc.

While the C200/GB combination won't do exactly what you want the way you want to do it, it is worth thinking about the NMT(PCH A100,A110,EGreatM34a)/GB-PVR solution with a server somewhere feeding it/them as this combination works very well. While I still have a DVD in the sittingroom (basically just laziness on my part) that is about it, all the rest now resides in the hall out of site & nearly out of mind.

[soccerdad]

With your IT background, it is likely your current household PC has enough horsepower to be a server. If you get a second STB and an HD-PVR, your "PVR" could be anywhere on your home network. And you could still use the PC to surf, pay bills, email, etc, while recording a HD show. Then buy three $99 PCH A-100s and you would have a sweet multi client, full HD system for less than $500. For $300 you could have an HD-PVR and a PCH to start. You would want a big drive, but you can start with almost anything.

Jump in, the water is warm!

[Scifidude]

Thanks sub, Martin, Jaggy, and soccerdad.

So, at minimum I need a dual-core PC. I also then need a HD-PVR for HD capture.

I don't suppose there is a similarly priced (compared to HD-PVR) PCIe card that can hardware capture and playback H.264 that would eliminate the need for the HD-PVR?

If I have to go the HD-PVR route I presume for playback I could use a PC video card that supports HDMI until I decide to add a PCH box.

[sub]

I don't suppose there is a similarly priced (compared to HD-PVR) PCIe card that can hardware capture and playback H.264 that would eliminate the need for the HD-PVR?

No, there is no PCIe card that could use for this capturing HD from a set top box. The HDPVR is very unique in this respect.

If you were watching to capture over-the-air ATSC, or clear qam (unencrypted digital cable), then no set top box is required, and numerous cards can exist that can provide this type of HD capture.

If I have to go the HD-PVR route I presume for playback I could use a PC video card that supports HDMI until I decide to add a PCH box.

Yes.

[Scifidude]

An update - LOL.

Having done some more investigation I realized I can't use the HD-PVR... it doesn't contain an ATSC tuner and can only work with a STB. My setup is an amplified HD external antenna (for ATSC) and DirecTV (SD, not HD), so I need a PCI card that can tune ATSC for HD and SD from DirecTV. Most of what the wife wants to record/playback is ATSC.

Is the Hauppage 1600 my best choice in a PCI format? Also, it states it has two tuners (1 digital, 1 analog). Does that mean I can simultaneously record ATSC and DirecTV in GBPVR?

Thanks for any help.

[JavaWiz]

An update - LOL.

Is the Hauppage 1600 my best choice in a PCI format? Also, it states it has two tuners (1 digital, 1 analog). Does that mean I can simultaneously record ATSC and DirecTV in GBPVR?

I have 1600, and yes, I can record from STB (Comcast cable) via Analog, and watch or record Digital (QAM not ATSC) at the same time

[imagn]

Is the Hauppage 1600 my best choice in a PCI format? Also, it states it has two tuners (1 digital, 1 analog). Does that mean I can simultaneously record ATSC and DirecTV in GBPVR?

Thanks for any help.

There arent many PCI cards out there anymore, there are a lot more PCI-E to choose from. But speaking to your question i think its your best choise for recording one ATSC and one Analog at the same time. Note i dont know your direct Tv setup, but this usually involves a STB and you would only receive SD signal no HD from the STB.