2005-05-21, 08:07 PM
hi! i've been reading a lot about turning my PC into a HTPC, i already have dolby digital surround, svideo out, and a very nice theater setup, i'd like to take it one step further and purchase a tv tuner card and install GB-PVR.
the specs of my machine are as follows:
amd barton 2500+ (~2ghz)
asus a7n8x dlx mobo
ati radeon 9500 pro
512mb ram
20gb wd hdd
80gb wd se hdd
dvd-rom, 52x cdrw drive
logitech z-640.
given that information, what would be the most effective, but least expensive tv card for me to buy and still be able to have GB-PVR function properly and fully? i'd also like it to include a remote. i don't want to cheap out, but i wanna know where i should be looking... i don't know if i need hardware encoding (i'm assuming the answer is yes), or if i can get away with software. also i'm curious if i need a card with tv-out (pvr-350), even if my video card has a perfectly functioning s-video out. currently my TV, and dvd is all running into a pioneer receiver, which is then sent into my PC's line-in. the logitech z-640's are plugged into the PC so that anything i watch on my PC can utilize the dolby5.1.
the specs of my machine are as follows:
amd barton 2500+ (~2ghz)
asus a7n8x dlx mobo
ati radeon 9500 pro
512mb ram
20gb wd hdd
80gb wd se hdd
dvd-rom, 52x cdrw drive
logitech z-640.
given that information, what would be the most effective, but least expensive tv card for me to buy and still be able to have GB-PVR function properly and fully? i'd also like it to include a remote. i don't want to cheap out, but i wanna know where i should be looking... i don't know if i need hardware encoding (i'm assuming the answer is yes), or if i can get away with software. also i'm curious if i need a card with tv-out (pvr-350), even if my video card has a perfectly functioning s-video out. currently my TV, and dvd is all running into a pioneer receiver, which is then sent into my PC's line-in. the logitech z-640's are plugged into the PC so that anything i watch on my PC can utilize the dolby5.1.
