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Posted by Smarty on 02/17/07 03:08
I've been using Hauppauge PVR cards for several years along with SageTV
software. I am totally satisfied with what this combination does, and no
TiVO or cable company equipment can remotely approximate what this set-up
does. It has no monthly costs, records multiple channels simultaneously,
plays back multiple shows simultaneously for family members to view, stores
content in a very wide variety of formats including those directly playable
on DVD players, DiVX players, very cheap $99 set-top media players, and
pocket players, and also supports HDTV formats as well. I started with a
single recording channel at 1 playback TV / monitor, and now have built it
to 6 playback locations and 2 simultaneous recordings. The Hauppauge PVR
cards cost about 60 bucks, and their hardware MPEG encoder does an excellent
job of encoding excellent video. A TV set in your house can be hooked up for
$99 and requires no computer except for the recording server, which can be
connected either through a wireless 802.11.b link or with a wired
connection.
This system was recommended to me a couple years ago when I went looking for
suggestions on another newsgroup. I have been totally satisfied, and have
helped a number of friends and relatives with similar systems with great
success. I can't recommend it highly enough, and suggest you might use the
30 day trial of the SageTV software to check it out.
Smarty
"gadjo" <fgdsfg@w45w4.sdf> wrote in message news:er59q6$1ht$1@dns3.cae.ca...
>
> "Doug Jacobs" <djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote in message
> news:12tc26ecgpu1b35@corp.supernews.com...
>> gadjo <fgdsfg@w45w4.sdf> wrote:
>>
>>> I've given this much thought, and I just can't justify the cost... For
>>> the
>>> same price I could get another more powerful PC. When I say this I'm
>>> comparing the decent PVR's with fairly large HDD's (160-250GB) by
>>> LG/Pioneer/Sony. I've looked at reviews for the cheaper brands, too many
>>> issues with hard drives freezing.
>>
>> http://www.tivo.com/2.0.boxdetails.asp?box=series2180hrDTDVR&plan=prepaid3yr349
>>
>> This is a 180hr(*) Tivo for $170 and pre-paid service for 3 years. The
>> price for the box reflects a $180 discount if you buy directly from
>> Tivo.com. Be sure to check your local stores though, as they sometimes
>> have better deals available. In addition, pre-paying for 3 years of
>> service
>> gives you another $150 off (essentially, you're getting 1 year free)
>>
>> This model includes 2 tuners, allowing you to record 2 different channels
>> at once - you'll have to check with your current cable system to see if
>> you can get any channels without your cable box (like the non-digital
>> ones) If not, you would need 2 separate cable boxes if you wanted to
>> take
>> advantage of the Tivo's 2nd tuner.
>>
>> There is a series 3 Tivo which has an even larger HDD, but is aimmed at
>> recording HDTV signals. Because of this, it's still very expensive and
>> there have been more than a few problems reported with it. Even if you
>> have HDTV right now, I'd wait awhile before getting a HDTV capable Tivo.
>>
>> (*) this unit includes a 180GB HDD and has the ability to record at
>> different quality settings. The lowest setting, "Basic", gives you about
>> 1GB/hr, whereas the highest setting, "Best", will give you about
>> 2.5-3GB/hr. Actual quality will depend on the strength of your cable
>> signal, your TV and your eyeballs. I record most stuff at "High", which
>> is the 2nd highest setting and it's pretty close to the actual cable
>> picture. If you want to later re-record a show onto DVD or VHS, it is
>> suggested you use the "Best" setting. Also, depending on how technical
>> you are, it is possible to replace the hard drive inside your Tivo with 1
>> or 2 larger units. If this is something that interests you, get the
>> smaller, 80Hr unit instead.
>>
>>> One other point I should have mentioned, I don't have conventional cable
>>> with 125 channels, I can only tune into one channel at a time, meaning I
>>> have to watch what I record. That in itself is not a big deal, the
>>> decoders
>>> are cheap so I can just get a second one from my cable provider, and
>>> hook it
>>> up to my PC. My point is that I dont really need a true dedicated PVR
>>> because it's useful features would be wasted in my case.
>>
>> So you have digital cable, or is your service so old that you even need a
>> cable tuner to get what most of us would call "Basic" or "Basic+Extended"
>> cable? If you plug your cable directly into your TV (by-passing your
>> cable tuner box), can it tune any stations in at all?
>>
>> --
>> Win cash and giftcards just for clicking your mouse!
>> http://www.netwinner.com/?signupCode=amuro98
>
> Herein lies the problem....stupid cable monopoly in my area provides
> decoders without which I can't even get the majority of the "Basic"
> channels, because now I fall under the Digital Subscriber category so they
> ensure by filtering the signal that I'm prevented from accessing the old
> Basic stuff. I can switch back to the basic service, but then I miss out
> on the specialty channels that I'm interested in. If I by-pass the tuner
> box I get maybe a dozen channels (stuff like the weather channel, a few
> local channels...) but those are not the ones I'm interested in recording.
>
> One way or another I'll need a second tuner, whether I use a dedicated
> PVR/Tivo/PVR Card...otherwise I'm stuck with watching what I record. As it
> stands, it just doesnt make sense to spend $400 or more on a decent PVR if
> I can get the same job done with a $80 pvr card for my pc...
>
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