HTPC for non-HDTV

D

Dfresh

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
Messages
79
I've recently gotten very interested in HTPCs, but the tv & home theater system I have is ancient. Does anyone recommend particular hardware/software for tv's & receivers that only use composite connections? It'd be mainly used for recording movies/shows as an alternative to VHS.
 
I use a Hauppauge PVR250 with Snapstream

Works wonderfully, if you have a decent MPG2 decoder. (I uses Elecard)

My TV isn't HD either.
 
As said Hauppauge PVR250 is wonderful.
Good quality hardware decoder.
Between the 250 and my video card tweaks picture is great.
support is great too!
Had a problem with surfing and the scheduler, e'd Hauppauge got a solution in two days.
 
This might not go over well in a computer forum, but if you're not going to use an HDTV, you'd be better off with an off-the-shelf solution like a TiVo. Unless you have a spare computer around, you'd probably save hassle and money with a TiVo or comparable box.
 
They have a few options for subscriptions, some people pay like $6 a month for it but the average is like $15-20 (or something like that). Best option is to build an HTPC and get a TiVo off of ebay.
 
well tivo is like 10$ more monthly with cable fees too.

The disadvantage of the HTPC is that you cant get tivo's extra channels.

(DARN I must type slow. ^ ^)
 
KoZLop said:
well tivo is like 10$ more monthly with cable fees too.

The disadvantage of the HTPC is that you cant get tivo's extra channels.

(DARN I must type slow. ^ ^)
Click to expand...
The TiVo will only cost $129 (for 40 hours) plus $299 lifetime subscription. That's only $428, which would still be hard to beat with a computer, especially considering time and hassle spent. The ReplayTV series is also worth a look.

He may want to record on cable TV anyways, he (she?) wasn't specific.
 
What am I missing?
I have 110 channels and my cable fee.....
Whats tvo got that I don't?
 
I think he may be referring to digital channels that no add-in card can read natively. Thats about the only thing that I could figure out.
 
OPUS1 said:
What am I missing?
I have 110 channels and my cable fee.....
Whats tvo got that I don't?
Click to expand...
If he doesn't have a computer to start from, the TiVo has a pretty compelling price advantage. Plus, it doesn't require lots of setup work, boots faster, and is probably a bit more stable when all is said and done.
 
Well I dont have an HDTV, but I plan on building an HTPC. My TV has a couple 2 composite inputs, 1 S-Video input, 1 component input, and 1 monitor output.

If I buy a TiVo wouldnt it be more of a hassle? I have to buy the TiVo unit then buy a different dish(a dual LNB i think it is??:confused: ).+ the suscription fees from DirecTV.

Besides the PVR from an HTPC, id also like to use it as a DivX/XviD, MP3, picture slideshow player.

Why is it bad to build an HTPC if I dont have an HDTV?
 
LetMeThinkNow said:
If I buy a TiVo wouldnt it be more of a hassle? I have to buy the TiVo unit then buy a different dish(a dual LNB i think it is??:confused: ).+ the suscription fees from DirecTV.
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Um, no, a TiVo works with any type of broadcast.
Why is it bad to build an HTPC if I dont have an HDTV?
Click to expand...
It's not bad. If you wanted to just have something to replace your VCR, then a computer-based solution would be overkill.
 
LetMeThinkNow said:
Besides the PVR from an HTPC, id also like to use it as a DivX/XviD, MP3, picture slideshow player.
Click to expand...
Those aren't very demanding requirements. You could get by with onboard audio and an ATi All-in-Wonder based videocard. CPU requirements would be modest. A low-end AMD Duron or Athlon XP processor would do; they are very cheap, run cool, and are easy to find.
 
So basically buying a TiVo($430) + a little machine like xonik suggested($200) would cost the same amount as an HTPC. The HTPC sounds much better to me. :D
 
LetMeThinkNow said:
So basically buying a TiVo($430) + a little machine like xonik suggested($200) would cost the same amount as an HTPC. The HTPC sounds much better to me. :D
Click to expand...
You don't need the TiVo; I recommended it to the thread starter.
 
So a TiVo doesnt require a dual LNB dish? I remember talking to a DTV CSR and he told me I need a dual LNB dish? So was he just feeding me a bunch of BS? I only need a single LNB dish?
 
I'm not hip to the Sate stuff so excuse any stupid questions like whats a Dual LNB dish?
 
LetMeThinkNow said:
So a TiVo doesnt require a dual LNB dish? I remember talking to a DTV CSR and he told me I need a dual LNB dish? So was he just feeding me a bunch of BS? I only need a single LNB dish?
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That's only if you are going to record more than one show at once.

http://www.tivo.com/1.6.1.asp#7

Crimandevil, I'm sure you can figure it out. A dual LNB dish lets you tune into separate channels at once.
 
Yeah thats what I thought but I was in a hurry so I couldn't explain further.
 
IVe been reading up on TiVo for the past hour, Im liking what they offer so far. The Home Media Option sounds awesome too.

Now the only question I have is, is there anyway to transfer your TV shows from your TiVo to your PC?

I know theres a video out jack and I could rip it to my PC. But what Im really asking I guess is there a way to just get the recorded show somewhere stored on the TiVo HD then move it to the PC?
 
Now the only question I have is, is there anyway to transfer your TV shows from your TiVo to your PC?
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Yes, google for TIVO mods and then get one off of ebay. From what I know TiVo is nice but they charge alot for all the extra cool stuff so the price can easily reach that of a HTPC. I still think that one does have a place within the whole scheme of things so I would suggest finding one for a good price and doing some mods to it, drop in a new larger HD, network the thing, and so on.

So basically buying a TiVo($430) + a little machine like xonik suggested($200) would cost the same amount as an HTPC. The HTPC sounds much better to me.
Click to expand...
See my post here for part suggestions. It can be as hard as you want it to be, I would suggest reading some of the Satellite TV links under the sticky before you start making plans to build an HTPC or get a tivo. What kind of A/V gear do you have?
 
Staying true to the thread,
Call me slow,challenged or just plain lame,(or incredebelly smart and gifted) but I still don't get the advantage of TVO over PC. (Non HDTV for now)
 
OPUS1 said:
Staying true to the thread,
Call me slow,challenged or just plain lame,(or incredebelly smart and gifted) but I still don't get the advantage of TVO over PC. (Non HDTV for now)
Click to expand...
His needs are,
It'd be mainly used for recording movies/shows as an alternative to VHS.
Click to expand...
A computer can do that, but at a higher price and greater complexity.
 
His needs are,
Click to expand...
That's why I recomend the Hauppauge 250.
If you have cable, at least 70 gigs of HD space
A dvd burner (which I don't have yet, waiting to see how dual layer shakes out)
Your all set.
The software package is pretty decent.
Win Tv2000, and Win Tv Scheduler work great!
Customer support was great. E'd with a problem got a reply the next day.
Had two issues scanning/surfing didn't work or the scheduler was finicky but that was because the primary setting wasn't right. just clicked on DIP and all is well.
Pause is a joy for those times when a beverage run is required and one click record is great.
 
OPUS1 said:
That's why I recomend the Hauppauge 250.
If you have cable, at least 70 gigs of HD space
A dvd burner (which I don't have yet, waiting to see how dual layer shakes out)
Your all set.
The software package is pretty decent.
Win Tv2000, and Win Tv Scheduler work great!
Customer support was great. E'd with a problem got a reply the next day.
Had two issues scanning/surfing didn't work or the scheduler was finicky but that was because the primary setting wasn't right. just clicked on DIP and all is well.
Pause is a joy for those times when a beverage run is required and one click record is great.
Click to expand...
"A computer can do that, but at a higher price and greater complexity."
 
i'm not sure what he means by dualLNB, but as far as I understand it, the LNB is the little reciever that pokes out in front of the dish, and a dualLNB would be identical to a single LNB, except it will have two coaxial connections instead of just one for a single room system. We have the dualLNB for a two room system. the whole dish wouldn't need to be replaced, just the LNB which bolts in no problem. I know that if you want HDTV you need a special elliptical dish with three LNB's coming out of it, one for normal, one for HDTV, and i forget the third one. I'm not sure that i've ever seen a dish with two LNB's in it, unless it was just for a four room system, since each LNB can support two recievers. Perhaps the guy at DTV thought you were adding another set to your system, and that's why you would need a dual LNB. I don't know that TiVo needs any special signals, but its a possibility

EDIT: whoops, didn't notice the second page to the thread. i guess its the new forum design
 
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