Building a media center pc

[stnicralisk]

The wife wants a Tivo so im going to give her a gift with the same functionality but better.

I have a PC I can use for the occassion currently set up like this:

2.8ghz P4b
1 gig ram
Soundblaster Platinum
5900xl

I plan to use the Meedio software suites.

I need to know what television capture card I should get. Currently I do not have HDTV, I have an analog signal but will likely be upgrading to a digital signal before this setup is complete.

I also wanted to know if i should change any other part of the setup as well, specifically the 5900. I am not sure if it really has a significant impact on the rendering of video, Im no videophile but I would like my recordings not to be noticably different from live television if possible.

Finally, after moving the entertainment center my cable runs past a doorway. I could have them use a glowrod to put it under the carpet but I am getting tile put down. I was wondering if anyone had a solution that is cheap but classy. I dont want to tape it down or place a rug over it and the thought of running it o around the doorway in my living room really isnt that appealing either.

Thanks for your expertise.
Joe

 

[stnicralisk]

I want to be able to record a show while I watch another show. Do I really need two capture cards or dual capture for this? I was thinking with a pvr150 I could record a show and just change the channel on the television itself to watch something else - meaning I would lose the pause feature I suppose.

Also what remote should I get with a Hauppage product or whatever tuner you recommend. Feel free to recommend both an analog and digital card.

 

[dclive]

I suggest Windows Media Center 2005.
I suggest, for HDTV, the ATI HDTV card. It's commonly available for about $100 if you look for a bit.
I suggest the cards (any of them) based on ATI's newest TheatrePro (I think that's it) chipsets; ATI's "Elite" tuner card has this; there are several others; all give excellent analog tuner quality.

If you want to record one show and watch another, you only need one tuner; any one of these would be fine. If you want to record two and watch one, you'll need 2 tuners. In other words, the only question is how many you want to record at once; you can easily watch pre-recorded content or switch to the TV's tuner to watch things.

You might consider the Hauppauge PVR500 - it has two tuners built into it, but image quality isn't as good as the new ATI chip's quality.

 

[stnicralisk]

I heard WMCE05 isnt as flexible as the Meedio Package and doesnt offer much benefit except ease of use. I want to use the Meedio package because I can easily incorporate ROMs, Music, TV, and DVDs and the package is only 55$.

I definitely am interested in the ATI cards. Thanks dclive.