- Dec 11, 1999
- 16,219
- 3,798
- 75
My main computer is in one room, my TV and outdoor antenna hookup in another. I've done some recording with rabbit ears, but they frequently have glitches. I'd like to set up a way to record TV glitch-free. But I'm too stingy to pay for a $240 pre-built DVR, and way too stingy for a TiVo. Plus I'd like to get the recordings back to my computer in HD if possible.
So what's the absolute cheapest computer that can record ATSC OTA? Something with a Raspberry Pi? I looked at this, but it seems to be UK-oriented, and this older article says the Pi can't play back MPEG2. Not absolutely necessary, I guess, but it would be nice if I could verify what I'm recording.
*** Available hardware ***
I have some other things lying around that might be useful:
TV tuners:
- A Hauppauge WinTV HVR-950 USB tuner, currently on my main computer
- A K-World USB tuner, somewhere.
Storage devices: I have a 3TB Seagate external HDD that I have backup files stored on. My old Windows laptop and Android tablet (see below) can see it, but my Linux desktop can't, so it's something of a pain to use. But the Pi might not be able to see it because it uses NTFS. I also have a 160GB external drive that I could possibly reformat, and several little USB drives. But these are formatted FAT32, which can't store more than 4GB in a file, and many HD streams seem to be ~6GB/hour.
Network: I have an old Netgear MA-101 802.11b USB network device. Or I might be able to tether my phone over USB, for very temporary access. There's no Ethernet out there. If I could run Ethernet I could run antenna cable...or run a USB extension...but none of these is practical.
Power supply: My phone came with a 550ma USB charger that I'm not using. (I plug the phone into the computer.) I guess it might work on the Pi. I figure I'd need a powered USB hub anyway.
So, do you think a Raspberry Pi can do what I want? I'd need the Pi, a powered USB hub, and what other hardware?
*** Other available devices ***
Alternatively, I do have a few other devices. I have an eight-year-old Dell Inspiron laptop with a Pentium M. But it's too slow to display anything it's recording, I haven't found software to record without displaying on Windows, and besides it uses too much power and it's getting very old.
I also have an Asus Transformer tablet with a USB connection, but it didn't recognize my Hauppauge card at all. Plus its screen needs to stay on when using anything USB. But if you know of software to use an Android tablet like this let me know.
TLDR: So what's the cheapest way for me to set up a DVR considering the available hardware? Get a Raspberry Pi, or use something else above? Or something else entirely?
So what's the absolute cheapest computer that can record ATSC OTA? Something with a Raspberry Pi? I looked at this, but it seems to be UK-oriented, and this older article says the Pi can't play back MPEG2. Not absolutely necessary, I guess, but it would be nice if I could verify what I'm recording.
*** Available hardware ***
I have some other things lying around that might be useful:
TV tuners:
- A Hauppauge WinTV HVR-950 USB tuner, currently on my main computer
- A K-World USB tuner, somewhere.
Storage devices: I have a 3TB Seagate external HDD that I have backup files stored on. My old Windows laptop and Android tablet (see below) can see it, but my Linux desktop can't, so it's something of a pain to use. But the Pi might not be able to see it because it uses NTFS. I also have a 160GB external drive that I could possibly reformat, and several little USB drives. But these are formatted FAT32, which can't store more than 4GB in a file, and many HD streams seem to be ~6GB/hour.
Network: I have an old Netgear MA-101 802.11b USB network device. Or I might be able to tether my phone over USB, for very temporary access. There's no Ethernet out there. If I could run Ethernet I could run antenna cable...or run a USB extension...but none of these is practical.
Power supply: My phone came with a 550ma USB charger that I'm not using. (I plug the phone into the computer.) I guess it might work on the Pi. I figure I'd need a powered USB hub anyway.
So, do you think a Raspberry Pi can do what I want? I'd need the Pi, a powered USB hub, and what other hardware?
*** Other available devices ***
Alternatively, I do have a few other devices. I have an eight-year-old Dell Inspiron laptop with a Pentium M. But it's too slow to display anything it's recording, I haven't found software to record without displaying on Windows, and besides it uses too much power and it's getting very old.
I also have an Asus Transformer tablet with a USB connection, but it didn't recognize my Hauppauge card at all. Plus its screen needs to stay on when using anything USB. But if you know of software to use an Android tablet like this let me know.
TLDR: So what's the cheapest way for me to set up a DVR considering the available hardware? Get a Raspberry Pi, or use something else above? Or something else entirely?