HTPC to replace TiVo?

[laugh]

Currently I have the DirecTivo service. I am thinking about switching to digital cable and use HTPC to do the TiVo job. I have some questions:

1. All-in-wonder radeon w/ remote or Leadtek 2000XP deluxe? Which is better? Why?

2. How can I get the up-to-date program list and how can I set up the season pass (which is the best thing I like about TiVo -- the season pass)?

3. What is the best PVR software so far?


Thanks for any comments!!!

 

[flashbacck]

1) dunno. I personally have the asus tv tuner

2) most of the pvr software out there (I think) uses titantv.com which is free. You can go to their website and check it out if you want.

3) the asus tv tuner I got comes with PowerVCR II, which works well with the remote that comes with. But, I've heard Showshifter is the best out there for ease of use and it has big menus which are easily seen on a TV.

The HTPC I have is in my sig. I've never had a tivo so I can't really do an accurate comparison. I don't know if directivo lets you record more than 1 channel at a time, but with a htpc you definitely can't, unless you have 2 tv tuners. and even then you'd need 2 cable boxes. and another possible problem with using a htpc is that your pc won't talk to your cable box (at least I don't think it's possible). So if you set your pc to record 1 channel, you better make sure the cable box is set to flip the channel at the same time.

 

[psxjunky]

I have been researching the same topic for a while now, and based on what I have found so far I can assure you that till date there is NO PC based solution that even comes close to the functionaluty that Tivo provides. I have been a Tivo user for over two years now, and have recently started playing around with the idea of adding PVR capability to my HTPC. However, I am doing this as an ADDITIONAL PVR solution ... not a replacement for Tivo.

So in case you are planning to abandon your DirecTivo in favor of an HTPC based solution only, I would strongly advise you to run them parallel for a while before finally going one way or the other.

With that said, let me actually try to help you now


1. I have BOTH the AIW Radeon 7500 and the LeadTek TV2000XP installed on my machine and I have done a lot of comparisons between the two using my cable rececption. Based on what I have found, the TV reception quality between these two boards is almost identical. Using default settings, the picture from ATI seems to be just slightly sharper than the picture from LeadTek ... but definitely not something you'd notice unless you run the two side by side.

However, this is just one aspect of the comparison. TV reception is one factor, but that is not all. With the AIW you get the excellent wireless RF remote for free. I haven't used the LeadTek remote that much, so I can't comment one way or the other on that, but it is a regular IR based remote.

LeadTek WinFast PVR uses TitanTV to get TV listing. ATI uses the GemStar Guide Plus system. Guide Plus is severely limited in functionality as reported by many reports. I don't know how good or bad TitanTV is in this respect.

LeadTek costs almost one third than that of the cheapest decent AIW that you can find ... so that might be something to consider.



2. Unless you are coding up your own solution, your choice of the PVR software will make this decision for you. Most PVR softwares use TitanTV to get the guide data. This list includes ShowShifter, WinFast PVR, PowerVCR II etc. SnapStream PVS is a notable exception. They used to use the free TitanTV listings; but from April 03 onwards they are going to provide their own monthly payment based ($4.95) TV guide service.


3. It is hard to say ... but both ShowShifter and SnapStream PVS looks interesting. Cyberlink PowerVCR II might be good as well. I would be eager to get feedback from someone who has actually used one of these products ... especially ShowShifter.

 

[BoberFett]

Someone on this board recently posted a link to MythTV. That looks like an interesting option to me.

 

[cmdrdredd]

well, maybe you can find a way to stream the video to your PC from your current Tivo?

I'd keep the DTV service...cable sux in general

 

[flashbacck]

I'm beginning to think that tivo's are better due to the fact that companies are completely dedicated to supporting it. While, HTPC solutions are kinda iffy at the moment. But htpc's have the advantage of versatility and upgradability. but honestly, after just building my own htpc and using it for a few days, if you don't give a d@mn about upgrading and versatility, etc just go w/ the tivo

edit: by versatility, I mean you could have a dvd player/pvr/5.1 decoder all rolled into one and cheap. but of course, you wouldn't have the advantages of a dedicated dvd player or tivo or dedicated 5.1 receiver.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

You might want to look here if you haven't already:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=26

 

[laugh]

thanks all for the great insightful advices!! I'll think twice about switching to cable. It's adelphia Digital cable. I don't know how good/bad about the digital cable. I am a long time direcTV user, and I was using analog cable before that -- DTV is way better. I just assumed digital cable should be on par with DTV ... well guess I need to research more.

The reason I want to switch is that cable is cheaper and I need to order the cable broadband -- so I save more for the package.

Hmmm. Tivo is sure nice... Gotta read more.