PC as DVR

[gnznroses]

i was looking to buy a dvr. i was gonna buy a tivo and use it without the monthly service to just manually record shows. turns out only the really old models allow you to manually record without the subscription. i can find em on ebay but they're used and worn and still go for $50+.

i decided maybe i'd use my pc, but for some reason i can't find a tv tuner card that has video outs to hook it to my tv (to watch the shows i have recorded). i don't wanna record shows onto my pc and watch em on there. that's kinda lame. anyone know of a good card that allows me to record to my pc and watch on my tv? it looks like none of the WinTV cards have outputs.
i could buy a WinTV and then buy a slingbox-type device, but that's just way too expensive. i don't care that much....

i don't see why this should be so hard to do.

 

[nullpointerus]

TV cards almost never have outputs, and even when they do, they're not HD connections. Instead, you connect your TV to your video card either directly (VGA, DVI) or indirectly through a dongle (component, s-video, compsite) or adapter (HDMI-to-DVI). Then you open up your video card's control panel and enable the TV as a secondary monitor, with its own resolution and refresh rates.

Almost any TV tuner card will work fine. Just make sure it has (a) hardware encoding, (b) Vista drivers (either now, or planned), and (c) some form of HD support--if you need it down the road, it's pretty much only a small added cost nowadays. HD comes in two forms: HD-OTA (over the air, as in from an antenna), and HD-QAM (unencrypted digital cable--if you're lucky w/ cable co.). There may also be digital satellite cards if you live outside the U.S.

But for analog TV recording, which is drop-dead easy to get working (compared to HD), nearly any TV tuner card will do.

 

[Matthias99]

I just wanted to note that unless you already have most of the hardware and you're into tweaking and messing around with drivers and codecs and software -- either get a TiVo or rent a DVR from your cable/satellite company. The technology's pretty good, but it's still not quite plug-and-play. A hardware encoder card like a Hauppauge PVR-150 will run you $75+; software encoders are cheaper, and work OK as long as you have a fast CPU and don't want to do anything else with the PC while you record.

Building your own homebrew DVR is a great learning experience -- but there's a learning curve, and trying to fix any problems you run into can be a pain. If you want something that is super-easy and guaranteed to work right the first time, get a commercially produced DVR.

 

[IeraseU]

I've been using SageTV for about a year after my lifetime Tivo unit malfunctioned beyond repair. I'm fairly happy with it but HDTV support is a definite sore spot. Right now you can only get QAM or OTA HDTV until a tuner card with 'cable card' support is released. Other then lack of HDTV support, a HTPC works very well and comparable to a stand-alone Tivo. I still would prefer the HD Tivo but it's too expensive right now, not to mention a monthly fee is required.

 

[gnznroses]

i do have an HDTV but i'm not too worried about recording HD. in fact, the only HD i get is form my Playstation 3. i don't have a way to tune in OTA HD and i don't have HD Cable. (actually, i can pick up OTA HD with my old bunny-ears, but it looks no better than standard)

so i could get a cheap tv tuner card and then buy a new video card with two video-outs (one for my monitor, one for tv)? hmm. i think tho i may go with a series 1 tivo afterall, i was just given a second-chance offer on one i had bid on and lost. it's $38 - factory recondishioned.

thanks for the help :thumbsup: