Please help me build system

[jaydee]

What do you use for TV recording software? WMC with TV recording is not available on Windows 10.

 

[XavierMace]

I'd start from scratch personally. You'd have to sacrifice a little functionality (at the moment) but you'd greatly simplify your setup (reduce the number of cards and downsize to a single computer) and it would let you run on the latest hardware so you aren't having to build around legacy devices or limiting your hardware options. Plus it's a super simple, centralized setup.

I'd replace both tuners with a single HD HomeRun and Plex Media Server (with Plex Pass). The HD HomeRun gives you two OTA tuners in a single stand alone box with the built in ability to stream over the network. Plex gives you the DVR and HTPC functionality. However, Plex doesn't currently support Live viewing (would have to do that through the HD HomeRun directly) or Time Shifting. However, they've stated they want to get those features added. So, it's up to you if that's a deal breaker. The beauty of this is it will run on basically anything so you can do whatever you want for the hardware. And everything is run/managed through the Plex interface so you're not having to mess with a bunch of other applications to do what you want. Plex gives you access to your media over the internet as well if that's of any use to you plus you can stream it to mobile devices.

I'd replace the firewire and modem (really?) with PCIe versions purely because needing two PCI slots severely limits your choices. Any basic video card will do two monitors or most recent onboard video will too.

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H170-PLUS D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($92.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Jet)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 400W ATX Power Supply ($27.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($45.40 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Other: Lifetime Plex Pass ($120.00)
Other: HDHomeRun Connect ($119.00)
Total: $880.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-22 05:14 EST-0500

$120 of that is a Lifetime Plex Pass (subscription) required for their DVR at this time and another $120 is the HDHomeRun. You would not need to buy either of those twice even if you stick with two computers but based on your original post, this setup eliminates the need for a second computer. The onboard video will do 2 monitors without issue but I included a decent video card in case any of your editing could take advantage of GPU encoding. Drop the GPU and you're at $500 (not including the PlexPass and HDHomeRun) per system. Given the age of your computers, I'd replace the power supply so I've included that on the above list. If you drop the GPU or one of the other cards, you can drop the motherboard cost down by $40 and get a MATX board. If you already have an optical drive, that's another $45 off.

 

[Muse]

What do you use for TV recording software? WMC with TV recording is not available on Windows 10.

The MyHD cards come with an app that handles TV recording/playback. To my surprise and delight, after I bought the first card (MIT MyHD120 plus the daughterboard), MIT came out with updated software that supports timeshifting, i.e. watching an in-progress recording. It's a little klunky in some ways but it does the important things. From the beginning, the MyHD cards came with remote control. Have never used WMC in any way.

I think I am going to get a Silicondust HD Homerun dual tuner unit. Until I come up with another PVR + remote control solution, I can use a MyHD card + software to play HD Homerun recordings, already done or in-progress. If playing off my network, I'd need to have the PC's CPU in single core mode. If playing off an internal HD (or external HD, I think), multi-core is OK. The dual tuner HD Homerun will let me eliminate one of my midtower systems.

I'm told that Silicondust is working on a PVR solution that's now in beta. It may be a factor for me in the future if it comes out of beta.

 

[Muse]

I'd start from scratch personally. You'd have to sacrifice a little functionality (at the moment) but you'd greatly simplify your setup (reduce the number of cards and downsize to a single computer) and it would let you run on the latest hardware so you aren't having to build around legacy devices or limiting your hardware options. Plus it's a super simple, centralized setup.

Starting from scratch is something I may do and pretty soon. Now, timeshifting really is something I don't want to give up even temporarily. MyHD's app lets me do that adequately, and I'm told that I can use that in tandem with the HD Homerun dual tuner unit. Many MyHD users have gone in this direction. As soon as I identify a PVR solution that allows me to timeshift and with remote contol, I figure I can abandon the MyHD hardware/software and move to Windows 10 and probably even 64bit, I suppose.

Plex Media Server is something I've been hearing about for a while. People say it is great. I've never seen it, though. I'm sure it is great. My NAS is a Synology DS214play, and it's possible to run Plex with it, but Plex doesn't support that NAS's hardware transcoding. It may not be an issue for me, don't know. I don't have a 4k display system, just 1080p.

Right now, I watch HDTV, usually timeshifting or else watching timeshift-recorded programming at a later time. The MyHD app AFAIK always records currently broadcast transmissions while displaying whatever you're watching (i.e. anywhere within the whole recording). When I'm done watching I just bulk erase the buffer and start from scratch later. Or, I sometimes keep some of my buffer for later watching. I have a program I wrote that tidies up the buffer (what I've left in it) and subsequent timeshifting gets added to the end.

Yeah, I guess I need to leave the PCI cards behind me.

I have an SATA optical drive that I've never used, it's not Blu-ray though. I didn't use it because it wouldn't work in that system! It was crazy. I posted here and an AT member sent me his unused IDE DVD burner, and that's what I'm using. This happened because my other IDE DVD burner crapped out. I bought an SATA burner to replace it, but I've never used it.

I just ordered an EVGA 500 BQ PSU. It's newly released, haven't been reviews yet, but I like that it's only ~$50, is semi-modular, has FDB fan and 100% Japanese capacitors. I ordered it today because I think the PSU in my main system here (the Corsair) is losing it. The last couple weeks or so the machine won't come out of suspend. Doesn't seem to start from a complete shutdown unless the plug is pulled and reinserted first. A new PSU ASAP was high priority.

 

[Muse]

I think that it's a UD3R (3 PCI). It hasn't been in service for a couple of years, I could test it if you really want me to. It came out of a friend's box that I helped him build new some years back. Includes 2x2GB DDR2-800, and a Q8200 I think.

I can include a free 9600GSO video card, with dual-DVI on it.

Let's do it... how much do you want?

 

[Muse]

Regarding the SiliconDust HD Homerun HDHR4-2US dual tuner unit,

A review at B&H claims this:
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No Support for Windows 10

Someone needs to highlight the fact that HDHomeRun View WILL NOT WORK with Windows 10. You get sound but no video. It is not totally SD's fault. Microsoft has removed the Codec needed to convert the video (you cannot watch DVDs with a new Win10 install, or .mpg or others, either). The problem I have with SD is that they acknowledge the problem, but expressly refuse to tell you how to work around the problem. Only, apparently, if people boycotted the product until SD remedied the situation, would it get fixed. So, as well as it works with my older Windows installs, do not buy this until it fixes the Windows 10 issue.
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https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...s_hd_homerun_branded_atsc.html#customerReview

So, not for people running Windows 10 on their HTPC?

 

[XavierMace]

I can't find anybody else backing up that statement and plenty of people posting (including with videos) about their setup running on Windows 10. Not to mention if it's just a codec like he says, that's a super simple fix. That review just screams of somebody wanting everything done for him.

 

[Muse]

I can't find anybody else backing up that statement and plenty of people posting (including with videos) about their setup running on Windows 10. Not to mention if it's just a codec like he says, that's a super simple fix. That review just screams of somebody wanting everything done for him.

Yeah, you're right. There's pretty easy ways for him to get that codec. It's just for SD's View functionality, which I don't think I'd need anyway. I ordered the HD Homerun today from B&H, best price I could find at $81.51.

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There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other. - Desiderius Erasmus