[AccessD] HTPC Build - was Samsung 2 gb 5400 $80

jwcolby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Mon Nov 29 13:05:58 CST 2010


I already have one HTPC in the living room with a single channel Hauppage card.  Windows 7 WMC just 
found and used it, no drivers to worry about.  This new one is just the dual channel version of the 
same card.  In fact after I bought a brand new card (the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 dual channel) I 
found another used on Ebay for $50 shipped (just the card), so I bought that as well.  I intend to 
put that in the living room HTPC.

I don't care about the high def movies / movie channels and pay per view stuff.  We just don't do 
that stuff.

On my existing HTPC, for which the TV is only 720P, I can view the "HD" digital channels that are 
unencrypted, and there are a few of those.  Sometimes it is the same content just in HD, for example 
channel 7 and channel 7.1 where 7.1 is HD.  I can see both and 7.1 is definitely much higher quality.

Back in the master bedroom, the new TV sees a TON of HD channels that WMC doesn't see in it's scan. 
  Apparently WMC only "looks for" the channels in the listing it finds.  Why Charter doesn't include 
all of the unencrypted HD channels in its listing is a mystery to me.  Likewise how to discover what 
they actually are.  I could edit the channels in WMC if I had a clue what the channels are.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com

On 11/29/2010 12:58 PM, Michael Bahr wrote:
> The only real issue you are going to have is installing the software
> decoders and keeping them up to date.
>
> The tuner card is only good for OTA broadcasts.  Do you have cable?  If so
> then there is another nifty piece of hardware from Hauppauge called the
> HD-PVR.  This connects to the componet jacks and records directly onto
> your HD in H264 format.  Mine is downstairs with a 30 foot USB cable
> (actually 2 15 foot with a driver) that runs upstairs to my computer.
> http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html
>
> Since you already have a server-farm in your basement you could add
> another drive or two and archive everything there and stream the video
> from the server.  This where the PCH/PopBox shines.
>
> Mike...
>
>
>> Mike,
>>
>> That looks like an awesome media extender for sure.  Because of what I do,
>> I have parts laying
>> around, and so building another box is less onerous to me.  I decided to
>> build a "professional
>> grade" HTPS to go in the master bedroom, but my total cost is around $430.
>>
>> Of that, $80 was for the 2 GB hard drive and $120 was for the dual TV
>> tuner.  Both of those are
>> things I would be purchasing anyway.  My current HTPC has a single channel
>> tuner and I am constantly
>> hitting the "can't watch this because I am recording that" issue.
>>
>> Beyond that all I needed to buy was a case, PS and MB - the total for
>> which was around $210.  I have
>> processors, memory and windows 7 licenses lying around.  If I had to pay
>> for all that I would be
>> canceling my order and buying a popcorn hour.
>>
>> In fact I might buy one anyway for the family room downstairs.  When I
>> bought the TV for the master
>> bedroom, I moved an old "all in one" 19" TV, VCR and DVD downstairs.  At
>> the rate that TVs are
>> dropping, I will probably go get a 32" TV for downstairs, at which point
>> the Popcorn hour will make
>> it all work.
>>
>> John W. Colby
>> www.ColbyConsulting.com
>>
>> On 11/26/2010 1:08 PM, Michael Bahr wrote:
>>> Just fond this on Youtube
>>>
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ippnPw-KMbI&feature=player_embedded#!
>>>
>>> Mike...
>> --
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>> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
>> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>>
>
>



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