HTPC/DVR

[D00m3dHitm4n]

Ok so here is my delima that i have. I have a working MB with 4GB of ram and a Intel Dual core E8400 that's been just laying around since i upgraded my computer back in Jan. And i have been kicking around the idea of making an DVR to record tv shows. But i really have no idea where to start, and what sort of DVR expansion card to get. Also wondering besides the cost benefit of using linix over windows(i really would like to save myself 100$ on an OS).

[HorseIicious]

Ok so here is my delima that i have. I have a working MB with 4GB of ram and a Intel Dual core E8400 that's been just laying around since i upgraded my computer back in Jan. And i have been kicking around the idea of making an DVR to record tv shows. But i really have no idea where to start, and what sort of DVR expansion card to get. Also wondering besides the cost benefit of using linix over windows(i really would like to save myself 100$ on an OS).

I'm really just starting down a similar road as you. I think the first question you'll need to answer is do you want this to be a DVR that you're going to use with your subscription cable service, or do you want to use it with over the air stuff? That will immediately decide if you're going to be looking at Cable Card devices (like a Ceton InfiniTV 4 or a SiliconDust HD Homerun Prime). If you don't need it to work with cable, and just want to use over the air, then I think there are a lot more options - a bunch of which I imagine will work well with Linux - I'm just not familiar with them.

I plan to use a Ceton card with a few HTPC's I'm going to build, and I'll have FiOS service. Another catch will be if you want to use a Cable Card (for encrypted TV service with a Cable TV provider), then you're pretty much tied to using W7 w/ Media Center, and they won't work with any Linux distros at the moment (AFAIK, I could be wrong). There may be an option to use those devices with Linux in the future, but for now I do believe they're tied to Windows.

Hopefully I addressed at least part of your question. Let me know if you have more.

[D00m3dHitm4n]

So, because i want to record cable TV shows(Charter Communication) i cant just build my own and save money by using linux instead of Windows?

[HorseIicious]

So, because i want to record cable TV shows(Charter Communication) i cant just build my own and save money by using linux instead of Windows?

Right, my understanding is that in order to record Cable TV, you're going to need a tuner that can accept a Cable Card (which would be given/rented to you from your Cable TV provider), and the only PC Cable Card tuners that exist require Windows 7 (Ceton InfiniTV and SiliconDust HD HomeRun Prime). Someone correct me if I'm wrong - but I've been researching the same thing lately, and that seems to be the case from everything I've read...

[HorseIicious]

So, because i want to record cable TV shows(Charter Communication) i cant just build my own and save money by using linux instead of Windows?

Right, my understanding is that in order to record Cable TV, you're going to need a tuner that can accept a Cable Card (which would be given/rented to you from your Cable TV provider), and the only PC Cable Card tuners that exist require Windows 7 (Ceton InfiniTV and SiliconDust HD HomeRun Prime). Someone correct me if I'm wrong - but I've been researching the same thing lately, and that seems to be the case from everything I've read...

I thought I should clarify one thing. If your intention is to use the HTPC/Tuner to watch encrypted cable TV (programming you would typically need a set-top-box for: ESPN, History, Discovery, etc), then everything I said above is accurate. But, if all you want to do is watch unencrypted TV (the channels you could access if you plugged the TV cable straight from the wall into the back of a modern TV [w/ built-in ATSC/Qam tuners]), then you could use Linux with something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6815345007

Hope that helps