Slashdot Mirror

I'm pretty sure this does it, depending on what video card you have. Look for "Home Video Server".

Don't ever buy Leadtek. I had the 2000 XP tuner card, and had absolutely nothing but trouble with it. But it wasn't just me...two of my friends got the same card as well at the same time, as they were on sale, and had exactly the same problems as me.

First, the software sucks. 50% of the time the OSD doesn't work. I would regularly get the stereo channel out one speaker and the SAP channel out of the other. Sometimes I'd totally lose audio and have to reboot to fix it. While those are pretty minor problems, the absolute worst was recording. Basically, it never worked. I would depend on the software to record courses I was taking that were broadcast on my university's cable channel, and most of the time it down right didn't record anything. I totally gave up on it. And this wasn't just an issue with one version of their PVR software...this was a problem in every version I tried over the two or more years I had that card. The customer support was atrocious...basically they didn't ever answer my, or my friends, questions about the failing recording. And I won't even get into the horrible sound effects during the software installation, or the stupid blinking (!!) lights around the border of the viewing window.

Then I wanted to get Snapstream's software, because it looked really sweet. Guess what...Leadtek refused to help them resolve issues they had with their cards, so Snapstream couldn't support the Leadtek cards at all. Finally I broke down, spent the money on one of the Snapstream bundles that came with a PCI Hauppauge! card, and have had no problems at all with it.

So my advice is avoid Leadtek at all costs.

Has anyone found a way to attach an IR device to their PC to allow it to change channels? A TV card on a PC can change channels, but only when you plug the coax straight in, sans cable box (thus not allowing pay channels to be recorded). I believe the Tivo comes with something that changes your cable box channels for you, but I could be wrong.

If you couple this with the WinTV-250btv/BeynondTV bundle for $139 (often on sale for $129) from SnapStream SnapStream Store, you've got quite a nice little setup for under $250 that supports one television, and numerous computers doing playback.....

Have you tried Snapstream's BeyondTV? I have been running the trial for about a month now and have been very impressed. Here is a list of supported capture cards, and the AIW is on there. (I am using a PVR-250). The interface is very, very nice looking and the system is very easy to use. Not having a TIVO, I don't know what a 'season pass' is, but I have BeyondTV setup to automatically record all episodes of my childs favorite show (the Wiggles). When reviewing the program guide, you can choose to record just this episode, all episodes or all new episodes. It supports live TV and as far as I know, does not have any kind of database to learn what you like. Although it is only a PVR, they just announced a new product called BeyondMedia which supports all the 'other' media center functions you would expect.

Have you tried Snapstream's BeyondTV? I have been running the trial for about a month now and have been very impressed. Here is a list of supported capture cards, and the AIW is on there. (I am using a PVR-250). The interface is very, very nice looking and the system is very easy to use. Not having a TIVO, I don't know what a 'season pass' is, but I have BeyondTV setup to automatically record all episodes of my childs favorite show (the Wiggles). When reviewing the program guide, you can choose to record just this episode, all episodes or all new episodes. It supports live TV and as far as I know, does not have any kind of database to learn what you like. Although it is only a PVR, they just announced a new product called BeyondMedia which supports all the 'other' media center functions you would expect.

Article failed to mention SnapStream, and that's probably a huge possible TiVo killer. As a Dish Network customer, I find the Dish 500 suitable enough to take care of recording the shows I program it to, and with the option of recording them on one of my PC's using SnapStream, so I can take it with me on a laptop if I chose? Unreal. I highly doubt the "death of TiVo" is approaching, and perhaps with some better PR they'll climb out of whatever dark hole other companies are trying to put them in, but there are tons more options these days. ...and Moore's law is no excuse for the death of any technology, only the explanation by which that technology should progress beyond levels of doubt and bad publicity.

Has anyone tried SnapStream with one of these boxes?

OK. I really have to take issue with this. I've become somewhat embroiled a similar discussion in the BeyondTV forum.

" ... It's true, software encoding mpeg will always be a dog because of it's nature. ... "

Is it me, or is this total crap? The apparent thinking coming from the Beyond TV faction is pretty much summed up above. Well, the truth is that there are many software-based encoders that work JUST FINE and it's sad that Snapstream doesn't have one of them. To make the statement that hardware encoding will always be better just because Snapstream doesn't have the code chops (or the licensing $$) to pull it off is pathetic. Right now, I'd have to concede that real-time hardware-based encoding is superior. Let's see what happens when the 64-bit processors get some legs.

What I read from your statement is that a dedicated card for processing will always be better at encoding, regardless of RAM and processor power? So in two years, when I upgrade my motherboard to the 10Gz P7EE and .5T memory (pause... mmmm Terabytes...), you're saying that the PVR-250 I buy today will still outperform any software decoder I run on it??

I remember back in the day when people used to say the same crap about MPEG players -- that a hardware based decoder would always be faster than a software-based one. Usually it was someone who had a stake in my purchasing one. What's funny is that the DVB issue mentioned above is much more easily addressed via a software-based solution.

When you upgrade your PC, you gain overall improvement across the board, not just for a single app. I was using Showshifter with moderate quality running 1Ghz P4. I swapped out the motherboard on my HTPC and am now running an AMD 2800+ with 1Ghz RAM. Then I tuned Showshifter to record at a higher quality.

My point is that this song has been heard before -- don't listen. And as for Snapstream, quit the crap and write (or rewrite) what you have to to at least come close to the PQ of comparable products. Maybe buy-out|merge|be-purchased-by the guys at Showshifter. If you could take your interface and features with their backend support for encoding/decoding (minus the vice-grip it likes to take with the system), you guys would kill the market.

The PVR software is buggy and limited like a true hardware PVR. For example, how come I can't schedule TV-On-Demand shows? I want to be able to watch, pause, rewind, etc. on scheduled recordings. Using non-default recording presets crashes MMC.exe!

The best PVR software so far is Snapstream's SeeBeyond, but it still has limited features for my needs. For example, no captioning like ATI's VCR format since I am partially deaf.

http://www.snapstream.com

This is the software I use. It is another that is windows based, it supports all the major cards. It can also do some limited commercial skipping, and can transcode the recordings into other formats and sizes. The best part is you can log into their programming services http://www.snapstream.net from any computer and schedule your PC to record something. You can also see what you are scheduled to record along with what you have recorded via a webinterface from anywhere also. I guess that is standard anymore though as is the ability to watch live TV over the net as well.

The submitter is asking for a cross-platform solution. One big caveat is that the most popular PVR software for Windows is Snapstream. According to their knowledge base, a number of cards, including the Leadtek Winfast 2000 XP Deluxe, is not compatible with their software.
http://kb.snapstream.com/Kb.aspx?kbid=1049

I too am adding PVR functionality to my computer. Anyone know of what compromise card would be both Snapstream and MythTV compatible?

The submitter is asking for a cross-platform solution. One big caveat is that the most popular PVR software for Windows is Snapstream. According to their knowledge base, a number of cards, including the Leadtek Winfast 2000 XP Deluxe, is not compatible with their software.
http://kb.snapstream.com/Kb.aspx?kbid=1049

I too am adding PVR functionality to my computer. Anyone know of what compromise card would be both Snapstream and MythTV compatible?

I use Snapstream for my HTPC. I've been using it for over a year now and i can tell you that it's great. It's a very stable, easy to use PVR software package. Check it out!

>>Can't press "record" on the TiVo from work, now can you?

>Um, yes, actually.

This is misleading. By "..press 'record' on the TiVo from work..." I presume the poster means scheduling recordings over the internet. This cannot be done with a stock TiVo, at least with the Series2 I have. One must purchase the pricey ($99) "Home Media Option" to be able to do this. With MythTV and SnapStream it comes for free.

• Commercial skip buton
• Transcoding
• Better screen overlays
• Snappier response, especially in program grid
• Remote admin and scheduling for free, unlike pricey Tivo option
• Stream content over the web
• Interface more intuitive than Tivo's
• No unwanted content foisted on you, unlike Tivo's damn ads!!

Please check out snapstream. I built my own using snapstream for the video functions and love it.

I have the TV Wonder VE, which is essentially the TV tuner part of this card (well it turns out to be more complicated than that, but for argument's sake).

The applications for watching and recording TV shows suck. Real bad. I have the latest version from their website too.

The best program I encountered was Snapstream, and it works with the card reviewed in this article. But it uses ACCESS and Jet to store tv shows, and can you guess what happened 3x before my trial period was over? That's right, corrupt database.

One further note, these cards will NOT work with Myth TV, the linux option. The TV Wonder series does work with Myth, though.

Why would you want to pay for a monthly subscription to TIVO anyway when there a many FREE services that only require you to make a one time purchase... or no purchase at all...

Windows Based
Snapstream PVR
ShowShifter

Linux Based
Myth TV
Linux PVR Depot"

I have built my own PVR from scratch and the cost was comparable with a TIVO. Those packages offer many of the same features found in TIVO and ReplayTV... Plus, you can integrate them very easily into a home automation system or home network.

- Slew -

From the Hacking the Tivo FAQ , here are several programs for windows.

Ligos: Windows based PTV.
PowerVCR: Windows based VCR.
WinVCR: Windows based VCR.
SnapStream: Windows based PTV (freeware and commercial version).
ShowShifter: Windows based PTV (freeware).
VideoLAN is an open source, multi OS video streaming program.

I'll be able to watch my snapstream tv shows on my linux box!

"Great! Let me know where I can go to a website and see every Steve Martin movie that is coming up in the next two weeks, with specific channel numbers, dates, and times."

http://www.tvGuide.com

"And which website was it where I could go and click on MOVIES, and then type in "Steve Martin", and have it record all of those movies automatically?"

http://www.snapsteram.com

"That is why I pay TiVo $4.95 a month."

I'd give you a more detailed answer if you weren't being so overly-sensitive about a legitimate complaint. Last thing I need is for some jackass to get all heated at me because they think I'm attacking their precious TiVo.

Actually, snapstream has all the features you mention...TV output, Season Passes (incl all or just new epsiodes) category search, and a pretty damn good TV full screen interface. That and it does streaming too over the web. Unfortunately, its windows & WMP only at the moment (DivX is on alpha)...but still a neat product. Not affiliated, just a happy customer.

I used to have an All-In-Wonder Pro (back in the days of the Rage IIc chipset.... when 4mb of video ram was a lot, and AGP was brand new).

Anyway... Back then, there was no such thing as PVR software (not 3rd-party, anyway). Now there's a few like Showshifter and SnapStream PVS...

My question is, does anyone know if there are any PVRs that will automatically edit out commercials when they appear in a TV show? I seem to recall that TiVos used to (or still do it)... Surely there must be PC equivalents, no? Checking around on the websites of both Showshifter and Snapstream, though, they don't make any explicit mention of the ability to NOT record commercials...

I've said it before, I'll say it again: Snapstream rocks. I've been using it for about six months now, and it's a wonderful piece of software. It's not perfect, but it's great, at least for the way I use it. It lets you tape shows using a standard TV tuner (Hauppauge WinTV PCI in my case) and has a great scheduler. I just set stuff and don't worry about it. You can use any bitrate you want. The only bummer is it exports to .wmvs, so you're locked into Media Player, but I'm sure somebody somewhere has a converter out there that will make it a different format if you like. Oh, yeah, it's Windows software, so &ltasbsetos on&gt 95% of you should be able to use it.&lt/asbestos&gt

It's great software. Check it out.

Unfortunately, the page is slashdotted, so I can only comment on what the writeup said. This looks like what Snapstream did, and I'm thrilled to see this. I've been at the mercy of windoze box, and the only format snapstream outputs is .wmv, which really stinks in that I'm tied to MS media player. So, if this thing will put out good .mpgs or something like that (whatever is the best, open video format), I'll gladly embrace it. I'm currently recording about six hours of stuff per day and burning it onto CD (can't watch nearly that much, and no, I have not yet been diagnosed as obsessive-compulsive). I'd particularly like it if I could burn the output files as VCDs, so they weren't tied to my computer (though my computer is my TV at the moment).

Now if only their web server would recover...

Just a suggestion...as an alternative to the shitty "GuidePlus+" software that they bundle with the machine, i would recommend SnapStream Personal Video Server. It works VERY well...the scheduler is MUCH more accurate and the video recording formats are much easier to customize. As a bonus, it adds a streaming server that you can set up with relative ease...by doing so, you can watch whatever you have recorded or are currently recording over the web, via Windows Media Player. (sorry, no Linux support). The actual display drivers have proven solid so far, but the TV tuner and recording drivers definitely need some work.

SnapStream

On an off topic: Today, I finally got a Sony DSS box hooked up to a pc so SnapStream can change channels! It ain't Tivo, but it ain't bad. I got the cable instructions from Snapstream's website. Certain RCA boxes can also be used.

Tired? Go to sleep and watch the rest of the game after you get some.

It looks like Ally McBeal got on Voyager...

The hardware setup of a PVR is pretty easy to figure out - many posts here show the gubbins you'll need to put a nicely specced box together.
The software is a different matter.

For me, OS wise, I'd stick onWin98Lite Win2k version or the XP version when it comes out.

But channel wise, it's not as straightforward. To UK users I'd suggest using the amazingly excellent Digiguide which is an online TV Guide with a staggering amount of personal tweaks and doohickeys and has plug ins that allow it to connect directly to the also excellent Snapstream.
Digiguide is £4.99 a year - worth it even if you don't build a PVR and Snapstream is $49.99 (about £34) from their website.

Try something like: ShowShifter or SnapStream which can make a TV-card enabled Windows PC into a PVR.

is the SnapStream PVR software. The demo version is free, and the only practical limitation is a 2GB storage limit. But, if you move stuff out of it's directory, it doesn't know to add it into the 2GB quota. I've been using it for a few weeks now with a Hauppauge TV card, and it works great. My TV gets recorded, and I watch it whenever I want. The only bummer is that it currently only records in ASF. They once had an AVI recording feature in Beta, but I don't know what happened to that.

256M ram - $40

• Radeon (Windows solution) comes with TV on demand software that is free to use thanks to the Guide Plus+(TM) TV listings broadcast in North America.
• Hauppauge WinTV-PVR
• ShowShifter - a Windows-based software package for ATI, Hauppauge, and Matrox capture cards.
• SnapStream (as previously mentioned by someone else
• The Linux solutions can be found at VCR-HOWTO or linuxtv.org

If you haven't seen SnapStream, check it out.

I guess it's probably lower quality than what this functionality on the Tivo can deliver, but as another poster said - it's not like no-one saw this coming.

I'm glad people like SnapStream will keep doing this stuff on commodity PC hardware -- at the very least it will keep the pressure on embedded people like Tivo to keep the features coming.

..For those of us that already have a PC, you can get a hundred dollar TV tuner card and software like snapstream and do the same thing. Not only that, but if you feel like it, you can set your recording schedule online through that service. I havent tried it yet with my old ATI tv card, but it looks pretty cool, and the limited version is free (as in beer).

we do this -- SnapStream PVS

we do this -- SnapStream PVS

The best place I've found for information on the current state of this "Borg PC" is the AVSForum HTPC board. Some of the forum members have customized their PCs to a degree that comes pretty close. They aren't an every user, dumb down PC, but some come pretty close at being user friendly... The problem remains being the cost. The Gateway Destination came pretty close to bringing it all togheter, but it was underpowered, and very few people would pay for it (so it was discontinued)...

Some manufacturers are starting to come around and to provide automation features, that enable some customization (like ATI, which now has an API for remotes). Girder seems to be a great hub for programmability features, where several Open Source projects converge in controlling the HTPC.

A few general comments: * 560 GB of storage is almost affordable for personal use. Just use 8 80 GB HD with a RAID 5 controller (like the 3Ware 6800). It'd cost ~$2300, which isn't cheap, but you'd have plenty of storage, and you even get some redundancy...

* UltimateTV and the XBox are going this way. The XBox will be HDTV compatible, and future generations might include a HDTV tuner. And then using USB you might get additional funcitonality. A merging of UTB and XBox might also be possible. Probably the biggest objection would be that this is a MS solution...

* There at at least 3 HDTV PC Tuner cards available (Telemann HiPix, Hauppage WinTV-HD, and AccessDTV). All the manufacturers are working into building digital PVR functions into their products, which will make HDTV tuners a Tivo alternative (at least for OTA broadcasts).

* SnapStream is working to provide PVR features on your PC (there was another, but I don't have a name handy), and the company is very open to user feedback and open source development (as the IRTuner Project shows).

* Don't forget PDA's and mobile multimedia devices. As more multimedia is available, the box will make it accesible on the go, so you can take movies with you when you commute, or access music from anywhere in your house (using 802.11b) w/o requiring a PC or a full blown device, just your PDA. SnapStream recognizes the potential of PDAs, and is offering PocketPVS so you can transcode video and play it back on your PPC.

HDTV might be the catalyst that pushes the HTPC out of obscurity, and that creates the borg box. With every US household having to replace their TV in the next few years, more will start to consider cheap HDTV PC Tuners, using existing big screen displays and/or large screen Monitors (and VGA compatible TVs).

Lazy? Make 'em links!

PureDiva: Software only bundled with complete PC's. http://www.purediva.com

Ligos: Windows based PTV. http://www.ligos.com/news/pr_timeshift.html

PowerVCR: Windows based VCR. http://www.cyberlink.com.tw/english/products/power vcr2/powervcr2.asp

WinVCR: Windows based VCR. http://www.cinax.com/Products/winvcr.html

SnapStream: Windows based PTV (freeware and commercial version). http://www.snapstream.com

ShowShifter: Windows based PTV (freeware). http://www.showshifter.com

use the ethernet card that you already have and save yourself the hack! ;) www.snapstream.com -- networked personal television. networked based viewing of recordings and networked based of control (interface it web-based). of course, it's only windows software, no linux version at the moment... --RKA

You can use you're windows pc as a tivo, but it's not open software
check out snapstream