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Turning the PC into a Digital Video Recorder

Posted by michael on from the some-assembly-required dept.

gearfix2 writes "The NYTimes ran this story in today's paper about how to turn the PC into a personal video recorder (a la TiVo)... It's got pretty thorough coverage of PC-based hardware with the conclusion "the TiVo outshines the PC-based systems by being easier to use and by offering more built-in intelligence." Conspicuously absent are El Gato's EyeTV for the mac and SnapStream's Personal Video Station... Anyways, the real question is whether PC PVR will *ever* get there. No one does it quite right yet..."

3 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. I disagree... by eric2hill · · Score: 4, Interesting
    "No one does it quite right yet..."

    I disagree. I've got a Dish Network PVR 501 that works wonderfully.
    • All the guide information comes down through the sat signal.
    • The hard drive stores the raw MPEG bitstream, not a recompressed version.
    • The quality is therefore identical to the live sat broadcast.
    • I have a 10-second skip back.
    • I have a 30-second skip forward.
    • Live pause is perfectly integrated.
    • The guide search works great now.
    • Built-in on-screen caller ID.
    The only things I miss are the ability to change out hard drives for a bigger model, and the ability to dump a show to CD or DVD. These features I can live without. This little box works great.

    Now if I can just get caller IQ I'll be all set.
    --
    LOAD "SIG",8,1
    LOADING...
    READY.
    RUN
  2. PVRs vs PCs by Storm · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have been working on this very thing the past feww months, and have found that while there is an associated learning curve, there are advantages to using a PC to record over a TiVO.

    Since my job requires some travel, I have found that it is a definite boon to collect movies. Using my workstation as a PVR, I am able to capture to the hard drive, do some postprocessing and write a DivX to a 700MB CD-R which I can then take with me and watch on business trips. And its all perfectly legal, since I am archiving for later viewing. On the other hand, getting the same from a TiVo requires modifications of questionable legality. In addition, I can make backup copies of my DVDs on 700MB media so I don't have to risk leaving my DVDs in a hotel room somewhere.

    As for the cost issue, if you have a system with the right specs (a modern PC should pretty much do it), then the only additional cost should be a tv capture card, which can be had for $20 or $30 US. The only thing that one could point out is the time cost and the learning curve involved in making the hardware and software do what you want it to. But it is that way with anything. If its worth doing, you're probably going to have to teach yourself.

    --
    --Storm
  3. Re:Cost--electricity by endoboy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    offsetting the subscription cost is the significant additional energy cost to keep the PC running--

    Even if you figure it (conservatively) at an additional 100 watts, it comes to something like 35 cents per day-- which comes out within about a dollar per month of the monthly subscription fee

    Essentially, the PC solution has you paying your subscription fee to the power company instead of Tivo