Build Your Own DVR 267
prostoalex writes "If you have an old computer that had been laying around for a while and are ready to spend a bit on hardware to make into a Digital Video Recorder, this article from Make magazine contains a step-by-step guide on building one. The author spent $150 on TV card and $70 on BeyondTV PVR software." (And with a Linux-friendly capture card, MythTV would save the builder $70.)
Free pvr software (Score:5, Interesting)
I also recommend checking out the Hauppage (www.hauppage.com) PVR-150 through PVR-350 series, as well as their MediaMVP box, which allows streaming your tv across ethernet to your television. I suspect you could create a very useable system with free software for well under $100. Just be warned that you'll chew through about 2GB per hour of HD space. The old 30GB drive that's serving as my PVR storage doesn't really cut it in the modern world!
$150 too much (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:More than $70... (Score:2, Interesting)
How to get a FREE DVR (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:More than $70... (Score:3, Interesting)
Buying the "Other" OS for that box is expensive.
Also, my myth box has never been tainted by having ever had that other operating system touch its disks
Editing fun (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:PC-based DVRs have massive drawbacks... (Score:5, Interesting)
The power of a PC based DVR (I use BeyondTV myself even though I have a linux server in the house too), is not that you put one next to every TV. That would be "stupid". Instead, you put one in the basement where you don't care if it's noisy, then you put a $90 MediaMVP box from Hauppage on each TV, and wire it to a switch.
Compare that to putting a TIVO on 4 TV's, even if you get the box for free, it's $1200 for the lifetime guide access (which is free with BeyondTV), and then more money if you want the home networking option so that you can move programs from one TIVO to another.
Now, my setup cost more than $1200 (but not that much more), but then my BeyondTV machine is also my X-10 house controller machine, is a 3.2ghz p4 hyperthreaded with 1gb of 800mhz dual channel ram, a 100gb 7200rpm disk for the OS and 4 seagate ata133 7200rpm 300gb drives in a stripe set for the data volume. It's also my backup server. And I can watch any program from any TV in the house.
I've got right aroun $1500 in the machine, including the OS and software licenses and 4 MediaMVP boxes for a total cost (not including network switches, etc) of $1820 (I got a deal on the MVPs) for 4 TVs, and I could have another TV for free if I put the server next to a TV.
4 TIVOs would cost more like $2000 (200/box plus 300 guide fee) and would have a lot fewer features and much less storage, and some amount more for the networking option.
So....
Set top boxes (Score:3, Interesting)
(this was at least the case for some first gen machine I looked at)
I'd rather have 2 hours & 10 mins of DVD that took 2-4 to encode, than 60 minutes recorded in real time...
Re:GOPchop for removing commercials? (Score:3, Interesting)
My MythTV experience (Score:3, Interesting)
But, then after the motherboard went bad (bad caps.) I bought a new motherboard, processor, and memory ($159.) It wasn't "pretty" enough (girl friend didn't like the case next to the TV.) So I bought a silver stone case and power supply ($190.)
Can't forget the two tuners; pvr-250 ($120) pvr-150 ($60.)
Total $529...
My ReplayTV, refurbished 5040, $350/with lifetime service.
I paid $179 more for a homemade pvr and some linux experience. Not to mention a fun and frustrating hobby.
I think it was worth it, but my girl friend prefers the replay.
Re:The author actually spent (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Set top boxes (Score:3, Interesting)
My DIY PVR (Score:4, Interesting)
First I didnt want some clunky beige case sitting beside my TV looking akward, so I opted for a home theater PC case, specifically this one [ahanix.com].
I've got two Hauppauge PVR-500's [hauppauge.com], which are dual tuner cards, so I have a total of 4 tuners (this way I can record 4 different shows at once if they happen to be broadcast simultaneosly. This comes in handy durin g prime time when you would otherwise be forced to pick between different shows.
The rest of the hardware is nothing special, a soyo kt400 mb, 512M ram, athlon 2100+, and a geForce fx 5200. Not a top of the line system by any means, but not bad at all. Probably overkill for doing the PVR stuff, but I do alot more with it than just that.
The software is where it really gets interesting. I use gentoo on most of my machines, and this one was no different, mythtv as well as several plugins are already in portage and installed hassle free. MythTV acts as my front end to TV, weather, DVD's/Movies, Games, etc. I scripted a little GTK frontend to all my emulators and roms, so my PVR is also a NES, SNES, SMS, N64, PSX, etc. (now you see why I needed that GeForce
So all in all I spent about 4 times more than a Tivo and got about 20 times more out of it. Not a bad deal I'd say...
Re:PC-based DVRs have massive drawbacks... (Score:1, Interesting)
> when I got DirecTV and am floored by what people
> are spending on DIY approaches. To each is own
>indeed, but when the DIY costs twice as much as a
> stand-alone its a geek hobby
Granted I'm a retard, I've spent over $1k on my myth box (3 tuners, 1.2TB, amd64 etc) but I have no monthy recuring fees either, so far you'll have spent over $300 or so just for guide data. So all in all nearly 1/2 the cost of my machine in total and all you can do with it is record tv, mine records radio from around the world, plays dvds, music, photos, the list goes on...
> You can opt-out of Tivo demographic data. Call em.
when you can opt out of the monthy fee, i'm in. again, each to their own i guess...
Surprised with Responses (Score:2, Interesting)
MythTV and a Small Form Factor can work well. (Score:2, Interesting)
http://www.asus.com/products/desktop/pundit/overv
The Pundit is a small form factor all in one that looks a lot like any other home theatre component when turned on its side and is quiet too. While it can be a nuisance to set up MythTV, once it is working, it will continue to work well. You just have to make sure all your hardware is linux compatible and works together well.
There are a lot of nice things you can do with it. Watching any movies or music is simple as they can just be transferred over via a wireless network. SAMBA can be used to share stuff. Emulators for lots of different systems can be used. You also don't have to pay for any service like you do with TiVo or the other companies. Of course, it will record TV as well.
The main complaints I saw were it would be noisy, unable to record more than one channel at once, ugly form factor, bad UI, and bad tv listings. The pundit isn't noisy or ugly. MythTV will record more than one show at a time, you just need another tuner. MythTV also has a very nice UI, MUCH better than the regular cable DVRs I have seen. Listings come from Zap2It and are very reliable.
I think the notion is that you just build a DVR out of the scrap that is in your closet. If you do that, sure, it will be ugly and loud. But if you spend a little more for a pundit or similar system it will work out very well.
A big problem is HD recording though. I will be getting a DVR from my cable company to record HD now because getting HD recording to work with Myth looks scary and expensive. So if anyone wants to buy a slighty used MythTV box, email me at QwQw at earthlink doot net!
Re:MythTV and a Small Form Factor can work well. (Score:2, Interesting)
I have wanted to get a small PC for the kitchen since I have a TV there and watch quite a bit of TV during dinner.
I'll have to look at the Pundit. I was interested in the VIA EPIA since Fry's Electronics sell the mobo, but they don't sell a case for them ARGH! The model I was looking for was quiet since it is fanless, but still has MPEG2 decoder for playback.
Perhaps I'll have to check another Fry's in town...
GBPVR!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:PC-based DVRs have massive drawbacks... (Score:2, Interesting)
I know I should let this pass, but for posterity, let me correct a couple of points:
I bought 3 tivos a year ago for $50 each (direct from tivo by weborder). I then purchased 3 usb ethernet adapters for $20 each to add them hardwired to my home network. I then signed up for month to month guide service for a total of $27 (13 for first, 7 each for the others).
So first year cost is/was $534. Second year will be just the 324 in service...for a total 24-month outlay of $858.
So what do I get for that? All the basic DVR stuff (at tivo quality); full MultiRoom Viewing (which allows me to move shows among the different tivos...even when halfway watched); Photo and Music server in all 3 rooms; the ability to schedule recordings remotely over the internet; and tivo2go from all three devices to a PC for archiving OR legal DVD burning (there are ways to do it with what you have, but you can throw in another $50 for Sonic MyDVD, which hooks straight in).
Total cost of $900 for 3 tivos for 2 years of use (including the hardware) Even if I added a 4th ($70 for box and ethernet; $238 for 24 months of guide, etc.) the REALWORLD comparison is $1200 versus your $1800 investment.
Oh, and as an aside, I would love to watch your $1500 machine playback 4 separate streams, and simultaneously record 4 separate programs AT ONCE (because my setup is doing it everyday)! And even if it could, I still have $600 for my next "next" thang.