Using my PC as a DVR

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Cole_ie

New Member
Ok I want to use my computer to watch tv, and use it as a dvr. How do I set this up? Any guides I can look at, what programs do I need? I dont have Media Center, I have Pro. Can I even hook up my tv to my computer with the hardware I have?
 
You should be able to connect your primary GPU to your TV via a s-video cable. After connecting the proper plugs, start up your computer and set the TV as the secondary monitor from the nVidia driver options.
 
Ok, I found the cable to connect to the graphics card, but my tv only has the yellow white and red ports, which the adapter does not have, it only has the s-video one and hdtv one. Any way to hook it up to a tv those ports?
 
The red and white ones are for audio, red for right and white for left channel. And yellow is for video, what you need is a s-video to RCA adapter.
 
The_Other_One said:
And of course, you need a video capture card/tuner if you plan to actually record anything.
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Oh, I thought I just needed a DVR program. What is a good inexpensive tuner card. I saw the ATI one, it looked pretty good, but apparantly the software for recording sucks.
 
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you dont have to use the software that comes with the ATI device, check around on google or some kind of search engine for a program that you like.
 
underworld288 said:
you dont have to use the software that comes with the ATI device, check around on google or some kind of search engine for a program that you like.
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That is mroe money though. I would like to keep this a pretty inexpensive easy upgrade.
 
computermaineack said:
I personally have a Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 350. Not quite in your pricerange though, about $100. They do make lower end models, and they're really good cards too. I'd check them out.....www.hauppauge.com
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I would be willing to pay 100 bucks if the software AND hardware are good. Would I need anything not included in the package?
 
Cole_ie said:
I would be willing to pay 100 bucks if the software AND hardware are good. Would I need anything not included in the package?
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Nope, excellent hardware, excellent software...nothing extra needed. In addition, when you buy a Hauppauge tuner card you can download a program for free called Orb, which lets you access live TV, recorded stuff, etc, from any web-enabled phone, PDA, laptop, etc. I just downloaded it, seems pretty cool.
 
If I were you, I'd get a WinTV PCR-150 MCE. This one has built in sound capabilties(so you don't have to fool with recording using your soundcard) it has onboard MPEG I and II encoding, and it's very high quality. I use this and SageTV, and it does a wonderful job. About my only complaint is the buffer on it causes a 3-5 second delay. So, you can't play consoles though it, but anything else is fine. I've recorded VHS tapes using this and it retains almost perfect quality.

Oh yeah, and I mentioned the MCE version because it has RCA inputs. Many only have Yellow, then the audio(red and white) must either go though your soundcard or though a headphone jack. Actually, the one I got came from an HP Media Center machine, and it even has a front set of RCA connections! Very nice!
 
The_Other_One said:
If I were you, I'd get a WinTV PCR-150 MCE. This one has built in sound capabilties(so you don't have to fool with recording using your soundcard) it has onboard MPEG I and II encoding, and it's very high quality. I use this and SageTV, and it does a wonderful job. About my only complaint is the buffer on it causes a 3-5 second delay. So, you can't play consoles though it, but anything else is fine. I've recorded VHS tapes using this and it retains almost perfect quality.

Oh yeah, and I mentioned the MCE version because it has RCA inputs. Many only have Yellow, then the audio(red and white) must either go though your soundcard or though a headphone jack. Actually, the one I got came from an HP Media Center machine, and it even has a front set of RCA connections! Very nice!
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So I should get the MCE version, and it will work fine on pro? Also the main thing I am worried about is picture quality and resolution. How is it, and what is the resolution size? And of course, how is the software.
 
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The resolution is full DVD resolution(720x480) Trust me, unless you start looking into high-def cards(which many are very buggy) this is one of the best you can get. And yeah, it works perfectly on XP Pro. The MCE is just a name. The basic PVR 150 would be fine, as well, but I can just say from experience how good this one is.
 
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