Cheap DVR solutions, cancelling FiOS TV

Nakatomi2010 · September 2010

After an epic adventure with Samsung and the compatibility of their BluRay players with the Hulu Plus app I am receiving a C6900 player and have decided to begin phasing out my HTPC from my home theatre setup.

The C6900 represents an "instant on" box that allows me to do the bulk of what my HTPC currently does. I can play DVDs and BluRays in addition to stream Netflix, and Hulu Plus, in addition to streaming music, pictures and video files from my server. I am amazed technology has come this far some times.

The next part to my equation is a DVR. At this stage in the game many of you will obviously notice the flaws. Netflix is great for shows where the seasons have ended from any network, while Hulu is great for shows that currently airing for select networks (Fox, NBC, ABC, etc, etc)

CBS is the thorn in my side... Sure I can pick them up in HD via a set of rabbit ears, but my wife and I are typically so busy we can't catch them live, so we default to a DVR...

You can hit the link in my sig to see the current specs of my HTPC, as you can see it's rather large, I'd like to slim that down while keeping it as powerful as possible.

For less than $500 dollars I'd like to get a device with an ATSC tuner that has the ability to record up to 24 hours of HDTV footage.

What do you guys recommend? Buying a slim HTPC, building from scatch, recycling parts... Bonus points if I get the ability to playback HDDVDs, but that's more of a "would be nice" than a requirement...

Thanks

Nakatomi2010 · September 2010

For reference I'm looking for a box that does this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815135007&cm_re=dvico-_-15-135-007-_-Product

But hopefully a bit cheaper... Hard to do, but at least I know it exists now.

mcdermott · September 2010

I recommend recycling what parts you can, and putting them in a cheap slim HTPC.

Maybe a case/mobo/PSU combo like this (no idea if that one in particular is great), then recycle whatever you can. Pick a mobo that will use whatever RAM you have (DDR2/DDR3), and preferably whatever CPU you have (if feasible). You can definitely re-use your hard drive.

Then pick up a fanless low-profile GPU that does hardware decoding (shouldn't cost more than $25-$40), and a TV tuner card (for single-tuner, as little as $50-$80). All told, you could be done for less than $200 if you play your cards right. Maybe $300 if you need a CPU...and even then, that's assuming you feel the need for something like a Core 2 Duo, which may or may not be overkill for what you intend (since hopefully your video recording will be hardware encoded by the TV tuner, and playback hardware decoded by either the tuner or the GPU).

No idea how much space HDTV footage takes, though, so that will adjust how much hard drive space you need (and if your current HD is enough).

Quantux · September 2010

mcdermott wrote: »

I recommend recycling what parts you can, and putting them in a cheap slim HTPC.

Maybe a case/mobo/PSU combo like this (no idea if that one in particular is great), then recycle whatever you can. Pick a mobo that will use whatever RAM you have (DDR2/DDR3), and preferably whatever CPU you have (if feasible). You can definitely re-use your hard drive.

Then pick up a fanless low-profile GPU that does hardware decoding (shouldn't cost more than $25-$40), and a TV tuner card (for single-tuner, as little as $50-$80). All told, you could be done for less than $200 if you play your cards right. Maybe $300 if you need a CPU...and even then, that's assuming you feel the need for something like a Core 2 Duo, which may or may not be overkill for what you intend (since hopefully your video recording will be hardware encoded by the TV tuner, and playback hardware decoded by either the tuner or the GPU).

No idea how much space HDTV footage takes, though, so that will adjust how much hard drive space you need (and if your current HD is enough).

Only issue will be noise. Little PC's with little *cheap* PSU's make a lot of noise. But you may be surprised by some cheap brands. I know my little Acer, much like this one is dead silent. The most I ever hear is from the CPU fan and that's not even noticeable a few feet away. I picked up a low profile dual atsc/qam tuner and it worked great, except the included remote simply does not work.

As for drive space, HD recording is ~3-4GB/hr. a 160GB drive should cover the 24hr mark with a lot of room to spare.

Penny Arcade

Cheap DVR solutions, cancelling FiOS TV

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