Dvr

[Excessive]

Has anyone used their computer to record TV. I want to turn a PC into a digital video recorder so I dont have to buy and subscribe to TiVo. Anyone have sugestions for video and sound cards. Or software? Good sites on the web?

And I know it would probly be cheaper to get a real TiVo. But I want the fun of making it work and I want to be able to burn DVDs.

[Itsmeee]

Thats an easy one, get any one of the ATI AllInWonder Radeons. They are a bit spendy but come with all the software you'll need plus all the hookups you'll need to hook of camcorders (both firewire, and standered), vcrs, dvd players, and consoles. They are really superb cards, especially the newer ones as they combine blistering speeds with lots of hookups!

[ghrogels]

Originally posted by itsmeee
Thats an easy one, get any one of the ATI AllInWonder Radeons. They are a bit spendy but come with all the software you'll need plus all the hookups you'll need to hook of camcorders (both firewire, and standered), vcrs, dvd players, and consoles. They are really superb cards, especially the newer ones as they combine blistering speeds with lots of hookups!
QFE



although, i think there are cheap old cards out there, like the AIW:VE

[DiscoDave]

The All in Wonder cards are great if you don't plan on doing this to a gaming system. Otherwise, while you can get a good gaming all in wonder card, it's more expensive to upgrade.

You can get a cheap software encoding tv card for $50. If you've got the budget and want something that'll give really nice video quality, you can go for one of Hauppauge's (http://www.hauppauge.com) cards.

[M4LFUNCT10N]

Sooo.. what do you guys think of the ATI All-In-Wonder 9800Pro?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-297&catalog=48&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0

You said it's not good to do this to a gaming computer? So... is this going to be slower than a regular old 9800Pro?

[DiscoDave]

Originally posted by M4LFUNCT10N
You said it's not good to do this to a gaming computer? So... is this going to be slower than a regular old 9800Pro?
No, it'll be exactly as fast. I just meant that every time you ever upgrade, you'll have to buy the more expensive high end All in Wonder card in order to retain good gaming performance.

If you get a dedicated card, it'll cost you the same for the short term (~$50 for a cheap one), but it'll save you mucho $$$ for the long run.

[M4LFUNCT10N]

I haven't really looked into TV capture cards lately. I just remember the framerates being horrible and the capture size as being pathetic.

[Itsmeee]

I'd probably go more twoards the 9600pro AIW. Aprox $200 I belive but you get HL2 for free as well so that saves you $50 in the long run. I'd go for an ATI over an addon card as it has stuff like digital soap and a great multimedia program for watching tv. I'd look twoards that if you want higher quality, but an addon isn't a horrid thing by any means.

[DiscoDave]

Originally posted by M4LFUNCT10N
I haven't really looked into TV capture cards lately. I just remember the framerates being horrible and the capture size as being pathetic.
Depends on what you get. Hauppauge makes really nice hardware encoders/decoders that will do quite nicely.

I would do a little research on the quality of the AiW cards. I don't have any personal experience with them, but I'd expect they'd offer about the same quality as a standard $50 tv input card.