...but I need some advice...or hell, an answer... Returning from a far off and dusty land and intend to build 2-3 systems upon my return... 1 requires HDMI out 2 would require RCA or S-Vid out All would function as DVR, DVD...would like to be able to run the Wii/PS3 through the HDMI one... Also, if the HDMI one could replace the surround sound tuner, all the better... Don't believe there's a solid solution for receiving digital cable through a HTPC but a recent post seems to indicate otherwise...going to research... Interested in ANY advice or known solutions but primarily interested in Video, Sound card recommendations, DVR software recommendation and processor recommendation...lol...roughly 90%... Thanks... Dan
HDMI output is easy , the radeon HD4350 (cost 40.00) has a built-in HDMI output (plus vga/dvi) , it will also solve your surround sound requirements since it outputs the 7.1 audio at the same time. A more powerful video card will be the radeon HD4670. I don't see too many video cards that have the RCA or S-vid out, the only cards that I have seen with that feature where the ATI all-in-one cards. Since you want to make a DVR, you need tuner cards. The only tuner cards to consider are the ones with built-in hardware mpeg encoders. A good one in the hvr-1600. The reason hardware encoders are very important is that it will let you install multiple tuner cards in your computer. Each tuner card can record seperately, if you have 4 tuner cards installed (like my setup) you can record 4 different tv programs at the same time. Motherboard, get one that has many expansion slots. Example my motherboard has 5 PCI slots (for multiple tuner cards). I built my HTPC around the motherboard. CPU for a HTPC doesn't have to very powerful (I have a energy efficient intel e2140), especially on a always on 24/7 PC. For software I use sagetv, I've had it for 3 years and it always records all my shows, works great with multiple tuner cards and is excellent if you want to stream video to other pc's. Another good software is beyondtv. Make sure all your video storage drives are formatted NTfs (64kb clusters) it allows for better streaming of large video files. Also get a good defragger to keep the video storage drives defragged, they can get 50/60 percent fragmented if not regulary defragged.
I definitely would have gone overboard... Seems pretty straight forward...Obviously, however, I've got a question or two... Multiple tuner cards...lets say 3... 2 coax split from the wall going directly into the tuner cards...another, running through the cable box and into a tuner card (for non-QEM channels - HBO for example)... 7.1... THIS will make me sound exeptionally ignorant....but screw it...right now, I've got surround sound speakers wired into the space...obviously connected to a receiver....if I eliminate the receiver, how do my speaker wires "talk" to the output jack on the CPU... edit... BTW, for clarification... I'm only using HDMI for video being that it's going to an overhead projector...audio, thus far, has been from component to receiver to speakers.
