Monday, December 08, 2003
The pieces of the puzzle...
To effect a digital video recorder, I need to attain the following components:
1) A computer
2) A computer card that translates the TV signal into a computer signal
3) A massive hard drive to store the TV programs
4) A graphics card that will allow me to send computer signals out to a TV
To effect a home entertainment center, I would like to able to include the following:
5) A CD player at minimum, or...
5) A DVD Player that plays CDs, or...
5) A DVD burner that plays CDs also.
6) DVDs and CDs on which to "burn".
Let's go over the detailed requirements for each of these 6 items. First, the computer. By researching these two web sites, The PVR Database and MythTV.org I have learned that many hardware configurations may lead me to a working system. Typically, the CPU, or central processing unit, should run at about 1.5 GHz or higher. There should be at least 256 MB of memory available for processing the computer signals, and the computer should also be able to process and output sounds. Aside that, the other hardware considerations will be covered in Items 2-6.
Of course, I am going to flaunt the requirements of the first item right away. It is possible to construct a PVR with less than a 1.5 GHz CPU, if there is another component in the system doing the work of the CPU. This leads to the TV tuner card. I intend to skimp some on the CPU in order to accentuate the TV tuner card. The idea is this: Raw TV signal contains lots of data. That data needs to be compressed to be manipulated easily. Compress too much, you notice a decrease in picture quality. Compress too little, the computer is swamped. Some cheaper TV tuner cards operate by perfoming the basic function of converting TV signals into computer signals, and nothing more. The compression of the signal is left to the CPU. If one is viewing "live TV" and wants to "pause" it like in the ads for commercial products, the CPU would have to both compress the signal (at current time) and decompress (from say 5 minutes ago). This is too much for a 1 GHz computer with limited memory.
However, there are higher-end TV tuner cards that compress the TV signal natively. They compress the signal before it ever reaches the CPU. The tradeoff is cost, but it is the tradeoff I have elected to pursue. This decision may add as much as $100 to the cost of the tuner card.
The third item is in hand, the massive hard drive for storing programs. I have purchased a Seagate 160 GB hard drive, for less than $89 (w/ S&H, w/o tax, to be paid to Maryland later). I bought it backstock from cdw.com in their Outlet section. Sorry, there was only one at that price. I have received it and it is in good working order. The price tradeoff here is that it has what is called a cache, the "bucket" in which data goes to-from the drive, that is 2 MB. The newest ones have a cache of 8MB, better for video transfers. But, it would have been an even $50 dollars more expensive. I am not trying to build the best PVR ever, simply the most cost-efficient.
Fourth, I need a graphics card that can output to the television. There are several to choose from, and many are below $100. The difficult part is that the selection of the computer must come before the selection of the graphics card. There are a litany of abbreviations and standards for graphics cards, and only by selecting the system first can the graphics card be selected.
The goal is simple, a functioning PVR for less than $400. More on the upgrades to DVD and the software to be used later on. Budgets and wish lists also to follow!
1) A computer
2) A computer card that translates the TV signal into a computer signal
3) A massive hard drive to store the TV programs
4) A graphics card that will allow me to send computer signals out to a TV
To effect a home entertainment center, I would like to able to include the following:
5) A CD player at minimum, or...
5) A DVD Player that plays CDs, or...
5) A DVD burner that plays CDs also.
6) DVDs and CDs on which to "burn".
Let's go over the detailed requirements for each of these 6 items. First, the computer. By researching these two web sites, The PVR Database and MythTV.org I have learned that many hardware configurations may lead me to a working system. Typically, the CPU, or central processing unit, should run at about 1.5 GHz or higher. There should be at least 256 MB of memory available for processing the computer signals, and the computer should also be able to process and output sounds. Aside that, the other hardware considerations will be covered in Items 2-6.
Of course, I am going to flaunt the requirements of the first item right away. It is possible to construct a PVR with less than a 1.5 GHz CPU, if there is another component in the system doing the work of the CPU. This leads to the TV tuner card. I intend to skimp some on the CPU in order to accentuate the TV tuner card. The idea is this: Raw TV signal contains lots of data. That data needs to be compressed to be manipulated easily. Compress too much, you notice a decrease in picture quality. Compress too little, the computer is swamped. Some cheaper TV tuner cards operate by perfoming the basic function of converting TV signals into computer signals, and nothing more. The compression of the signal is left to the CPU. If one is viewing "live TV" and wants to "pause" it like in the ads for commercial products, the CPU would have to both compress the signal (at current time) and decompress (from say 5 minutes ago). This is too much for a 1 GHz computer with limited memory.
However, there are higher-end TV tuner cards that compress the TV signal natively. They compress the signal before it ever reaches the CPU. The tradeoff is cost, but it is the tradeoff I have elected to pursue. This decision may add as much as $100 to the cost of the tuner card.
The third item is in hand, the massive hard drive for storing programs. I have purchased a Seagate 160 GB hard drive, for less than $89 (w/ S&H, w/o tax, to be paid to Maryland later). I bought it backstock from cdw.com in their Outlet section. Sorry, there was only one at that price. I have received it and it is in good working order. The price tradeoff here is that it has what is called a cache, the "bucket" in which data goes to-from the drive, that is 2 MB. The newest ones have a cache of 8MB, better for video transfers. But, it would have been an even $50 dollars more expensive. I am not trying to build the best PVR ever, simply the most cost-efficient.
Fourth, I need a graphics card that can output to the television. There are several to choose from, and many are below $100. The difficult part is that the selection of the computer must come before the selection of the graphics card. There are a litany of abbreviations and standards for graphics cards, and only by selecting the system first can the graphics card be selected.
The goal is simple, a functioning PVR for less than $400. More on the upgrades to DVD and the software to be used later on. Budgets and wish lists also to follow!
