Andy has a detailed description of the process he went through in selecting components for his new built-from-scratch MCE PC:
I evangelize MCE to pretty much anyone who will listen. Once they’re sold on the concept most ask how much it costs, I tell them that the cost of an entry level system is pretty minimal $300-$500 but the sky is the limit depending on what you want to put in it. Here’s my system and the reasoning behind it. In most cases the link goes to the manufacture’s page, but in some cases (OEM or I couldn’t find it on their site) I link to where you can buy it.
I could quibble over a few bits (for example, I would recommend the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500MCE, which is identical to the 150 but has two tuners on board, with a daughterboard that adds S-Video and component connections for the second tuner). Still, excellent advice. I’ll be building a new Media Center PC early next year and this will really help.
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So, what are you going to do about CableCard support? I have read a few places now that in order for CableCard support to work in Vista, the box will have to be certified by CableLabs. That means no DIY boxes (at least, that’s my interpretation).
http://www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/18/vista-media-center-and-drm/
I really think that the aggressive DRM stance being baked into the Zune, XBox 360, and Vista Media Center will cripple adoption. Especially in the Zune.
Hopefully some middle ground can be reached. Applying DRM indiscriminately isn’t the answer.
TTFN
What do you do about the channels like HBO, Showtime, etc. that are over the channel limit of the TV card?
Greg,
There are no open premium HD solutions now anyway, so I expect to continue using MCE for analog captures and keep the DirecTiVo for premium HD.
James, I have the two tuners plugged into two DirecTV converters. I do not use cable and have not for more than a year.
I’m going to be using the Firewire port on the back of my STB (DCT-6200) to capture the HD content I can receive from Comcast.
I’m having problems with it on my XP MCE box, but I’m hopeful that my Vista MCE box will be able to do the right thing with the Firewire kit. I can see the HD signal in my XP box using VLC to look at the DirectShow stream, but can’t get MCE to see the Firewire stream and link it to the tuner card and capture it. Oh well, that’s the FDISK is for…
TTFN
Yes, but you’re only going to get clear HD content, not encrypted content. So no premium HD content like HBO. I can get that with OTA HS. Like I said, there are no open options for premium HD at this point.
I didn’t opt for the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500MCE for two reasons; first two 150MCE’s (2 x 65 = 130) are cheaper than 500MCE with daughter card (140 + 14 = 154), and second (more important reason) is having two cards is more flexible, I can split them into different machines if I choose to later.
If the 500MCE would connect to two STB w/o the daughter card or I had a micro-ATX board in a full size case then I think the reasoning above changes…
The real value of having a PC based DVR is the ability to do what you want with the content. You have the ability to edit, place and time shift, archive, etc.
CableCard in Vista removes this value (with the exception of time shifting, but that can be limited as well). The big question is how much to you value premium HD. If you value it enough to shackle all of your content, including SD content, then CableCard is right for you, otherwise the value proposition just doesn’t play out.
Ah yes… I see what you’re saying. That is true enough. I just wish that I could put a CableCard tuner in my existing Media Center box (with Vista) and get both digital cable and HD content (clear or premium). I really hate having the Comcast box because it’s too tempting for someone to change the channels via the box instead of the MCE.
I still think that overly aggressive DRM is going to be a problem for Media Center and Zune. The MCE Extender is such a cool thing… but the entry point of it being an XBox 360 or nothing is, well… a bit steep. With Apple’s iTV, SlingBox, Orb, and PS3 / Location Free TV, it might be wise for Microsoft to consider the landscape a bit more.
It’s sad that older MCE Extenders are going to be useless in Vista due to DRM. While not many were bought, it’s the same grating feeling that anyone has with Plays for Sure vs. Zune (which is more “Does Not Play for Sure” or “Rebuy for Sure”).
Microsoft is doing many many things right. I just hate to see things like this that affect usability. Especially after using Office 12 for 15 months prior to release and watching how closely that team worked with usability and design in order to release a more intuitive product. It seems that Zune and the MCE team worked well with the interface, but is coming up short in its use cases beyond the single box experience.
Anyhow, I work with MSFT quite a bit at work and know they are all extremely smart people… I just think that the lawyers are getting in the way vs. people getting in the way of lawyers to make sensible policies.
TTFN
I have an HD DirecTV receiver. Is there a HD tuner card available for MCE that will receive HD from DirecTV receiver over component video cables? I sure can’t find one…
Ryan, there’s no such animal yet. Microsoft and DirecTV have said they’ll have a solution for Windows Vista after Vista is released to the public on January 30. For now, all you can get is standard output.
Although I love the idea of building my own PVR, I plan to wait until I can get a machine with enough horsepower to run the Vista media edition. I plan to run it as a PC/media server which will be in the basement; I will copy my DVD’s, digital pictures, and CD’s as well as capture TV on it to view on my TV/audio system upstairs in the living room. I’m looking at a audio/video bridge device via a wired ethernet for the connection between the server and the TV/audio system. I want to control the whole thing via a Harmony 890 universal remote. I need to research whether the 890 can do the job.
Hi All,
I’m a DishNetwork customer for the past few years. Like most of you, I built MCE beast and enjoy it pretty much except for the fact that I still record analog programming (using S-Video).
While it is a great concept to have your PC as DVR, I think until digital cards with smart card will come out to the market, I have some doubts about the number of adopters and penetration windows MCE will have.
It works well if you “Know What You’re doing” but for the common user, who doesn’t know how to connect the keyboard to the pc… connecting the IR blaster to control the STB might be too much. And that is a big miss.
From what I hear… the biggest obstacles are not technological as some has posted here but related to DRM and the need to protect the content.
Afterall… if you can manipulate HD content, the owner has no control over what you do with the content.
So until they resolve their DRM concerns… I don’t think we’re going to see any digital hardware for PC.
However thanks to tools like DVRMSTools, you can bypass some of these restrictions…. and play your recorded content on other devices as well.
Amazingly enough… I thought that Tivo will go away… but now with all these restrictions on content.. it looks like Tivo is getting back to the game…
Just wanted to share my 2 cents……
Ok, guys, maybe because of my English, maybe because of my tech knowledge…
There are some anachronisms that I don’t get (STB?). However you might be able to help me with this world.
I am new to the HD world but not so new to computers. Still I don’t get some concepts like the tv tuner pc cards are only analog and not digital yet? therefore we can’t use them to watch/record HD?
Does that means until digital video pc cards are out in the market we will depend on TIVO or PVR like Explorere HD8300 (Adelphia / Comcast) set top boxes?
Anyhow: I just get HD signal from Comcast through cable. They gave me the Explorerer (to be able to record I needed to pay an extra 5 bucks a month) and I am ready to buy a flat tv (plasma? LCD?) and I want to connect my computer (HP Laptop with MCE) to the big screen to use it. Is that doable? Maybe I need an external TV tuner for my HP? Should I get rid of the laptop and buy a desktop? I have to recognize I’m kinda lost. But just to clarify: I need a computer, I use Internet, I watch TV, would like to watch HD, with a 40″ screen, and be able to record some programs. If I want to get this content out the box? … not sure… maybe.
I would appreciate your comments and directions very much. If this was not the right place to pop this matters, do please, accept my apologies.
Thank you for your time.
Carlos.
I found a good MCE from http://www.digitalmediapc.com.
They offered different configuration to customize my needs. I am pretty satisified.
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