Description: A personal video recorder is a PC based VCR. It records tv shows onto a hard disk. Wikipedia PVR explanation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PVR and on self buildt PVRs: www.byopvr.com It can be extending to pause live TV and more. Commercial boxes are available: www.tivo.com www.sky.com/skyplus Plan: To build a Gentoo Linux based MythTV box, which sits quietly in the lounge. I will first test tv encoding/decoding on my current game box. If all works well, I will over time when resources allow start building a dedicated pvr. Then extend forever. 1st stage: Main aim is to test TV capture. I have a high spec PC intended for games and general use. It is an Athlon 2600 with a MSI FX5900XT VIVO card. Dual boot it with Gentoo as it already has WinXP. I intend to test it with a video input of some kind to see if I can capture and record without dedicated hardware. Ny X10 CCTV camera with s-video out will suffice. My choice for PVR package, MythTV, will be installed. Hardware: www.amd.com www.asus.com www.msi.com.tw www.simplyautomate.co.uk www.microdirect.co.uk Software: www.gentoo.org www.mythtv.org rivatv.sf.net Resource: www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?full=1 home.comcast.net/~alf_park/mythtv.html /www.exploits.org/v4l Alternatives: www.gbpvr.com www.freevo.org Comments: Installed Gentoo with universal live-cd and stage 3. Found a few inconcistensies in the Gentoo Handbook. Spendt a few days getting grub to work. Asked/hassled a few people on the MythTV mailing list. Discovered RivaTV is the driver/app to use to capture video from a Nvidia card in linux. 2nd stage: Extend the box by plugging in a NTL digital cable set top box. Test first manual channel changing then later plug in a adaptor to change channels from the box. If this works fine, then I will run this set up for awhile in the lounge to demonstrate the benefits of a PVR to my better half. It is already housed in a stylish Antec Sonata atx case. Hardware: www.ntl.com www.redremote.co.uk www.antec.com Software: xmltv.sf.net Resource: www.nthellworld.co.uk Comments: 3rd stage: Extend the box with dedicated hardware for mpeg decoding and hopefully decoding. A Hauppauge PCR250 or 350 seems to be the tools for the job. Hardware: www.hauppauge.com www.dabs.com Software: Resource: Comments: 4th stage: Dedicated PVR box. Setup a cheap but good pvr box. Has to be quiet and good looking. A CoolerMaster ATCS 620 seems to fit the task. Hardware: www.coolermaster.com Software: Resource: My shopping list from dabsAlternatives: www.hushtechnologies.com www.shuttle.com Comments: 5th stage: Extend the pvr box to make it quieter and more powerfull. Replace CPU fan with a Zalman, wrap hard disk in Quiet PC disk dampner, perhaps include a second capture card. Hardware: www.quietpc.com Software: Resource:
Comments: 6th stage: Extend with more tuners for simultanious recordings. A second digital cable box, and / or a freeview card. Hardware: Software: Resource: www.freeview.co.uk Comments: 7th stage: Multiple box set up. Seperate front and back end boxes for different purposes. Hardware: Software: Resource: Comments: