Tivo Number 2

Ok, I decided that instead of investing $1800 into a new laptop so I can sit on the couch and wirelessly surf while watching TV, I'll bring the TV to my den. However, I don't have room for another device in here (like a TV) and I really want to be able to have a PVR (personal video recorder), so I opted to turn my Den PC into a TV. I found out that the tuner card I wanted (Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500MCE) requires a 1.2Ghz machine (even though it has the processors ON the card), so my 800 mhz PC wasn't going to cut it. Why did I need the PVR-500? Dual tuner built in. You can watch one channel while recording on another or record two channels at once. The cool part is that the RF splitter is on the card, so you only need one cable going to the card. It has FM radio too, but you can guess how often I'll use THAT! My 800mhz PC has a 250GB hard drive in it along with a 6 GB main hard drive. 250GB hard drive? you ask. Slickdeals. Need I say more.

So anyway, now I need a faster PC. This is ok since I have two 800mhz PCs taking up room in my den, I'll just buy a new PC and get rid of both of these. I'm going to create a multimedia server, so to speak. So, I jump on ebay after getting a quote from Dell for a new PC at $350 and get the same thing (refurbished Dell with 90 day warranty) for $178 plus $100 shipping. My Hauppauge card cost $121 after a $10 off coupon from Buy.com.

The specs on my Dell go something like this: 2.4Ghz Celeron, 40GB hard drive, 256MB Ram, Windows XP Home, CDROM. I'll probably grab a $45 NEC DVD burner as well so I can copy off my shows onto DVD.

I was thinking about buying SnapStream's Beyond TV for $49 to be my "tivo" software since I'm not comfortable enough with Linux to spring for the free MythTV solution. Therefore, I found the next best thing. Open Source for Windows. It's called Media Portal and looks very sweet.

I'll just slap my 250GB hard drive in my new Dell, put in the new card, install Media Portal, and I should be on my way to picture/tv/movie bliss! So this will make my second Tivo. Theoretically, I should be able to record up to 6 shows at once now, while watching a 7th. :-) VCR upstairs, DVD recorder downstairs, Mediacom PVR can do 2 shows at once, new Media Portal PC will be able to do 2 shows at once, and I can watch TV on my living room TV. Please note, I've only ever recorded two shows at once and watched a third, so this is more "cool" (or geek) factor than practical.

I can't believe how split the cable signal in this house is. Actually, it's a benefit since they have an amp on the box right outside my house, my signal actually comes in too strong, so my theory is that splitting it all over the place actually helps. :-)

So I'll keep my dinosaur (over 3 years now, warranty just went out in April) Dell Inspiron 8100 as my workhorse PC that is a laptop sitting semi-permanently on my desk. Then I'll be able to watch TV on my 17" LCD monitor attached to my new Dell with the Hauppauge card. Now what should I do with the $1400 I saved by not getting a new laptop? :-)