Build Your Own PVR / Tivo / HTPC

[rampy]

I remember a thread (and yes if I wanted I could go dig it up, there is no thread that can go unturned via the advanced search stylings of the rampulator) where poonga was going to build a PVR/Tivo using mythtv or the like...  news article build your own tivo | wired article | ExtremeTech byo tivo article | oreilly article | slashdot article

I was wondering how he (or anybody else) made out with the project

Or more importantly a message board/forum dedicated to that subject?

I have Q's about which TV decoder card, what to do about digital cable, and which software is "best" ATM...

*shrug*

rampy

titanTV free Tv listing guide...
freevo Tivo alike sourceforge project
myth Tv well rounded open source tivo-esque software
xmltv rips zaptoit listings to xml format

[shmokes]

Maximum PC had a nice article recently about building your own TIVO.  I think they used the Snapstream PVS software.  If you're interested I can dig it up and scan it for you.

[dek]

Please do Thanks

[SirPoonga]

I got it working on my dual celeraon system with an ati tv wonder.  Unfortunately since it was a software decoder adn a sow pc it wasn't feasable.  I'd rather buy a lifetime tivo and hack that.  It costs about as much as making your own.

[Spaced Invader]

Here...

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/

The forums rock and they have hardware reviews on every card, recorder, player etc...

I used it to find a DVD player that would play the movies I captured and recorded to CD (yes CD).

Here...

http://myhtpc.net/

Great HTPC software.

[rampy]

Thanks Guys...

Actually I think I'm going to be starting my own forum/site with some help...  Details coming soon, help/contributions, besides those of you I've already solicited, is welcome...

I just registered BYOPVR.com so give me a few days and something will be up and running.

rampy

[ErikRuud]

the latest version of the ATI software that I downloaded for my older ATI All In Wonder included softwre for PVR use.

I have not really tested it, beacuse I do not have a large enough hard drive to make it practical right now.

The TV listings are supposed to be free from ATI.

[eightbit]

I've tried PC based PVR's and have always been very discouraged by the results. I bought a replaytv and absolutely love it! One of these days I'm going to swap the HD for a bigger one.

[SirPoonga]

PJ just put his PVR together.  He uses a via M10000 mobo witha  1Ghz cyrix and a PVR250.  He says it works great.


I've been wanting to integrate xmltv into dscaler.  on slower computer dscaler is a great way to get quality video.

[Jakobud]

the latest version of the ATI software that I downloaded for my older ATI All In Wonder included softwre for PVR use.

I have not really tested it, beacuse I do not have a large enough hard drive to make it practical right now.

The TV listings are supposed to be free from ATI.

I have an All In Wonder 9700 Pro and it comes with all this software.  Yes its free. It uses this thing called GemStar Guide or something.  Anyways, I'm not impressed with it at all.  Nothing compared to Tivo (at least as far as an interface goes).  

[Odonadon]

Allright, well here's a question for you folks:

Since I can find a Tivo on eBay for around $100, does it NEED the subscription to run?  Can I use it as a VCR replacement without any hacking?  I basically know nothing about the thing, but at that price, I'm very interested.

OD

[rampy]

Allright, well here's a question for you folks:

Since I can find a Tivo on eBay for around $100, does it NEED the subscription to run?  Can I use it as a VCR replacement without any hacking?  I basically know nothing about the thing, but at that price, I'm very interested.

OD

If it's an original series 1 tivo with revision 1.3 or lower you can.... other than that TIVO now REQUIRES a subscription (from what I understand/found in my research)

*Shrug* the razor cartridges aren't free even if you get a good deal on the razor...  hence my interest in building my own (plus addi9tional functionality)

rampy

[eightbit]

*Shrug* the razor cartridges aren't free even if you get a good deal on the razor...  hence my interest in building my own (plus addi9tional functionality)

I pay $10 a month for my replayTV and its far more rewarding than putting that money towards extra channels that I wouldn't watch. I paid $150 for my replayTV and $10 a month. So for the first year it costs me $270. Can you build a PVR for less than $270?

What is this additional functionality you speak of? What can your homebuilt PVR do that my replay can't? You'd be surprised at what ReplayTV can do. I've never had or used Tivo but from what I've heard and read Replay is superior.

[SirPoonga]

TIVO  is like $250-$300 for a lifetime subscription.  That;s the price you have to compete against.

[eightbit]

TIVO  is like $250-$300 for a lifetime subscription.  That;s the price you have to compete against.

Replay tv is $200 for lifetime so add that to the $150 I paid for my unit and its $350. Can you build a better solution for less than $350? I have not yet subscribed to the lifetime because I think there will be cheaper solutions available within 2 years.

I'm also interested in what the additional functionality is that you speak of. There are a lot of things the Replay TV can do that people don't realize.

[J_K_M_A_N]

I'm also interested in what the additional functionality is that you speak of. There are a lot of things the Replay TV can do that people don't realize.

I think he means the functionality of the computer to do things like burn tv programs to cd or dvd and play games and surf the internet and what not. But, I could be wrong.

J_K_M_A_N

[SirPoonga]

I know tivo you can do alot of hacks.  There's too much stuff you can do with that to list

[JoyMonkey]

I've been thinking about doing this for a while now. Tivo won't work with Boston's bizarre A/B cable system and I'm too cheap to fork out for digital service.

I have a spare AthlonXP2000+ machine with an AverTV tuner that I could use, unfortunately I know next to nothing about Linux and it seems MythTV needs a lot of know-how to install.

Do you think it'd be too difficult to set-up for the average idiot such as myself?

[Odonadon]

If it's an original series 1 tivo with revision 1.3 or lower you can.... other than that TIVO now REQUIRES a subscription (from what I understand/found in my research)

Hmm...  Further research of mine has led me to believe that Tivos that don't use software version 2.0 or something like that will work just fine as a simple VCR replacement.  Apparently, just about a year and a half ago, Tivo released a software revision with serious nags almost preventing you from using the thing without a subscription.

http://www.cs.buffalo.edu/~fsk/tivo/tivo.html

But this has been fixed since.  Cool.

OD

[eightbit]

I think he means the functionality of the computer to do things like burn tv programs to cd or dvd and play games and surf the internet and what not. But, I could be wrong.

I would love to see a PC based PVR, I've spent a lot of money trying to do it. My last ATI all in wonder card was almost $400 and its performance was awefull. I will admit I haven't looked at the new hardware or software solutions in the past year or so.

I have not regreted a penny of the money spent on my replay because my wife and I absolutely love it. Its easier to use than any VCR I've ever had and I can control everything with one remote.

I can export tv out of my replay to mpeg files which can be burned to cd or dvd. I can share programs over the internet with other replay owners. I can't surf the internet or play games on it but I have yet to see a reasonably priced tv with high enough resolution to make internet surfing enjoyable and large PC monitors are to expensive to make good tv viewing. I can log into my replay from a web interface from the internet and change or add recordings or delete programs on it.

[Bill_S]

I have a series one standalone TIVO with no subscription.  It was last updated to version 3.xx with a 1 month sub to get the upgrade.  I can confirm it works fine as a digital VCR with no sub.
Well, better than a VCR actually since you can pause live TV and timeshift, etc.

As far as building a PC version, avsforums has a HTPC forum with excellent information to help you along that path.

[Santoro]

This is the only place to go for uncensored Tivo Hacking info.  I am known as TivoBell over there:


http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/

http://www.tivocommunity.com is also good but topics about video extraction are banned.

Dave

[Odonadon]

I have a series one standalone TIVO with no subscription.  It was last updated to version 3.xx with a 1 month sub to get the upgrade.  I can confirm it works fine as a digital VCR with no sub.
Well, better than a VCR actually since you can pause live TV and timeshift, etc.

Beautiful.  See, that's all I want.  The functionality of a Tivo.  And since the series 1 are going for like $150 on eBay, does it make financial sense to build your own?  Hell, get a Tivo and a Gateway Connected DVD Player.  Done.

And Bill_S - > I read somewhere that the only way (without hacking) to set the time in the Tivo is to hook it up to your phone line.  Is that correct?  Also, when you do record a show, does it show the date and time stamp when you view the list of recorded shows?

OD

[rampy]

I have a series one standalone TIVO with no subscription.  It was last updated to version 3.xx with a 1 month sub to get the upgrade.  I can confirm it works fine as a digital VCR with no sub.
Well, better than a VCR actually since you can pause live TV and timeshift, etc.

Beautiful.  See, that's all I want.  The functionality of a Tivo.  And since the series 1 are going for like $150 on eBay, does it make financial sense to build your own?  Hell, get a Tivo and a Gateway Connected DVD Player.  Done.

And Bill_S - > I read somewhere that the only way (without hacking) to set the time in the Tivo is to hook it up to your phone line.  Is that correct?  Also, when you do record a show, does it show the date and time stamp when you view the list of recorded shows?

OD

You have clearly forgotten the face of your geek fathers!

(i'm only kidding --> I realize you only want a subset of Tivo/PVR functionality and it makes sense what you are trying  to do)

Part of the allure is the fun in shlopping stuff together (I'm not makeing a site called "buy your own pvr" after all =P)

But the gist of my point is...  eh?... *Shrug* I've done the math and you can build a pretty cool one, in a small form factor  in a consumer/console friendly looking case for like 550 with shipping.

Forgetting for a moment eightbit's supreme bargain hunting skillz (I don't say that sarcastically, btw) ReplayTV NEW is like 450 with a built in 3 year subscription (according to their site)

A "base" Tivo is 199 (i forget if that is after rebate or not) and  is either 299 lifetime of the unit or some monthly charge a bit over 10 beans. But suffice to say 500 beans.

If you factor in the subscription (which is what original drove me to think building my own was economical...)  It's pretty darn close to a wash... and if you wanted to nitpick... my model would have more storage capacity, more flexibility (although tivo's hackability is attractive)... and the pride of doing it myself/geek chic.

If I were to go with a normal PC instead of the uber sexy mini-itx VIA m10000 and a normal case ...  I bet I could make it cheaper... but I don't want a beige tower sideways on my entertainment center.

Eightbit.  I can't speak for your 400 ducat ATI card... But the 150 dollar Hauppapag (spelling) 250 PVR tuner card is supposed to be excellent...  The heavy lifting of encoding in mpeg 2/etc is done by the card not the processor.   (the 350 PVR is 200 beans or so and does encoding AND decoding and a bunch of other goodies)...  

*shrug* Did I mention you can play mame on it? Mp3's? Surf? Hell the savings of canceling your SPICE channel subscription alone .... er.. what... disregard that last bit, mmmkay?

Rampy

[eightbit]

Replay has a refurbed unit on their site with service for $420 with 3 year service. They were offering lifetime for $200, I can't find that now. I decided not to go lifetime because I think the way we view tv will change in the next couple years.

When you can use a PC as a PVR as easily as my replay I'll be there but from what I've seen its just not there yet. Though I will definately be watching what you come up with and might try to put the $400 all in wonder to use.

[TheTick]

ReplayTV is about to change their pricing structure, and a bunch of stores screwed up and started selling the life-time activation (actually 3 years included) for only $149 on the 17th.
http://fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=254797


I wound up buying and the interface beats the hell out of anything I've been able to do with my HTPC. No OS crashing, no overheating, and no having to program irMan thru Girder.

My HTPC has been stored in a closet for months. I liked the fact that it could be used as a PVR as well as MAME. But getting a useable interface and keeping the hardware upgraded was getting out of hand.

I wound up stringing a 30 foot svideo and TOS cable from my den's P4 to the Home Theatre. With the wireless joysticks, gyration keyboard and mouse, and the USB arcade podium (long extension cable) I don't need to worry about a seperate HTPC.

Now that the ReplayTV has been added into the home theatre, I can't believe I didn't get one sooner. Build your own if you want, but you'll be tweaking it until you break down and buy a Tivo/ReplayTV/or some non-subscription based DVR.

When its all said and done, I've invested 1000's trying to build a decent/useable HTPC... and now my sister is buying whats left for $150 to browse the web. I wonder if she'll ever realize there is a TV tuner in there. I'm sure she'll get pissed when the old IR keyboard's battery dies  

[Odonadon]

ReplayTV is about to change their pricing structure, and a bunch of stores screwed up and started selling the life-time activation (actually 3 years included) for only $149 on the 17th.
http://fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=254797


I wound up buying and the interface beats the hell out of anything I've been able to do with my HTPC. No OS crashing, no overheating, and no having to program irMan thru Girder.

That leads me to my next question - can ReplayTV be used without a subscription?  Can I use it as a simple VCR replacement - set the thing to record Input 1 from 7pm to 9pm?  If so, I think I see the ReplayTV as a better alternative to the Tivo.

OD

[TheTick]

That leads me to my next question - can ReplayTV be used without a subscription?  Can I use it as a simple VCR replacement - set the thing to record Input 1 from 7pm to 9pm?  If so, I think I see the ReplayTV as a better alternative to the Tivo.

OD

No, it must connect to the service once a week or it becomes useless (I thought I heard TiVo was the same way). You either need to get one now, while the service is still included in the $149 price, or go with a non-subscription based DVR:

RCA DRC7005N 40GB Personal Video Recorder/DVD Player  
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90120121&dcaid=1688

[SirPoonga]

As long as I could hack a PVR until to use xmltv then I wouldn;t need the subscription service.


Have you seen that pioneer pvr?  It was number 1 on TechTV's top 20 christmas gifts.  It had a built in DVDr.

[Odonadon]

That leads me to my next question - can ReplayTV be used without a subscription?  Can I use it as a simple VCR replacement - set the thing to record Input 1 from 7pm to 9pm?  If so, I think I see the ReplayTV as a better alternative to the Tivo.

OD

No, it must connect to the service once a week or it becomes useless (I thought I heard TiVo was the same way). You either need to get one now, while the service is still included in the $149 price, or go with a non-subscription based DVR:

RCA DRC7005N 40GB Personal Video Recorder/DVD Player  
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90120121&dcaid=1688

I heard you could do this with Tivo series 1 with any software revision but 2.0.  The other series you can't, I believe.

OD

[rampy]

Hey Guys,

I've gotten the ball rolling and setup a site dedicated to building your own PVR / DVR / DIY Tivo inspired by the great community here, I'm hoping to build half a good community there.  If you have any interest at all in the topic, I really could use some help getting the ball rolling in the forums over there...  (there's even a section for commercial pvr's... eightbit)....

It's ironic that i started a build your own pvr sit after getting a Tivo for christmas... but i still love the idea and spirit of DIY/ build your own...

Anyways... uh... rock on...

Rampy

[StickyC]

There's also a lot of great info at the Audio Video Science Forums: http://www.avsforum.com/ and Extreme Tech did a series a while back as well...

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,710338,00.asp
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1267938,00.asp
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1122546,00.asp

[rampy]

Thanks StickyC... I added those links to the site... I saw the AVS forums when I first started my search.  But, I kinda felt like they were a little to high-end-ian about what they were doing...

I just longed for something better/different more like byoac =)

rampy

[Frostillicus]

Dammit, rampy, now I got an itch for building my own PVR unit.  arrgh!!  Meh.  thanks for the new site - it looks like it's gonna be a great resource

[rampy]

Dammit, rampy, now I got an itch for building my own PVR unit.  arrgh!!  Meh.  thanks for the new site - it looks like it's gonna be a great resource

Heh, that's how it goes... but it must be karma (think of how many people you've perverted with your version of rotating control panel site - with all due respect to 1up of course!) A lot of my friends are mad about the geeky seeds I plant in their head... that doesn't sound right does it?

Anyways.  Thanks for the kind words about the site.  I hope it's going to be a great resource.  It's really community driven so, if it's gonna be great it's gonna be do people who contribute content/discussion/ideas to it!

*hint hint* It's a little short on ideas and regulars, stop on buy and post some questions, ideas, or other PVR discussion =)  I think planetjay is sick of responding to my retarded forum posts  and would welcome some fresh threads =P

Thanks!

rampy

[GSXRMovistar]

Also take a look here www.myhtpc.net, I built a shuttle system last month that now runs this for all my movies, mps, and even a bit of Mame!

I've got a Nebula DigiTV card in this box and with the available plugins it works as a PVR.

A few screenies,

Main Menu
www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MainMenu.jpg

The movie selection screen (got a util to download the covers from amazon) www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MovieListjpg.jpg

Once a movie is selected (again the same util pulls the details from imdb.com) www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MovieSelect.jpg

As for Mame games I don't actually use the Mame plugin for myHTPC, I have myHTPC load up DragonKing same as I use on my cabinet.
http://www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MameMenu.jpg

[rampy]

Also take a look here www.myhtpc.net, I built a shuttle system last month that now runs this for all my movies, mps, and even a bit of Mame!

I've got a Nebula DigiTV card in this box and with the available plugins it works as a PVR.

A few screenies,

Main Menu
www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MainMenu.jpg

The movie selection screen (got a util to download the covers from amazon) www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MovieListjpg.jpg

Once a movie is selected (again the same util pulls the details from imdb.com) www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MovieSelect.jpg

As for Mame games I don't actually use the Mame plugin for myHTPC, I have myHTPC load up DragonKing same as I use on my cabinet.
http://www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MameMenu.jpg

that's awesome!  Could I trouble you to write up some sort of review/thoughts/experiences of MyHTPC and/or NebulaTv card at my site(build your own pvr)? Do you have some sort of project page I could link to (or are just the screenies shlopped up)?

Most people point to mythTV as the best of breed, and I'd love some more input/information on how myHTPC treated you.  

Rampy

[Odonadon]

Also take a look here www.myhtpc.net, I built a shuttle system last month that now runs this for all my movies, mps, and even a bit of Mame!

I've got a Nebula DigiTV card in this box and with the available plugins it works as a PVR.

A few screenies,

Main Menu
www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MainMenu.jpg

The movie selection screen (got a util to download the covers from amazon) www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MovieListjpg.jpg

Once a movie is selected (again the same util pulls the details from imdb.com) www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MovieSelect.jpg

As for Mame games I don't actually use the Mame plugin for myHTPC, I have myHTPC load up DragonKing same as I use on my cabinet.
http://www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GSXR_MyHTPC_MameMenu.jpg

What kind of remote do you use to control this?  Or does it require use of the keyboard and mouse?

OD

[GSXRMovistar]

What kind of remote do you use to control this?  Or does it require use of the keyboard and mouse?

OD

I use one of these ww.hometheatercomputer.net/remote_purchase.html for menu/movie/mp3 control, plug in a PS2 pad/dance mat for the games and for any maintaince I just remotely connect into it from my Main PC using VNC.

Rampy, I'll try and see if I can get something written up for you.

[rampy]

What kind of remote do you use to control this?  Or does it require use of the keyboard and mouse?

OD

I use one of these ww.hometheatercomputer.net/remote_purchase.html for menu/movie/mp3 control, plug in a PS2 pad/dance mat for the games and for any maintaince I just remotely connect into it from my Main PC using VNC.

Rampy, I'll try and see if I can get something written up for you.

Cool... feel free to either submit it directly to the site or if you prefer zing me an email with a word doc or whatever  ebay     @randomdrivel.com  (without the dramatic pauses)

Rampy