HD PC: Cheaper Than High-Def TV

Tombstone · Post by **Tombstone** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:23 pm

SAN FRANCISCO -- High-definition television can show the sweat beading on an athlete's brow, but the cost of all the necessary electronic equipment can get a shopper's own pulse racing.

Instead of dropping more than $1,000 for a new TV, set-top box and antenna to bring in the signals that dramatically improve TV picture quality, look not in the living room, but in the home office. A $200 upgrade can turn a personal computer into a "starter" high-definition television.

http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,14 ... _tophead_5

anastrophe · Post by **anastrophe** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 8:11 pm

well, but you better plan on at least $100 more for another disk - recording hi-def takes a LOT of disk space.

capt_buzzard · Post by **capt_buzzard** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 2:47 am

Next from Hollywood we will have Beheading sit coms.

anastrophe · Post by **anastrophe** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 5:22 pm

better check this out before springing for that ATI HD card, being referred to as the ATI All-In-Blunder:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1 ... 024,00.asp

i believe it won't work with satellite either, it's only for digital cable and over-the-air.

Tombstone · Post by **Tombstone** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 7:19 pm

I have an old old old old All-In-Wonder card that I used so many years ago. It's been collecting dust in a drawer for the past 5 plus years.

What would you recommend now? I don't care about HDTV recording - I want an *alternative to a DVR.

Suggestions? Oh, and software too!

anastrophe · Post by **anastrophe** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 8:00 pm

that's easy. the hauppauge wintv pvr250, or pvr350. the cat's payamas. i own one. everyone who does PC DVR owns one, pretty much. snapstream's beyond TV3, an interface to PC TV/DVR, is the software of choice. they sell a bundle of the software and hauppauge pvr that's a great deal. no monthly fees for the programming guide. great stuff.

it's helpful if you ahve a video card that can do hardware mpeg decoding, to go along with the hauppauge's mpeg encoding.

Tombstone · Post by **Tombstone** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 4:08 pm

Excellent! Thanks so much for that advice - and the specific recommendations.

I'll let you know how my project goes!

anastrophe wrote: that's easy. the hauppauge wintv pvr250, or pvr350. the cat's payamas. i own one. everyone who does PC DVR owns one, pretty much. snapstream's beyond TV3, an interface to PC TV/DVR, is the software of choice. they sell a bundle of the software and hauppauge pvr that's a great deal. no monthly fees for the programming guide. great stuff.

it's helpful if you ahve a video card that can do hardware mpeg decoding, to go along with the hauppauge's mpeg encoding.