I'd like to build a media PC to use as both my source of music and television. Any recommendations on where I can start looking? If it works better with satellite tv or cable I can do either. I have no idea on the functionality of the slingbox, but sort of looking for something similar for in house use only.

My needs are:

-Channel changing capability

-Remote control

-DVR

-PC monitor only or TV out is fine as I will buy a TV and build a PC specifically for this purpose

I've never really read into media boxes but I can probably point you in the right direction. I thought some of the sites I used to read had info on media boxes but I just checked and they don't so just read around at AVSforum, they have a lot of info on it and I'm sure you can learn .

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=26

i use a video capture card with the software that came with it to do what your asking....

i use a video capture card with the software that came with it to do what your asking....

Except I am asking to not have a cable box at all...or at least have it be fully controlled by the pc. Preferably the output would just come out of the PC.

I use the Fusion HDTV card setup with verizon, but it wil not pickup the channels they scramble - I have to use the box for those.

I am not sure which systems the card/software works with.

I think most of these type of cards have issues with scrambled signals.

http://www.digitalconnection.com/Support/cn_fusion_1.asp

" Q. Can I record premium (encrypted) cable or satellite HD programs?

A. No. All HDTV card "stores" high-def signals in their raw data form and decodes the signal during playback. Since Cable and Satellite services do not use same modulation format, their signals require dedicated tuners, and once decoded, cannot be routed to the input of the HDTV PC cards. "

Fack!!! You need Vista to run a cablecard media center.

http://ati.amd.com/products/tvwonderdigital/index.html

Currently it looks like our lovely regulations make it so you can't build your own machine either. Bummer I'll keep looking when I get more time, but for now I guess I just order up cable and suffer.

How about Free to Air?

How about Free to Air?

? can you de-canadiennize that for me?

http://www.ftasatellite.com/

Among other sites.

Probably not the best of options, but still an option.

Interesting, not something I had ever heard about before.

I just got my hands on a copy of Windows MCE 2005, and from the looks of it, one is able to program the remote/computer to work with a cable box somehow. I don't have cable (I only have the plain old airwaves in the middle of nowhere, where I live), but the setup allows for a settop box cable tuner to be controlled somehow. Maybe somebody else with more cable TV experience can chime in?

I just got my hands on a copy of Windows MCE 2005, and from the looks of it, one is able to program the remote/computer to work with a cable box somehow. I don't have cable (I only have the plain old airwaves in the middle of nowhere, where I live), but the setup allows for a settop box cable tuner to be controlled somehow. Maybe somebody else with more cable TV experience can chime in?

I have MCE, IMPO, it sucks when used in conjunction with a cable box. Stand alone, it works great. On screen menu, DVR functionality, the pausing of live TV and stuff like that. It will not pick up scrambled channels (HBO, Skinamax, Showtime, etc.). The only problem with MCE is you cannot buy it, at least you couldn't buy it for a long time, things may have changed.

I have it on this PC if you wanna come and play with it.

This should answer a bunch of your questions, just click through their site...

http://www.snapstream.com/products/beyondt...CFQ2aOAodiypzKw

I just got my hands on a copy of Windows MCE 2005, and from the looks of it, one is able to program the remote/computer to work with a cable box somehow. I don't have cable (I only have the plain old airwaves in the middle of nowhere, where I live), but the setup allows for a settop box cable tuner to be controlled somehow. Maybe somebody else with more cable TV experience can chime in?

I have MCE, IMPO, it sucks when used in conjunction with a cable box. Stand alone, it works great. On screen menu, DVR functionality, the pausing of live TV and stuff like that. It will not pick up scrambled channels (HBO, Skinamax, Showtime, etc.). The only problem with MCE is you cannot buy it, at least you couldn't buy it for a long time, things may have changed.

I have it on this PC if you wanna come and play with it.

Sweet, I'd love to you are a whopping 10 minutes from me.

Thanks Neil, I will be interested!

edited by Sean

http://www.ftasatellite.com/

Among other sites.

Probably not the best of options, but still an option.

I have the coolsat 5k. im using 2 dishes, one stationary for 61.5 and the other on a motor to get 119, 110, an 91.

as long as you are computer savy its easy to setup. but keep in mind its illegal and if you get caught enjoy the consequences

I just got my hands on a copy of Windows MCE 2005, and from the looks of it, one is able to program the remote/computer to work with a cable box somehow. I don't have cable (I only have the plain old airwaves in the middle of nowhere, where I live), but the setup allows for a settop box cable tuner to be controlled somehow. Maybe somebody else with more cable TV experience can chime in?

I have MCE, IMPO, it sucks when used in conjunction with a cable box. Stand alone, it works great. On screen menu, DVR functionality, the pausing of live TV and stuff like that. It will not pick up scrambled channels (HBO, Skinamax, Showtime, etc.). The only problem with MCE is you cannot buy it, at least you couldn't buy it for a long time, things may have changed.

I have it on this PC if you wanna come and play with it.

Sweet, I'd love to you are a whopping 10 minutes from me.

We can set it up. The only thing I will have to do is plug in my cable to the PC and it will be gtg.

My understanding is that the if you want to capture digital cable on a tv tuner card, there isn't a card that is available to do this yet. It's because of the encrpytion, that the cable companies use. It's to bad there isn't a good way to interface the cablebox with a htpc.

My understanding is that the if you want to capture digital cable on a tv tuner card, there isn't a card that is available to do this yet. It's because of the encrpytion, that the cable companies use. It's to bad there isn't a good way to interface the cablebox with a htpc.

There are plenty of cards that can capture digital cable.