Chris White
Second Unit
- Joined
- Feb 12, 1999
- Messages
- 391
I’d like your comments/advice on an htpc that will be used strictly for watching and recording hdtv – no ntsc pvr, no dvd, no cd jukebox – just hdtv. After researching for the past month, here are the components I’m considering.
Case: DC Quiet Case w/ fan and power supply $119
Sound level is a relatively important consideration.
Motherboard & CPU: ASUS-CUSL2-C $109 and Intel P3-733 $85
This combination is more than I need, but it should have enough horsepower if I decide to add dscaler and a video capture card later (for scaling laserdisc).
Memory: 256 Mb – PC133 $17
Floppy: $14
Hard Drive: Western Digital 120 Gb, 7200RPM $200 (CompUSA)
HDTV-PC Card: Either AccessDTV or Hipix $400 (plus VGA breakout cable)
I change my mind on which card I want about twice a week.
ADTV: I like the pvr functionality and adjustable forward/reverse skip times. I don’t care about archiving issues. It’s more expensive because of the component-video converter.
Hipix: Reports suggest it has better picture quality and is more stable.
Ir Control: IRMan $35
Some questions:
1. Have I left out anything from this list?
2. My goal is to be able to operate entirely by remote once setup is completed. Thus, I’m not including an IR keyboard. Is this reasonable?
3. I haven’t included any sound card because I can’t see why I would need one. Do I need a sound card?
4. I have an old 4MB svga video card. I can't see why I would need more than this since it will only be used for setup. Will it suffice for my intended purpose?
Advice? Comments? Thanks for the help!
Case: DC Quiet Case w/ fan and power supply $119
Sound level is a relatively important consideration.
Motherboard & CPU: ASUS-CUSL2-C $109 and Intel P3-733 $85
This combination is more than I need, but it should have enough horsepower if I decide to add dscaler and a video capture card later (for scaling laserdisc).
Memory: 256 Mb – PC133 $17
Floppy: $14
Hard Drive: Western Digital 120 Gb, 7200RPM $200 (CompUSA)
HDTV-PC Card: Either AccessDTV or Hipix $400 (plus VGA breakout cable)
I change my mind on which card I want about twice a week.
ADTV: I like the pvr functionality and adjustable forward/reverse skip times. I don’t care about archiving issues. It’s more expensive because of the component-video converter.
Hipix: Reports suggest it has better picture quality and is more stable.
Ir Control: IRMan $35
Some questions:
1. Have I left out anything from this list?
2. My goal is to be able to operate entirely by remote once setup is completed. Thus, I’m not including an IR keyboard. Is this reasonable?
3. I haven’t included any sound card because I can’t see why I would need one. Do I need a sound card?
4. I have an old 4MB svga video card. I can't see why I would need more than this since it will only be used for setup. Will it suffice for my intended purpose?
Advice? Comments? Thanks for the help!