getting ATSC to NTSC??

[dfitz43]

Hi all,

well, I think I'm not alone here in wanting a solution to display SD (NTSC) from a library of HD (ATSC) recordings. I've got a fairly standard setup of Sage server feeding a (relatively) high-powered (P4 3.0) client, which in turn drives my Sammy DLP in my main viewing area. However, what I would really like is to access the same library of recordings on the old Trinitron in the bedroom. The current solutions, as I understand it, would be:

1) Mirror my favorites with SD recordings with standard capture cards.
--Annoying to me for two reasons. a) I have only ATSC cards (vbox x3) in my server, and don't want to add more cards and b) seems like a massive waste of hard drive space, given that the programs I want are already there.

2) Wait for an HD-capable thin-client. I've followed the "media extender" thread and am disappointed by the initial decision to go SD-only, though I guess the logic makes sense.

3) Suck it up and build a client pc with S-vid out on video card.

4) Set up some sort of batch transcoding to get HD down to 720x480 for all of my favorites, and then be able to use a good ol' MVP as a thin client on my bedroom TV.

Of the above options, the one that I like the most right now is #4. I don't want to buy more capture cards, I don't want to spend the $$ on a full-blown client PC, and I'm too impatient to wait for the HD extender.

Anyone out there have any success with automating a transcoding process? I think I managed to do this once like 2 years ago (just manually), and it was a painful experience, with like 3 or 4 programs (something like HDTVtoMPEG ---> TMPGencoder ----> some DVD authoring software ----> Nero for burning).

I know that transcoding takes a brutal amount of time, but I figure I could just let it run o/n and during the day.

Thoughts, anyone? I know I'm not the only one with this dilemma. I'd love to hear how people have solved this problem.

cheers,
Dave