Building a PVR for my mom...

[hufnagel]

So my mom wants one to replace her dying VHS VCRs (yes, she still uses them ). Since the machine will sit under her TV I'm thinking of getting a PVR-350 for its video out capabilities directly to the TV and either a PVR-250 or PVR-500 board for additional channel recording. My planned system case is an HP/Compaq D530s (P2.8GHz, 512MB PC2700, 750GB PATA 7200RPM HDD, Intel 865G chipset) since I have a couple here lying around so I'll be limited to just 2 PCI slots. OS will XP Professional (Vista == in my book)

Having NOT built another PVR for several years are can anyone tell me any issues surrounding the use of the -350 and the -250/-500 boards in combination?

Thanks!

edit: also, there's no MVP's hooked to it yet, although I'd expect 1 or 2 sometime in the future.
the box will run headless with just the SageTVService running; probably not even logged in to the user account (why waste the memory.)
basically it'll be treated like an appliance.

[Djc208]

I'm a little (not a new thing) but if it's headless how does your mom control the interface to watch her shows, especially when you're only running Sage as a service. For that matter how does she actually watch them on the TV? I didn't think the output on the 350 was the same as an actual graphics card, it could just do MPEG2 playback, how do you access the Sage interface?

[davephan]

I'm not sure if the PVR-350 is the best choice. I had one for years, and it works fine, but I have heard a lot of bad stories about the PVR-350. Your a bit low on memory, I would recommend 1 gig. I started with 512 meg, and an Althlon XP 2800+ mobo. When it died, I replaced it with a fast dual-core. I have 2 gigs memory now, and frequently about 1 gig is being used. Don't skimp on memory, it is pretty cheap.

The MVP would be a better choice than using TV out of the PVR-350. I never use TV out after I got my second MVP.

If you don't live nearby, install LogMeIn remote control. It is free and you will be able to help support the computer remotely.

Invest in disk imaging software. If the system breaks down, you need a quick way to bring it back to life, with less downtime.

Dave

[MeInMaui]

I am going to assume that your mom is not a computer expert. In this case, I would have two alternate suggestions:

1. Run the SageTV server headless (preferably in another room) and get an MVP (not wireless) to hook up to the TV. The MVP gives great SD picture quality, it is silent, and it just works. You don't have to fuss with decoders, noise, heat, stuttering, etc.

-or-

2. Get her a tivo instead, as they are easy to use and pretty much just work. I still think they are a good solution if you just want the capabilities they can provide without the headaches of supporting an HTPC.

Aloha,
Mike

[hufnagel]

I was originally considering doing the Sage "server" hidden in her house and using an MVP, but that seems like alot of extra cash spent on licensing (SageTV plus one extender license)... unless you can run 1 MVP for free if you're not using the Sage box for playback.

Also my understanding of the PVR-350 support in Sage was that it didn't display the OS desktop but that the Sage interface was fully supported through the -350's outputs.

[MeInMaui]

Do a forum search for PVR-350. Two things should stand out: There are very few mentions of them in recent threads (they probably aren't in high use anymore), and in the older threads lots of people had problems with the PVR-350 video output. If it was my decision, I'd avoid it.

Also, you can get the MVP for ~$90 and the license is another $30. I'm not sure how much the combo goes for at the sage store, but it is probably comparable.

Aloha,
Mike

[src666]

And remember, the cost trade-off between building a silent PC and a "regular" box will probably more than offset the cost of an MVP+license.

[geogecko]

I'd agree with Mike. I hand built a system for my brother-in-law, and while it's working fine now, there have and once in a while, continue to be problems for him. Thank God he hasn't tried to upgrade SageTV or SageMC on his own, if so, I'd probably be hearing more out of him.

I would highly consider the Sage box setup as just a server, then use MVPs. If something is working right, turn off and on the MVP and you're done.

[matt91]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

2. Get her a tivo instead, as they are easy to use and pretty much just work. I still think they are a good solution if you just want the capabilities they can provide without the headaches of supporting an HTPC.

Aloha,
Mike

I went this way for my 70 year-old parents. I had considered doing the MVP + Server route, but decided that trouble shooting from a different time zone wouldn't be fun.

I actually had them get a time warner DVR. It literally cost them $1.50 more per month than the cost of the cable box they had. They are happy just being able to record shows easily, and get to them when they want to. They really didn't need the www interface, or the plugin capabilities.

Matt