[update: The final project is complete. Read the entire thread for the gory details].

A couple months ago I became interested in the concept of creating a DVR that could record and play high definition TV, and possibly copy the episodes to DVD, but would be absent any subscription fees and totally under my control. It turns out this has been going on for quite a while, and it goes by many names:

-Home Theater PC (HTPC)
-Personal Video Recorder (PVR)
-Digital Video Recorder (DVR)

I began to read, read, and read some more about how to accomplish my goal. In the midst, I found out that HTPCs are pretty versatile. You can use them as Blu-ray players, HD-DVD players, TV tuners, gaming rigs, and even extend them to other TVs through either 3rd party software or MS Windows Media Center and an Xbox 360.

Click “read more” to find out what I did, why I did it, and how I did it.

My requirements are as follows:
1. Tune and record HDTV from over the air (OTA, also knows as ATSC format) or QAM (Clear, unencrypted HD channels that cable companies send over your coax cable. Usually, just the locals, but if you have a cable subscription it’s easier to get the locals from QAM than screwing with an antenna for OTA).
2. Output the video in 1920x1080p60 to a 1080p HDTV.
3. Output 5.1 audio to my receiver.
4. Have a clean and intuitive interface so that anyone can easily use it.

Maturing technology makes these tasks attainable without extreme costs. As a matter of fact, since I don’t want to use my HTPC as a HD-DVD, BR player, or gaming rig then my task is relatively easy.

To start, you need a computer. How good a computer do you need? Well, it greatly depends on your video card. Processing video is the sole purpose of this machine, so it needs to do it seamlessly without stuttering, and with HD material nonetheless. Fortunately, the GeForce 8500GT/8600GT chipset from NVidia is almost made for HTPC use. It 100% offloads video processing (H.264, to be exact) from the CPU, necessitating the CPU only run the OS and software supporting the HTPC, which is relatively easy for any modern chip. If I were going to decode HD-DVD and BR I would need a faster processor. I found an extremely hot deal on an Acer T180UD400A at Circuit City that features Vista Home Premium, an AMD 64 x2 4000+ processor, 1 GB RAM, and a 250GB hard drive.

The existing PC needed a RAM upgrade to make Vista, Media Center, and my tuner applications sing, so I ordered 2 GB extra to increase the total to 3 GB.

Next, you need a video card to output the HD signal. I went with the Nvidia GeForce 8500GT, since the 8500/8600 chipsets have the exact same video processing capabilities (but not 3D rendering capabilities) and the 8500GT is cheaper. The card I used is from MSI. I will output the signal via DVI and feed it to my TV via a cheap and readily available DVI/HDMI converter. Since I’m not playing HD-DVD/BR I also don’t need to worry about a HDCP compliant video card, which widens my options and drops my price.

Now I have three variables left:
Tuner
Audio
3rd Party software if Media Center doesn’t cut it

If I want to tune QAM with Vista I am locked into the HD Homerun tuner. It’s a pretty cool device, but expensive at $169 MSRP. It’s a network device that has two tuners, including ATSC/QAM, and it serves the feeds to any device on your network via wired CAT 5e conntection. If you want to serve more than three devices it recommends a gigabit network. The Hauppauge series of tuners is also popular (HVR-1600 and new HVR-1800 for Vista), but I’d need to hook up an antenna, which isn’t the end of the world, but makes for more wires, hassle, and expense. However, at $60 and $100 the cards are significantly cheaper than the HD Homerun.

Audio is easy. My mobo has a 4-pin S/PDIF header that will output digital audio. I just have to buy or make a harness to get the feed off the mobo on to an empty PCI slot cover. I made a cheap adapter using a RCA to 2-conductor adapter and a cheap plastic plug I found at a hobby electronics store.

I’ll cross the 3rd party software bridge when I get there. I hope MC will be sufficient, but if it’s not I’ll go with Beyond TV, a very popular, robust, and easy to use program.

Below you’ll see the final budget for this rig. A HTPC with this functionality for $500 is a real bargain. I do figure in applicable rebates (which I am a Nazi about completing) and my 2% cash back from my Redstone Visa. Compared to a HD cable subscription and DVR rental it will pay for itself in about a year, and offer more functionality. At the top of this post is a picture of the final product (albeit on a 22” monitor, have since connected it to my 1080p DLP TV)

Hit me with questions and comments.

The Tied the Leader gaming community recently announced their first donation to the Azalea Charities, which support combat wounded war veterans. Within only seven months, TTL has been able to raise $500 from planned events, direct donations, and profits from sold merchandise.

The announcement was posted up on the Tied the Leader Blog, the vocal outlet for the TTL Community. In this announcement, David Dague [XerxdeeJ], talks about the Tied the Leader Foundation, and it’s mission and goal. “The Tied the Leader Foundation was created to give back to those from whose culture we borrow so very frequently. It’s a means of offering our humblest thanks to the people that make the safety of our couches their personal responsibility,” said David.

The TTL Foundation is not politically driven, and has no political affiliation. As mentioned by David, “We seek not to make a statement about the virtue of war – or the ones currently being fought. Instead, we seek to recognize the sacrifice of the people who march when the order is given, and to help them when they fall.”

For the full announcement, mission statement for the TTL Foundation, and information about the Tied the Leader community, and the Azalea Charity visit the following links.

Tied the Leader Foundation Mission | Azalea Charities AWS

So as you probably know we have kind of a loose schedule going on with the podcast: record on Thursday, ask for input a day or two before that. Well that just changed. We’ll be recording on Tuesdays now, so we’ll be asking for input for the show between Friday and Monday for each Tuesday’s show. Just wanted to give you guys a heads up for sending stuff in.