All journeys begin with a first step......



This is my plan and I would like to know if it will work.

I understand the hardware aspects and have loads of data on what hardware requirements will do what.

I would like to build a frontend unit in the main viewing area (with a PVR 250 or 350), a high end processor (amd 2400+), lots of storage and a decent gfx card with TV out. I want to connect two Starchoice receivers to this front end unit which will hopefully allow me to record one show while watching another. (Can Knoppmyth handle this?). Am I correct in assuming that you still can't record one show while viewing an other with 1 starchoice receiver coupled with a Knoppmyth setup? It would only work with a starchoice and cable setup or just a cable setup.

I am thinking that the frontend may need more than one Hauppauge card along with a GFX card.

I would also like to be able to pause/resume fast forward the live show that I'm watching while recording another show. PIP would be nice too

The other thing I want to do is build a backend unit that will be wired (Cat5) to the frontend that will enable me to do any/all of the following:

Watch a live feed from either of the receivers;
Watch a recorded show from the HD: or
be able to pause/resume/FF the live feed.

Will the backend only need a decent gfx card with TVout?
Can I hook up a second backend ina different room?

Heck, can three tv's be handled by the frontend only????? (seperate feed for all three of course).


Is there any conscensus on what a totally tricked out unit would look like (dream machine PVR).

I'm so tired of waiting for Starchoice to come out with the PVR unit and I have too much money invested in receivers to switch to Expressvu.

Besides I like building geek toys like this

you have 'frontend' and 'backend' reversed.

backend -> records and stores video, audio, game and movie files
frontend -> graphical user interface that plays the above files

The backend is the server piece that 'usually' has the PVR/tuner cards. Most of us run a frontend on the same box that the backend is running on, you can then add additional frontend only boxes at other TV locations.

Each concurrent activity that uses a live tv stream (not wathcing a previous recording) requires a PVR

record one show and watch a second = 2 PVRs
PIP = 2 PVRs
PIP on main tv and live TV on remote frontend only = 3 PVRs

Not to sure about the starchoice receivers, will you need to tune these to the desired channel or will you be using the tuner on the PVR card to select channel. If you need to tune these receivers, then I guess you would need one receiver per PVR card. Each of these would need a method allow the myth box to set the channel. This can be done via serial conections (on some receivers) or IRBlasters.

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R5F1 - Dell P4 2.4Ghz 500MB - PVR250 x 2 - GeForce FX 5200 - Onboard sound/NIC 80GB ATA/250GB ATA/400GB SATA

.....And the learning curve rises......
Thanks for straightening out my front and back ends.

So each feed into the backend would need a PVR.

The frontends only need a good GFX card for TV out!
Can I assume that the frontends don't have to be as strong of a unit as the backend (ie CPU and such)?

In the backend, could I get away with 2 PVR cards and use one of them for TV out or would I also need a good GFX card for the TV out?

I'm pretty sure the way the sat systems are setup I would need two receivers for each PVR card.

no you don't need two receivers for each pvr card, you need one for each card. The backend does not necessarily need to have tvout, but most people use one strong box for a backend/frontend and then have separate frontend boxes in other rooms, but it is possible to put a backend with no video output at all in a basement or closet and just frontends at the tv's.

Now for the big one and it's a mistake you and most other people make, and understandable, but the frontends actually need more cpu than the backend. I know this sucks you want a nice fanless quiet box, but decoding mpeg2 video takes lots of cpu power. Much more so than dumping the hardware encoded mpeg2 to disk which is what the backend does. For a frontend you need no less than a 1G cpu. and that's bare minimum. I would highly recommend at least 1.5G.

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Have a question search the forum and have a look at the KnoppMythWiki.

Xsecrets

Thanks for the clarification It was a typo about the two receivers per card I did mean one receiver per PVR with two receivers total for the backend

That straightens out the hardware issues. Now on to the software.......
thread moved to software........