Building a Media PC

I am looking at building a media PC to get TIVO and DVD recording capabilities. I have a few questions before I seriously get started:

1) Any issues with recording/viewing using digital cable signal? My cable company is Comcast and they provide digital cable. I am thinking of a ATI 9800 Pro as a Video card and don't want to sink $2000+ into a system that has flaws.

2) I want to go mATX and find a stylish case. I have considered SHUTTLE's barbones system. I have also considered buying case and mobo separate. However, I cannot find many articles pointing me to the best solution.

3) Best PVR software? I hear the ATI 9800 comes bundled with some pretty good software, but I also hear good things about Snapstream PVS.

I'm looking for opinions and any personal experiences with this. Anything you learned of the task would help (i.e. I should have picked a different Video card...).

I have read a few how-to guides Iincluding the one on TH) on building media PCs, but there aren't many out there.

Thanks for any advice.

if it is digital cable, then you'll need the decoder box. So you dont need an AIW, because the tuner will be unused. So just get a good VIVO card. But, some digital cable company allow a secondary TV that use analog cable. If that is the case, you can have an AIW plugged at the analog cable tuner end, the digital cable box plugged at your TV and in the composite input of the AIW, and the composite out of the AIW to your TV. you could also use a VCR too with the analog cable tuner ...lot of possibility!

-Always put the blame on you first, then on the hardware !!!

I think you'd like a Micro ATX system in a "desktop" (horizontal) slim case. That's basically a real computer, using standard, replacable parts.

1.) You have to use your cable box, it can feed that signal out to the video input card of your choice, even the AIW cards.

2.) A case like <A HREF="http://This Coolermaster Unit" target="_new">http://This Coolermaster Unit</A> would probably be perfect for what you're doing. You can search Newegg's selection of cases, for example, and find many more of similar proportions. Just be sure to get one with full height slots, as the shorter ones only support half heigh cards.

<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=11-190-004-07.jpg/11-190-004-05.jpg/11-190-004-03.jpg/11-190-004-04.jpg/11-190-004-06.jpg/11-190-004-02.jpg/11-190-004-01.jpg" target="_new">Here's a cheaper case of similar proportions</A>, shown standing up, but this case also lies flat for use in your entertainment center, and is available in <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=11-190-005-07.jpg/11-190-005-05.jpg/11-190-005-03.jpg/11-190-005-04.jpg/11-190-005-06.jpg/11-190-005-01.jpg/11-190-005-02.jpg" target="_new">silver/black</A> as well. But the Coolermaster has the advantage of using a full sized power supply.

Oh, and if you wouldnt' mind having something a bit bigger still, and dropping a wadd on it, <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=11-126-115-08.JPG/11-126-115-07.JPG/11-126-115-04.JPG/11-126-115-05.JPG/11-126-115-06.JPG" target="_new">This Black</A> and <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=11-126-114-08.JPG/11-126-114-07.JPG/11-126-114-11.JPG/11-126-114-09.JPG/11-126-114-10.JPG" target="_new">This Silver</A> case both use FULL SIZE ATX boards and still look good in an entertainment center.

These Micro ATX and ATX solutions offer you a wide array of motherboards from which to choose, both P4 and Athlong varieties.

3.) ATI includes a nice software package with all the TiVO features you'll need and a good remote that's easy to use.

OK, getting back to #2, you would be better off with a case and board, so what processor would you like to use? The Asus P4P800-VM is the latest Micro ATX P4 board, and MSI makes a GREAT Micro ATX board for AMD based on the nForce2 chipset.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

if you say so...

Although i doubt it...since it has traveled so far in a coaxile cable what will 3 feet to your tv change....the only thing that the cable box is doing is providing video stabilization...the first few lines of pixals that go to a TV are actually interperited as bits and asign where each line of pixles should go...this is slightly encrypted (for lack of a better word) on systems that require a cable box...other than that digi cable is electrically identical to a standard cable connection...

If i put my k6 in a Ferrari it would be faster than your your pentium 4 or Athlon XP

whatever you say man...

If i put my k6 in a Ferrari it would be faster than your your pentium 4 or Athlon XP

that was exactly what i was too lazy to say...i did not want to start a digital cable war...

If i put my k6 in a Ferrari it would be faster than your your pentium 4 or Athlon XP

Do you ever sleep?

never!

If i put my k6 in a Ferrari it would be faster than your your pentium 4 or Athlon XP