G
Gary Church
Guest
Hi all.
I've been putting together my own computer systems for years now and have decided to tackle an HTPC.
I've been browsing the forums trying to get a "lay of the land" but have been confused, baffled and lost.
Here's my situation and what I want out of my HTPC:
I have a new SONY KV-34XBR910 34" HDTV and Comcast digital HDTV converter box. There are very few HDTV stations in my area (about 6). Most of the channels are non-HD.
I want my HTPC to do the following:
* Act like TiVO without paying the monthly fees
* Be a DVD player for the television
* Record TV programs onto DVD
* Be networked to my main PC to play multiplayer games using the TV as the screen.
* Use it as a second computer to surf the internet, play internet radio access Real-one Rhapsody, etc...
I also have an XBOX and was wondering if this can be integrated into my HTPC (I've read that you can get a better picture doing this somehow.)
My bafflement stems from determining the video hardware I need for my system.
I'm considering getting a fanless Radeon 9600 video card along with the Hauppauge PVR-250 (or PVR-350) card. This seems to be a typical setup for non-HDTV, non-digital broadcasts.
But what about my setup? Do I need different video hardware to get the most benefit from my HDTV and digital HDTV cable connection via Comcast? If I don't care to record the HDTV channels (the six I get), will this hardware suffice? If I want to be able to record both the HDTV and non-HD channels, will I need different hardware?
How can I maximize the use of my new Sony HDTV for DVD playback and PC gameplay? Can I get PC games to look better on my HDTV than on my computer moniter? Will DVD's appear as good (or better) using my HTPC as with my currend progressive scan DVD player?
One of the other baffling issues that I can think of at the moment is how do all these components get connected.
How do the TV, cable box, PC, video card and Hauppauge card connect together (and how would the XBox fit into this?) Will I be able to record (TiVo style) all the channels that I currently can access or is there some limit to the number of channels I'll be able to tune in and record?
If I sound completly ignorant, forgive me---I am.
Your sage advice and opinions are valued and appreciated.
Thanks,
Gary.
I've been putting together my own computer systems for years now and have decided to tackle an HTPC.
I've been browsing the forums trying to get a "lay of the land" but have been confused, baffled and lost.
Here's my situation and what I want out of my HTPC:
I have a new SONY KV-34XBR910 34" HDTV and Comcast digital HDTV converter box. There are very few HDTV stations in my area (about 6). Most of the channels are non-HD.
I want my HTPC to do the following:
* Act like TiVO without paying the monthly fees
* Be a DVD player for the television
* Record TV programs onto DVD
* Be networked to my main PC to play multiplayer games using the TV as the screen.
* Use it as a second computer to surf the internet, play internet radio access Real-one Rhapsody, etc...
I also have an XBOX and was wondering if this can be integrated into my HTPC (I've read that you can get a better picture doing this somehow.)
My bafflement stems from determining the video hardware I need for my system.
I'm considering getting a fanless Radeon 9600 video card along with the Hauppauge PVR-250 (or PVR-350) card. This seems to be a typical setup for non-HDTV, non-digital broadcasts.
But what about my setup? Do I need different video hardware to get the most benefit from my HDTV and digital HDTV cable connection via Comcast? If I don't care to record the HDTV channels (the six I get), will this hardware suffice? If I want to be able to record both the HDTV and non-HD channels, will I need different hardware?
How can I maximize the use of my new Sony HDTV for DVD playback and PC gameplay? Can I get PC games to look better on my HDTV than on my computer moniter? Will DVD's appear as good (or better) using my HTPC as with my currend progressive scan DVD player?
One of the other baffling issues that I can think of at the moment is how do all these components get connected.
How do the TV, cable box, PC, video card and Hauppauge card connect together (and how would the XBox fit into this?) Will I be able to record (TiVo style) all the channels that I currently can access or is there some limit to the number of channels I'll be able to tune in and record?
If I sound completly ignorant, forgive me---I am.
Your sage advice and opinions are valued and appreciated.
Thanks,
Gary.