:confused:

Hi All

For my next trick, I want to build a Media Centre-type PC for the lounge, with PVR capability.

The problem is we have ntl cable, but all the TV cards I see only have a normal (RF?) input. Also, I have surround speakers connected directly to the

TV and suspect these probably only work off a SCART connection, as opposed to the funny TV-out connection on my graphics card.

Has anybody managed to set up a PVR running off ntl cable and what hardware did you have? I am resigned to still having to use my set top box.

Any advice appreciated!!!

You will have to use you ntl box anyway, you can get the standard free channels without by simply feeding the cable into any RF capable tv card. However you will never get the other channels without the neccessary hardware to decrypt the signal. Your best bet is to use the scart socket on the ntl box and feed this into the line input on your tv card. My graphics card has a tv in connection and I can watch all the channels using the stb output on my widescreen pc monitor.

Yeah, you'll need to keep your NTL box to decode the signal.

You can pretty much stick a PVR card on any system and it'll become a media center.

Tranquil (http://www.tranquilpc.co.uk) make some very nice looking gear, and they're *very* quiet. Oh, and their distrib posts on here...

Rob.

very nice kit...but expensive :eyepop:

It's a nightmare to get all applications working happily together when they come from different vendors.... my media centre is finished hardware wise, but given up on the software - will try Win XP media centre next and hope it makes it easier.

Until someone does an "all in one" application for everything from TV, DVD, DVD archiving, PVR, MP3, movie playback etc it's a handful.

(I don't have NTL, just used a digital "freeview" style card - available from our local friendly IT supplier RAPID... )

very nice kit...but expensive :eyepop:

How much were you planning on spending, and what did you want it to do?

Rob.

well, i have an old AGP card with TV out and will soon have a spare 2ghz P4 - I like the look of some of the shuttle-type cases (there's a good review of one in the current Custom PC). so say

Spare 2GHz P4?! :eek: I have a spare PII-266 lol - I guess I upgrade a lot less frequently than Intel would like me to

Chris

well, i have an old AGP card with TV out and will soon have a spare 2ghz P4 - I like the look of some of the shuttle-type cases (there's a good review of one in the current Custom PC). so say