Right, here's one for the techie, tweaking kind of folk at Briskoda.

I have plans for my home entertainment for the coming year, and they look like this:

Downstairs

A harddisk video recorder containing the following:

- DVD/CD burner/player

- TV tuner

- radio tuner

- wireless LAN capability

- Firewire & S-VHS in/out

in a small, well-designed package, as I (read: SWMBO) don't want to clutter up the living room with a PC, and don't want to use a PC interface to program video recordings. I'd want it connected to the wireless LAN so that I can copy movies and music back and forth to the PCs without having to burn CDs and/or DVDs all the time - that's too "sneakernet" for this day and age, don't you agree?

It would replace a VHS video and a Kenwood midi-sized stereo with CD player, radio tuner and cassettedeck. The CD player and the radio tuner would need replacement in the aforementioned dream machine, the cassettedeck doesn't.

The attic

- video editing card in the PC

- the VHS videorecorder from downstairs

- adding that to my old-fashioned HiFi tower containing amp, radio tuner, cassette deck, record player and CD player, all connected to the computer through the soundcard's line-in/out

Here, I could start digitizing some of my best VHS videotapes and then dump the lot of them. I'm swamped in them right now. (Then again, if the dream machine has S-VHS input, that would work too!)

So:

- does the downstairs dream machine exist?

- if not, is it foreseen for the near future?

- and if not, what's the next best option, i.e. which two machines are best combined?

- what would it set me back now, and say in one year?

Right.. this is gonna be a fun one...

I have a Kiss DP-500 in the front room, its basically a dvd player with a ethernet port on the back, will play mp3s, divx, mpg, ogg, xvid... etc, everything you can throw at it.. all you do, is run a server app on a pc on the network and select the stuff to share. The picture and sound quality is top notch, and the firmware can be updated when new codecs are released... they also do a version with a hdd built in (dp-508) - another option is a chipped xbox, pretty much the same deal as the dvd player, except it plays games, and has a hdd in it.. only drawback is that it makes noise.

Another option, if you want to go down the multimedia PC route is to put a machine together based around a ATI all in wonder graphics card.. they are very good at capturing video... and make a kickass gaming card too. as for a almost complete solution have a look at the

MSI Mega barebones system... just add a processor, memory and a hdd (seagate are the quietest) and if you want to record things.. a ATI all in wonder.

As for the upstairs machine.. any TV card with a composite input should do for recording from VHS and camcorder, tho if you want to use it for music too, get a Soundblaster Audigy, built in soundcards usually suck these days..

right, because im tipsy, ive no doubt missed stuff out... feel free to ask any questions

I'm setting up something like this atm.

PC (you can get really neat form factors now), running linux and MythTV. You never see linux though once it's setup and MythTV is designed to be used via remote control so it doesn't look like a PC interface.Features & Screenshots

It also has DVD, Weather, News, Music and even web browser plugins.

With a hardware encoder/decoder card you don't need a powerful PC, just lots of hard drive space.

You can control it remotely via MythWeb and you can watch programs on any PC by installing the frontend on them. (or on an XBox!) You'd need at least a 54Mbit wireless though.

The capture/display card has SVideo in/out as well as TV and FM Aerial connectors. A Radio plugin is being developed which will enable you to listen to FM and Internet radio stations.

Firewire input/output is doable, but I don't think anyone has written a nice frontend for it yet.

It's not stable enough yet for everyday use, but it is getting there and should be good to go during next year.

Faye

Another few options to consider (or at least, Google for): Chipped Xbox with XBM(something), a Dreambox (satellite receiver with ethernet access), a hacked TiVo (bit of a non-starter as you'd have to invent a lot of things for this yourself).

With regards of having a PC in the lounge, unless you invest heavily in a silent case it is going to be loud. No matter what anyone tells you, a PC in the living room makes a lot of noise, unless you are able to put it in a cupboard, or put a lot of distance between yourself and the PC.

The Epia micro atx boards come in passive cooled varieties. They don't have as much grunt as a P4 but they're silent (no fan). With a quick run of hdparm you can make the drive run quietly too.

Anyway, with a Zalman heatsink/fan unit and a well ventilated case you can make a normal pc run cool and quiet. Don't forget the silent PSU too.

Quiet PC sell them.

I've got a silent P4 running in the bedroom - that needs to be *really* quiet.

Faye

i wonder who is the uk/euro distributor for Epia product and the like?

um.... cant think...

also check out www.miniitx.com loads of great ideas on here....

A harddisk video recorder containing the following:

- DVD/CD burner/player

- TV tuner

- radio tuner

- wireless LAN capability

- Firewire & S-VHS in/out

in a small' date=' well-designed package, as I (read: SWMBO) don't want to clutter up the living room with a PC, and don't want to use a PC interface to program video recordings.[/quote']

You'll be able to do this with an EPIA mini-ITX board - the Nehemiah M10000 will be up to the job. The processor "only" runs at 1GHz, but seeing as most of the "intensive" stuff will be done in dedicated hardware it's not a problem.

It is possible to make them *really* quiet - I didn't bother an just used a case with normal fan-cooled PSU, etc. The three fans are all pretty quiet though, you can't hear it over the TV, and it stays cool at about 38^C.

It's also smaller than stuff like Flex-ATX, and you can get ones which take Celerons/Pentium 4s now...

Rob.

Flex-ATX is also very loud... (asus terminator) :cussing:

Thanks a lot for the advice so far. Most of it sounds really interesting but as I'm a DIY n00b I'm looking for an out-of-the-box machine that could still be part of the home network, for file transfer purposes only, as I don't think I will be streaming video from one of the PCs.

Meanwhile, I've been tipped on this thing elsewhere:

http://uk.asus.com/products/desktop/digimatrix/overview.htm

Has everything I want, but isn't a 640x480 recording resolution a bit troublesome? Or is that OK to watch on a (small) TV?

Another tip was this one:

http://www.yamaha-hifi.com/cat1.php?lang=e&idcat1=5

But I don't think it does all I want.

Have looked into the barebone/quietPC route - have seen quite a few elegant boxes, such as the wireless-on-board SN85G4 by Shuttle - and then fill them with a HD, DVD and some hardware cards, but the operation should be absolutely SWMBO-proof... (so more towards VCR/stereo operation than towards PC operation).

Oh, and me-proof too, of course.

Has everything I want' date=' but isn't a 640x480 recording resolution a bit troublesome? Or is that OK to watch on a (small) TV?

[/quote']

IIRC (which I might not be), most TVs operate at half that resolution for standard broadcasts anyway...should be fine though...

Have looked into the barebone/quietPC route - have seen quite a few elegant boxes, such as the wireless-on-board SN85G4 by Shuttle - and then fill them with a HD, DVD and some hardware cards, but the operation should be absolutely SWMBO-proof... (so more towards VCR/stereo operation than towards PC operation).

It'll be easier to operate than a VCR, as you have a proper screen to set things by rather than using a single line LCD display!

If you get something like the ATI Remote Wonder, it makes it easier - the receiver plugs into a USB port, then you have a computer which can be operated by remote control...

Rob.

If you get something like the ATI Remote Wonder' date=' it makes it easier - the receiver plugs into a USB port, then you have a computer which can be operated by remote control...

Rob.[/quote']

But you can only get the remote wonder in Europe with a ATI A-I-W graphics card... :(

It'll be easier to operate than a VCR' date=' as you have a proper screen to set things by rather than using a single line LCD display!

[/quote']

Easier for a bloke, I agree. But you obviously haven't experienced the linear female mind of Mrs D4x4...

Anyway, I'm pleased to hear that TVs operate at 320x200 or something of the kind, so the Asus DigiMatrix seems to be a fine candidate for what I'm looking for. I'll keep you posted on the cost - I now know the base price for the barebone system (400 euros) but that excludes CPU, RAM and HDD.

Anyway, should still be much cheaper than the Panasonic HDD recorder (now at 1200 euros) that doesn't do all the extra stuff (wireless, radio tuner, etc.) that I want.

Howabout an off-the-shelf shuttle-based system running XP Media Center?

But you can only get the remote wonder in Europe with a ATI A-I-W graphics card... :(

Hmm...pretty sure I can get 'em on their own...about

Hmm...pretty sure I can get 'em on their own...about

Howabout an off-the-shelf shuttle-based system running XP Media Center?

Am coming over to this solution, as the DigiMatrix' video-recording resolution of 640x480 is leaving me a bit apprehensive, having now learned that 640x480 is NTSC resolution while PAL is 768x586. I'm also leaning towards a 19" TFT monitor to replace our tiny 17" TV, and 640x480 full-screen on a TFT screen will look hideous. So I think the DigiMatrix needs a second edition with a recording resolution of, say, 1152x768, before that would be interesting for the European market.

So what would I need except a wireless Shuttle barebone (such as the SB65G2), XP Media Center and a remote to turn it into a video recorder and HiFi set? And is it really quiet?

Hmm, still not entirely convinced that this market is already entering the n00b scene... Perhaps it's still too early days. WXPMC isn't even officially available here!

WXPMC isn't even officially available here!

Its not available officially here either, over here it comes on some new multimedia pc's. however there are ways of finding it though.

I'm also leaning towards a 19" TFT monitor to replace our tiny 17" TV

Definitely check the quality of this before you buy - cheap ones aren't too good for colour/motion, and won't have a good "viewing angle".

So what would I need except a wireless Shuttle barebone (such as the SB65G2), XP Media Center and a remote to turn it into a video recorder and HiFi set? And is it really quiet?

You'd probably need a PVR card to allow you to record stuff. And a processor/memory/big hard disk.

I'm yet to be convinced about any PC using an Intel/AMD processor being silent, but I suppose it must be possible using the right fans and muffles...

Hmm, still not entirely convinced that this market is already entering the n00b scene... Perhaps it's still too early days.

But n00bs for the most part wouldn't be bothered about digital recording and wireless networking...

Rob.

Well, call me a semi-n00b then...

I only started checking out this particular niche market right after I got this idea! So I haven't got a clue when it comes to selecting parts and their quality, that's where I come from Barcelona and know nothing...

It's just that I know that it's a technically viable plan and that I don't want to carry large amounts of money to Mr Sony or Mr Panasonic to get a solution that only half caters to my wishes.

So would this satisfy my needs?

- wireless barebone PC with Firewire, memory-card reader and a power-off radio/CD/DVD/MP3 playback mode

- CPU (I understand that a Celeron is good enough for a HTPC)

- big, quiet HDD (Seagate is supposed to be the quietest)

- RAM (would 512 MB do it?)

- AGP video card (what's a good one?)

- PVR card (so that's the single PCI slot taken care of... What does PVR stand for? Does it also act a radio/TV tuner? Does it have video-in too? See, still a n00b in this territory!)

- remote control solution (what are my options?)

- 19" monitor (am leaning towards an Iiyama E4815-B - sensibly priced but good)

- some speakers (a 2.1 setup would be good enough for me, but what is comparable to a set of 100W traditional speakers?)

- cordless keyboard/mouse (why not turn it into a living-room PC too?)

- Windows XP Home or MC

Hmm, still a shame about the DigiMatrix' recording resolution...

Oh, I also have a n00b's reason for switching to digital recording and playback - freeing the living room all the excess equipment/tapes/cd's...

So would this satisfy my needs?

I'll answer what I can...

Most of the encoding/decoding of intensive stuff should be done in dedicated hardware, so the processor power isn't all that important - however, if you can find a wireless barebones PC which takes AMD stuff, go for an Athlon as they're better than the Celeron and cost pretty much the same.

I can't see 512Mb of RAM being too little, but until you've tried it you won't know. Trouble is, the more you have the more Windows uses, so it is possible to have too much...

Video card - just needs to have TV-out, most of the components are all made by the same companies anyway. And most of the expensive processors on them are for handling 3D graphics, which you'd only need for playing games, etc. So a 40 quid graphics card should do the job.

I think PVR is "Personal Video Recorder"...will definitely have TV tuner, and see no reason for it not to have radio but worth checking. Hauppage make a few, worth a look.

ATI All-In-Wonder remote should be available somewhere for a good price...

Iiyama stuff is usually pretty good, although there are some unbranded versions out there which are as good if not better...

Speakers...hmm...just use the sound output from the computer into a hi-fi amp and use your hi-fi speakers.

Seriously, have a word with Mr ffelan about components as you might find his prices including shipping work out cheaper...

Rob.

So would this satisfy my needs?

- big' date=' quiet HDD (Seagate is supposed to be the quietest)

- AGP Video card

- PVR card

- Remote control

- Cordless KB/Speakers

[/quote']

I'll try and address each of these:

I find the Maxtor fluid bearing drives running in silent mode to be quieter than the seagates (and more reliable)

AGP Video card - I've used a cheap GeForce 4 MX 440 (AGP 8x) card, the big advantage is that it is passively cooled (no fan). The machine I'm using atm has a Radeon 9800XL card which it came with.

PVR card - Hauppauge PVR250 - input only, tv tuner and svideo/composite (only one external input)

Hauppauge PVR350 - input and TV output, tv/FM tuner and svideo/composite (only one external input)

TV output through an AGP video card will give you less than satisfactory results, this is because it scales the monitor display to fit within the visible area of the TV screen, the TV native resolution (any size tv) is 720x576 and this is what PAL dvds use.

TV output from the PVR350 is fantastic and just like watching a tivo/sky+ recording - this is because it uses the native TV resolution so isn't making any compromises.

Monitor output from any of these is superb, providing you de-interlace the video that you've recorded.

Remote Control: USB RF remote like ATI Remote Wonder - lots of buttons and all programmable. Infra Red remote (any existing one you have) with Infra Red receiver dongle and appropriate software (can't use an irDa dongle) eg. Irdeo Remote with Girder software - the irdeo remote can also send infra red and therefore change channels on your sky box. There's another box called RedRat which does similar things.

Not sure about cordless speakers. I would worry about sound quality. RMS (normal Watt rating on speakers) is about 2/3 PMPO.

I'm using:

Medion PC Titanium MD 8080 XL (may have been specially produced for Aldi but there's probably a similar spec available)

This little beast satisfies most of the requirements in one go:

P4 3Ghz HT

Radeon 9800XL

512Mb ram

Flash reader (SD/MMC/MS/MSPRO/CF/SM)

Wireless lan (Prism Nitro 802.11g)

RF Remote

RF KB/Mouse

Pioneer DVD-R/RW

Sony DVD-ROM

Seagate 160Gb HD (now replaced with maxtor 200Gb)

Stereo TV/FM tuner tv card

7 USB 2.0 (3 front 4 rear)

Firewire (1 front, 1 rear)

6ch Sound onboard (with spdif I/O)

10/100 Ethernet

56k modem

3 yr onsite warranty

Comes with all the software you need to operate all that:

XP Home

Power Cinema 2.0

Power Director 2.5 SE

Power Producer 2

Power DVD 5

Medi@show SE

VideoLive Mail

Music Match

Nero Burning Rom 6

Pinnacle Instant Copy 8

eTrust Anti virus

Word

Works 7 standard

Picture It Photo

Encarta 2004

Autoroute 2004

Money 2004

Cost 850 quid.

I've added a PVR 350 card to it (and removed the TV/FM/Modem card)

It's small (Mini ATX motherboard) and quiet - "AIR XL" which is basically a blow hole at the side for the CPU hot air with quiet fans and it is quiet enough to sleep in the same room with it.

The software didn't *quite* do what I wanted though, so I'm converting it over to linux with mythtv, which does what I want, but not stably yet - work in progress. The Windows software, in fact the whole setup would be fine for a semi-newbie

I've got the PVR350 connected to the TV and the interface and video comes out there while the monitor (if you connect one) shows all the debug etc.

Rob/Faye,

Thanks for helping me along!

So Maxtors are even quieter? Fine with me.

I agree a simple GeForce would do, and the Hauppauge PVR350 seems to be the one I need, especially as it's got FM too. If it works fine on a TV, that's great for a start, but tell me all about de-interlacing... Is a TV any good as a PC monitor? I would like to use the machine as the "downstairs PC" as well, so a TFT monitor would be preferable.

Of course I meant cordless KB/mouse (why did I type speakers? :confused: ).

As for speakers, attaching the PC to a HiFi amp, as I've done upstairs, isn't part of the plan - that's still another box. So they would have to be PC speakers, which means I should have a barebone with good-quality integrated sound.

What's the dB on a Mini-ATX board?

I'm learning by the hour!

Is a TV any good as a PC monitor? I would like to use the machine as the "downstairs PC" as well' date=' so a TFT monitor would be preferable.

[/quote']

Generally no using S-VIDEO off a standard video card - might be different off the PVR card though...

As for speakers, attaching the PC to a HiFi amp, as I've done upstairs, isn't part of the plan - that's still another box. So they would have to be PC speakers, which means I should have a barebone with good-quality integrated sound.

Well, if you went for 2.1 then the amp is going to be in the sub. So if you went for a hifi amp and 2 speakers, it's not really any different, just better quality. Not sure about over there, but here you can get decent basic amps for about

Thanks Rob, I understand the sub vs. amp issue now. It would be one box or the other...

Meanwhile, looked at the PVR350 datasheet and it looks good. Even includes a remote control. But let me get one thing straight - if I understand correctly, it's maximum input/output resolution is PAL at 720x576, so not quite so much more than the 640x480 offered by the DigiMatrix. I can imagine this looking crystal clear on a TV screen, but does it do the same - full-screen, that is - on a 1280x1024 19" TFT screen? If so, why doesn't the image break up?