Please Help - What Hardware to Get??

[mike1961]

Hello - I'm getting more confused but I want to buy hardware to set up a sage media center so here are my questions:

I'm getting a file server and I was advised (in a prior post) to set up my Adelphia boxes at the server so that I can access above channel 125 on all the clients. I'm looking to install 2 Win TV 500 cards for a total of four tuners to start at the server. Here are my questions:

1. How do I get the Win TV 500 to change the channel at the cable box since as I understand it, it does not come with a IR blaster like the Win TV 150 card does? I have two cable boxes and two Win TV 500 cards so I'll need two blasters and the other two tuners would be to access only the lower channels. The only other option I can see would be to install the Win 150 on the client workstations but I was told that is not the optimal configuration. If I install the Win 150 on the file server then I'm going to run out of pci slots very quick since there are only 3 slots available. How do I get 2 of the four tuners on my WIn TV 500 to change the cable box channels?

2. I'm assuming I need a remote and remote-receiver for each workstation but I don't know what is the best kind to get. I'm thinking I would want like a 45 button remote or something with plenty of buttons to access all the Sage commands. Or perhaps there's a remote that has a switch of some kind to then double the number of buttons on the remote by sending different commands when the switch is in another postion. Please advise on a good remote and receiver.

3. What kind of client-workstation should I get? I'm thinking some kind of quiet fanless computer would be best but I'm not sure what kind of deals there are and where to get them with Win XP.

4. Do I need the nVidea encoder software and if so does it only need to be installed on the server and what is it used for?

Thanks,
Mike

[flavius]

Originally Posted by mike1961

1. How do I get the Win TV 500 to change the channel at the cable box ..

I control my cable box via serial cable. Practically 0 channel change errors. However, your cable box must have a functional serial port (sometimes they are disabled). Anything else is less reliable, and, in your case, you'd need two serial ports on your server. There is a tuner exe plugin that provides support for this.

2. I'm assuming I need a remote and remote-receiver for each workstation

I use firefly - since I already had it when I switched to Sage. Other remotes are supported as well, I'm not aware, though, how many buttons they have. If anybpody else than you is going to use that remote - wife, or kids maybe - I'd reconsider that approach and keep it simple.

3. What kind of client-workstation should I get? I'm thinking some kind of quiet fanless computer would be best but I'm not sure what kind of deals there are and where to get them with Win XP.

That client is going to be connected to a TV - a high-end TV? HDTV? How much money are you going to spend? What else is that box going to do?

See sig to learn what my "HTPC" is like. It's an AOpen Ea65 barebone, absolutely quiet, supplemented by spare parts. But I also like my epox barebone, dubbed "mini me" which has an AMD T'Bred in it and decent onboard graphics to render the client on the computer screen.

4. Do I need the nVidea encoder software and if so does it only need to be installed on the server and what is it used for?

If you don't plan to watch shows or TV on the server itsself, you don't need anything there, you want at least one codec for each client, though. NiVidia is quite good. I'd suggest that you do some more reading, here in this forum, for example, about this.