Multiple HD PVRs? Or any other multiple component video capture solution

[supergerg]

Has anyone setup 2, 3 or more HD PVRs on a single system yet?

Seems to me this is the only solution to capture component video from a STB.

Just want to see what other people have done before I dive into this

thanks
greg

[jerryt]

The other option is the Nextcom R5000 HD modification to the STB.

[pianophase]

I run a system with two HD-PVRs hooked up to two separate Dish Network VIP222 stbs. Works fairly well with the exception of the various small bugs with HD-PVR that are (hopefully) corrected when the next firmware comes out. Those include:

- Slight sync problems with playback on hd100
- Stutter problems on HD100 progressive resolution used on HD-PVR (must use 1080i for now)
- HD-PVR creates a bad recording every 20th or so (appears to drop about every second frame... still tracking this one down)
- No 5.1 in yet

For infrared, my setup works great using a Media Center receiver with two infrared emitters. (for consistency, I'm not using the HD-PVR emitter. The software only allows one of the two HD-PVRs to be used.)

Good luck!

Jacques

[mistergq]

what do you mean single system? one stb or one server?

I have two HD PVRs with two STBs on one server. I would like to do a third, but the monthly cost of the STBs keeping me back.

[supergerg]

I'm looking to build one server with multiple HD PVRs & STBs

I want to have a consistent experience throughout the house in each room with the ability to watch anything in any room.

Currently I have 3 DirecTV PVRs, each with dual tuners. So to replace those with normal single tuner STBs and achieve the same amount of recording, I would have to buy 6 HD PVRs & DirecTV boxes.

Which just seems very crazy to me!! But I can't see any other way. Also I want to have a system that if I want to replace DirecTV with another provider I can just replace the STBs.

With that much money I'm planning on spending, their may be a better solution but I can't seem to find one. Maybe there isn't?

[MrD]

I have 2 HD-PVRs hooked up to a XP SP2 workstation.

I had 2 PVRs (150 and 250) in that same box prior to the HD-PVRs becoming available.

The HD-PVRs are hooked up to Directv HD boxes and I control them with the patternson devices. I used IR control for a couple of years, first with a Slinke and then with a USB-UIRT. The patterson devices are far superior to IR control.

My experience has been highly stable. I have been using SageTV since version 1.

The only thing I need to do now is transfer 500 dvds to a nicely sized array. My co-worker keeps trying to tell me to shrink them, but I have never had a good experience (sync issues) and it is too much effort.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by supergerg

I'm looking to build one server with multiple HD PVRs & STBs

I want to have a consistent experience throughout the house in each room with the ability to watch anything in any room.

Currently I have 3 DirecTV PVRs, each with dual tuners. So to replace those with normal single tuner STBs and achieve the same amount of recording, I would have to buy 6 HD PVRs & DirecTV boxes.

Which just seems very crazy to me!! But I can't see any other way. Also I want to have a system that if I want to replace DirecTV with another provider I can just replace the STBs.

With that much money I'm planning on spending, their may be a better solution but I can't seem to find one. Maybe there isn't?

I would rethink your solution. Do you REALLY need 6 DirecTV boxes? If you are like my wife and I, most of our recordings are the Network channels and those you might be able to capture via Over the Air....if you do this then you can just use the HD-PVR's to capture the channels you can't get OTA and get devices such as HDHomerun to capture OTA which is much cheaper (approx 150 for two tuners). I have Dish Network where they charge you $5 a month for locals and I chose not to get them! You might realize that you can get a lot of your recordings in cheaper ways and Sage will let you "mix-and-match"...and it is almost seemless to the end user.

Also, did you find yourself recording the same shows on multiple DVR's? If so, Sage is a centralized unit so you no longer need to tie up multiple Tuners with the same show AND Sage is smart enough that if you have run out of available tuners BUT the show airs at a later date, it will record it at that later date.

Sage is a very intelligent program.

My current solution:
1 HDPVR hooked to VIP211 with only HD Channels available to Sage
1 Hauppauge PVR500 hooked to 2 Dish 311's with only SD channels available to Sage
1 HDHomerun (two tuners) hooked to Antenna for OTA HD channels
1 Fusion5Lite Hooked to antenna for OTA HD Channel
1 Avermedia Purity 500MCE hooked to Anenna for OTA Analog SD Channels (JUST in case I run out of tuners to capture a show)

Sage will automically select the HD sources unless unavailable.

[HelenWeathers]

I agree 100% with everything paulbeers said. ...(I wish I had realised it before I had 7 DirecTV receivers)... I realized that 75% of my recordings were from off air sources. Got 3 digital tuners and 2 HD PVRs now. Turned off 3 of my old DirecTV receivers and upgraded the other 4 to mpeg4. No rain fade with the OTA tuners either.

[mistergq]

I also forgot to state that I am taping my network programing from OTA with HD Homerun. Right now I can only record 2 OTA channels. I am debating about picking up an additional HDHomerun so I can record 2 additional channels.

[supergerg]

Thank you all for the input...that gives me more things to think about

[Boopymon]

can someone clear up my question on the HD-PVR?

I have 3 HD DirectTV boxes, and want to place them all in the basement with my sage server....
I want to get the new HD-PVR (3) for the (3) DirectTV boxes and then place the HD100 (3) at the end points where the tv's are.

Will the HD100s change the channels of the HD-PVRs, over the network? (keeping in mind that each end user at the tv's will be watching separate channels) Or are the HD-PVRs limited in capabilities and are meant to be dedicated for each tv (meaning they can only record for that tv box and need to be controlled separately and have the sage server close by).

Thanks,
JP

[Apap]

Originally Posted by Boopymon

can someone clear up my question on the HD-PVR?

I have 3 HD DirectTV boxes, and want to place them all in the basement with my sage server....
I want to get the new HD-PVR (3) for the (3) DirectTV boxes and then place the HD100 (3) at the end points where the tv's are.

Will the HD100s change the channels of the HD-PVRs, over the network? (keeping in mind that each end user at the tv's will be watching separate channels) Or are the HD-PVRs limited in capabilities and are meant to be dedicated for each tv (meaning they can only record for that tv box and need to be controlled separately and have the sage server close by).

Thanks,
JP

All three of your HD-100s will have access to any of the HD-PVRs that are not already in use. Kinda like a tuner pool that any client can draw from. If a tuner is needed for a scheduled recording then Sage will ask you if you want to allow it to use a tuner to record. It wouldn't be a bad idea to add some OTA tuners as well if you can receive Over The Air digital channels where you live.

[Boopymon]

Apap,

Thanks that helps out a lot!
I till look at the hdhomerun for the OTA.