Need help buying HD hardware

[nlz242]

Hello,

I am currently building an HD HTPC using my "current" (to be my "old" computer, upgrade cycle coming).

My current setup is a Core2Duo running at 3ghz with 4gb of ram, using an ATI 650 Tuner and running SageTV (with MC).

I am looking to buy a new video card and capture card.
My cable provider is using Set top boxes (Videotron, eastern canada). (I'm Using LM to blast to the STB).

My current setup is my main computer in the computer room, once upgraded, it'll go in the living room. On my current setup, i'm using composite (STB is not HD in my computer room) input and find that i am never using the actual tuner of the card.

This is the back of the STB i'm using for HD (in the living room). And it is connected to a Samsung 42' 1080i/720p plasma.

The STB outputs 1080i/720p/720i/480p. I have no idea what is the -real- resolution of the broadcasted signal.

So, my questions:
* Which Capture Card should i get ?
* Which resolution should i record to?
* Is my current CPU enough to Capture 720p ? 1080i ?
* Which input will i be using?
* Which Video card should i get to output HD.

Thanks alot,
-Carl

[CollinR]

1. Hauppauge HD PVR is your only option.
2. Source or 720p
3. The capture is done in hardware little CPU load
4. Component (YPbPr, the 3 RCA connectors)
5. If you can get an HD Extender, otherwise wiat for someone with the HDPVR to give input.

[nlz242]

Thanks a lot for the clear and precise answers, CollinR.

I would like to connect my HTPC straight to my tv (avoiding the extender).
Said TV has DVI and HDMI inputs.. so i would guess that anything DVI would work... but if anybody has experience to share that could help me choose a videocard.
I don't plan on gaming with the HTPC (snes emulator, maybe, but that's it, im keeping a 8800gtx in my main pc and have a ps3 on the tv). So my "criteria" would be anything that help HTPC functionality...

[SWKerr]

My main server is actually not as good as yours and I don’t have any problems playing back HD content from OTA ATSC recording or h.264 content from the HD-PVR or BluRay disks. Where you might run into problems is with your Video Card. On my server I am using a GeForce 8500 GT and on a client machine I have an ATI HD 3450, these are both under $50 right now and work great. I have an early dual core AMD X2 client with a GeForece 7300 that also runs HD fine as well but is not HDCP compliant. If you need to upgrade make sure you get something that is HDCP compliant or go into your TV with component cables. If you are using HDMI with an older card you will likely have DRM problems with some content like Netflix or BluRay.

I think if you want to capture HD content from you cable box you don’t really have any choice except for the Hauppauge HD-PVR connected with component cables. (Currently around $220) There are lots of posts on it here. It is great from my perspective but others have difficulties getting playback to run smooth.

I think the thing you need to think about with your existing box is noise. If it was not built as a HTPC to begin with it may be a little loud in a historically quite room. You may need a new power supply and CPU fan to make it quite enough for living room use. When I fist put mine in the entertainment center heat was a problem as well, I had to put a fan in the entertainment center to get the heat out.

You may want to consider the HD Extender and leave the PC in the computer room. The only real drawback to this is that you can’t surf the web or get online content like Hulu on the extender right now. (I have been catching up on Lost in HD on ABC.com and it looks really very good on the HD set.) You also can’t directly play a BluRay disk as well but they are easy to rip and play thru the extender.

[CollinR]

Well "will work" and "works" are really two different things, h.264 HD is a SOB to decode many many configurations cannot handle it. However will just about any DVI/HDMI card work for SD, sure.

This is where the extender shines, it has hardware support for all this crap and is virus proof, decoder confusion proof, malware proof, uh oh not the MS update I wanted proof. It's a huge step forward in reliablity. However you can't surf the web on it... yet.

[CollinR]

I too would reccomend an GeForce 85/8600 HDCP card but I don't own an HD PVR to know.

The 8800 however have all the support of all the video formats the 85/8600 do.

I personally have an 8500GTS HDMI with SPDIF header bridged to my mainboard. So far it seems to be working well but I only have MPEG2 SD and HD to really play with.