Solved! How do I set up a Panasonic P50GT25 HDTV to record to an external HDD?

[TopGun]

Hey guys,

I really wasn't sure where to post this. Could the mods please move this to the correct forum if this isn't it? Thanks.

OK, here's the deal. I have a Panasonic P50GT25 and am using AT&T U-verse for my TV and Internet provider. The U-verse box has a DVR built in it, but 1.) if the box goes bad (which I recently had a tech from AT&T tell me they do somewhat frequently) then they don't transfer any of your recordings, they just give you a new box, and 2.) there isn't as much storage capacity as we'd like.

Also, besides being able to record to an external HDD, we'd like to be able to listen to the music I have on my PC through the speaker setup we're using for the TV, watch shows from Hulu (which the Panasonic doesn't have an app for that yet afaik...it does for youtube and netflix though), surf the web (facebook, email, etc.), and look at pics or vids stored on my PC.

I have no idea where to start on all this...it's a bit overwhelming when you don't have any experience with this stuff. Is it as simple as running a cable from my PC to the TV and a cable from the u-verse box to an external HDD? What is a TV tuner card? Do I need an actual 2nd DVR besides the u-verse box? Will my Radeon HD 4770 GPU and E5200 CPU be able to produce the correct resolution on the Panasonic P50GT25? Do I need to set up some kind of home network...or not if I just run a cable directly?

I need some good articles and advice please...I don't know where to start.

Thanks,
-TG

 

[americanaudiophile]

Since no one is responding I will take a shot at it. I doubt there is a way to off load the video from your u-verse box to an HDD. They don't intend for you to permanently save stuff. A TV Tuner card is for over the air TV and in rare cases cable TV so it probably doesn't work with U-verse.
You can hook your PC up to your TV and audio system (if you have one). The exact cables will depend on the outputs on your PC (HDMI or component video for HD video, and analog or digital audio for sound) and the inputs on the TV. You will need to set the resolution to match the TV.

 

[TopGun]

I'm sure I will have more specific questions once I get started, but for right now...

When I hook up the TV to the video card...will the sound go through that connection too, or will sound require a different connection? I have my PC speakers plugged into my PC right now, and unhooking them to get access to the speaker ports to connect to my TV would be less than ideal.

 

[SofiaBrown]

for this the panasonic customer support center is the best place if your PC is under warranty.