PC to DVR

[TPBlaster]

I would like to convert a low end pc of mine to a nice HTPC/DVR. I have a A10 6400k, 64gb ssd, a motherboard, a case and a power supply. I was wondering how much of what RAM I should buy. What PCI-E based tv tuner I should buy. Also how much storage do I need. Lastly what OS should I use. My budget is 100-150$ (cheaper is better).

 

[ronintexas]

Are you going to watch/record OTA (over the air), standard QAM (cable TV) or Digital Cable?

How many programs do you watch/record at one time?

 

[TPBlaster]

cable and as many as I can while staying in the budget but at least 1 plus 1 live show.

 

[Wolfshadw]

If you expect to be able to record HD channels, you may need to increase your budget and get a cablecard from your cable provider. This Hauppauge Dual-Tuner Device will allow you to record up to two HD Digital channels from your cable provider. You should have a minimum of 4GB of RAM installed for this purpose. As for an OS, you should probably look towards Mythbuntu or XBMC.

-Wolf sends

 

[ronintexas]

Digital cable card tuners are available from Happauge (dual tuner), SiliconDust (triple tuner) and Ceton (quad tuner). I own the SiliconDust - I like it because it is a network based tuner - meaning any PC can watch TV - and you can watch/record up to 3 HD channels at one time. They have been on sale at New Egg for about $120.

Your CPU is good (I have the same in my HTPC), I have 8GB of RAM (4GB might work well - you should have about 1GB for the OS, and about 1.5GB for each streaming of a HD video). I also invested in a 2TB drive for recording - although 1 TB should be fine (make sure it is at least 7200 RPM).

I run Windows 7 with Windows Media Center - because I wanted the "DVR Menus" like the cable box. You can also use XBOX-360s as extenders to watch the recorded programs.

GPU - all you need is a basic GPU with HDMI out - I use an ASUS GeForce 210 Silent....they run about $20-$40.