RE: Re: Windows Media Centre...

["Phil Harris" <phil@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I use the BlackGold cards and they are superb - i'll let
> other comment on their's, but the BlackGold ones are
> acknowledged to be up there in terms of quality (and price).
> Take a look at
> http://tinyurl.com/cujp2 for a
comparison of the major ones.

Thanks...

> > Does MCE definitely support 'just' two tuners?
> > (Occasionally it would be nice to record *TWO* programs whilst
> watching a
> > third - that's why I have three twin tuner PVRs in the AV stack
at
> the
> > moment.)
>
> 6 tuners - I guess you don't miss anything!!!!! The standard
> supported architecture is for 2 tuners, but there are ways to
> put in more than 2 - check out http://tinyurl.com/cgxaz for a
> how-to on installing more than 2.

Well - slight simplification I guess, I actually have a TiVo with its own
Freeview STB, a Pace Twin Tuner PVR and another Thomson Twin Tuner PVR
which
is only a max of *THREE* simultaneous recordings and one other watchable
channel. It's not very often that we have all three of them recording at
once but it does happen occasionally, plus I like to be able to keep a
tuner
free for my own use (Top Gear, Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps,
Simpsons, Horizon etc.). This was easy enough with just TiVo when I first
bought it but once Jo started using it then I started getting more and more
"0:01 (partial)" recordings and hence why more PVRs kinda turned
up.

4 tuners (3 record and 1 live TV) should be *MORE* than sufficient. :-D

> > What sort of disc space does recording freeview take up per hour
> (roughly)?
>
> Size varies, but if i look at recordings i have on my box now an
> hour (plus 5 minutes total before and after) ranges from 1.5 to 2GB.

Cool - that's good. Did you all "roll your own" and build your
HTPCs from
scratch as I'm trying to decide between expanding my current MCE box or
buying in a complete new (and hopefully quiet) machine.

Phil