On Tue, Apr 09, 2002 at 08:19:13PM -0400, Kai Lien wrote:
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> if anyone is interested in a video capture card (includes a 125 channel
> tuner) that runs in linux check out the special in your local CompUSA:
>
> Pinnacle Studio PCTV Pro
>
> $49.99 + tax - $50 rebate = $3.49
>
> it uses the bbtv driver and xawtv works great
>
> btw, CompUSA online has sold out of this item. You will have to check your
> local store.
>
> Now, if the newly released VDR (pvr for linux) 1.0 software works with
> bbtv cards instead of the dvb cards, then i could say goodbye to Tivo.
>
I bought a Tivo a while back. Very very handy. For those who are
interested, Tivo and the people who sell it tell you you must buy the
Tivo service for $9.95 a month. Not true. I never paid for the service
mainly because the closest phone line to the TV is thirty feet away, and
Tivo wants a phone line.
Paying for the service gives you the schedule of programs, but those
aren't really necessary. I have certain programs I have set to record at
certain times of the week (Stargate, X-Files, etc.). I just look through
the TV schedule and set these up. The downside is if they're pre-empted
or delayed. Your Tivo will dial in and pick up the channel line-up,
which is critical, since Tivo needs to control the channel changing on
your cable or satellite box.
I've seen one major disadvantage of not letting Tivo phone home (the
Tivo service): clock drift. The Tivo is a little computer, and its time
will drift if it's not allowed to sync with the home office. I've also
noticed that, if you don't let it phone home, after a while, it will
lose future scheduled recording dates. However, cancelling and resetting
just one of them will reset the future schedules for them all. Peculiar
bug I haven't fully tracked down.
</ramble>
Anyway, I'm interested in setting up a Tivo-like device on a regular
computer. If anyone does it, I'd like to know more about it. A couple of
unknowns I see are how you get the software to know what the channels
are and then change them on time. And how do you compare such a system
with a 19" - 36" television? Viewing programs on a 15" or 17" computer
screen seems like it wouldn't be a lot of fun. And how do you connect it
to a cable box or VCR, etc?
Paul
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