[ExtractStream] Re: Tivo capability in a PC

[Rob Royse]

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I have only had the card a few days now, but let me see if I can answer your
questions:

1.	I personally have not experienced the problems they reference in
that particular review, but I tend to prefer dual processing Intel
solutions, as I have found the chipsets for the AMD platform to leave quite
a bit to be desired. The AMD platform, while speedy, is not famous for
compatibility/stability/reliability when it comes to video. This is not the
fault of AMD proper, but rather the supporting chipsets and motherboards. I
suppose that is a debate for another day in another forum, so I won't
digress further... :-)

2.	The guide feature seems to work pretty well. I haven't "put it
through it's paces completely" but It does a good job of scanning the range
and adding channels, and the interface is intuitive. In some respects, it's
overall setup is MUCH easier than Tivo - MUCH faster, if nothing else.

3.	The remote works AMAZINGLY well. The range is EXCELLENT, and it has
a directional pad similar to that of the Tivo that doubles as a cursor
control on screen. You have left and right click buttons, and it's as if you
have a mouse with you in your easy chair. You can literally manipulate your
PC from quite a distance. It uses USB for the antenna, and then RF between
the antenna and the remote itself, so it *IS NOT* line of sight.

I purchased the card from buy.com for around $330.00 - I am thrilled with it
so far. Is it a "Tivo Killer"? No, not in my opinion, but they are somewhat
different products. It does, however, make a viable home theatre PC all that
more viable though. Inputs abound, so you could easily add it to an existing
system and make easy manual captures with outstanding quality. 

The missing link is the device control. If I knew more about interface
programming, I would take it on myself. I just don't. I can't imagine it is
that hard to do though. If Tivo managed to add serial control for Sony DSS
and IR control for everything else in Linux, a Windows port of that
functionality can't be that hard!!!

Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: zeetivo [mailto:zeetivo@y...] 
Sent: December 28, 2001 5:28 PM
To: ExtractStream@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ExtractStream] Re: Tivo capability in a PC

Rob, 

I totally agree that if someone can produce the remote interface 
hardware and provide guide data Tivo becomes much less attractive and
a PC solution is possible. The great thing about Tivo is that a 8 year 
old as well as a 70 year old can use it. You cannot say that about
any PC solution today.

Can you update me on your experience with the 8500DV. 

1. I was thinking about getting an 8500DV but according to several 
reviews the video is not that great. Here is a link to one:

http://gamespot.com/gshw/filters/products/review/0,12835,546153,00.htm
<http://gamespot.com/gshw/filters/products/review/0,12835,546153,00.htm> 
l

Have you seen these problems?

2. How well does the guide data work?

3. How well does the remote work? I assume you cannot control
a dish or cable box?

I'd love to have a PC solution, I just don't think we are there yet. 

So Tivo is the best choice.... for now.

Thanks for your input.

Zee

--- In ExtractStream@y..., Rob Royse <rob@r...> wrote:
> Steve,
> 
> I agree with you, and I have much of the same functionality in my 
new ATI
> Radeon 8500DV video card, and they have even added an excellent RF 
remote
> with this card and firewire capability to boot. I can see this card 
being
> VERY popular with those trying to integrate the PC into their home 
theatre
> setups. The PC is a logical "Tivo Killer" for all the reasons you 
cited,
> except:
> 
> The only problem I see with it is a common one that all the PC-based
> products seem to stumble over:
> 
> 1. Simply no mechanism for controlling the source tuner if it 
isn't
> broadcast "over the air" or in basic cable not requiring some sort 
of set
> top box. Same thing with DBS Satellite systems. The one thing Tivo 
does
> (among others) EXTREMELY well is to control/change channels of DSS 
receivers
> and Cable Boxes. I have yet to see any sort of viable solution on 
the PC,
> despite the fact that the PC has even more robust connectivity than 
a Tivo
> does. I don't know about you, but 95% of the programming I am 
interested in
> archiving to a CD or DVD from my Tivo is what I consider to be 
"premium"
> content, and it requires intelligence from either the PVR or the PC 
to
> change channels. I know it isn't rocket science, but I haven't seen 
it yet
> on the PC.
> 
> I would be extremely surprised if someone either hasn't developed 
such a
> solution or isn't working on one. I just haven't looked into it yet. 
I wish
> whoever the best of luck and I hope to see such a product soon!
> 
> I would love for my PC to become the "hub" of my entertainment 
system, at
> least as far as archiving and distribution inside my home is 
concerned. I
> already have several sources inside my home modulated for output to 
unused
> cable channels so that I can watch any source in any room of my 
home, but
> the PC just has to develop the proper control mechanisms...
> 
> Just my two drachmas,
> 
> Rob
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: steve bryan [mailto:steve_bryan@m...] 
> Sent: December 28, 2001 2:37 PM
> To: ExtractStream@y...
> Subject: [ExtractStream] Re: Tivo capability in a PC
> 
> There is now a working TiVo-style product available product from 
> Creative Labs for about $100. So instead of trying to cobble on an 
> ethernet connector and bypass the intentional obfuscation of the 
> captured signal you get access to everything just as we expect with 
a 
> PC (as differentiated from consumer electronics boxes). Of course 
the 
> image is on a PC monitor rather than your TV (unless you have the 
> necessary ingredients of a HTPC) but the results are very nifty. 
> Because it does the mpeg-2 encoding in a dedicated chip there is 
> almost no burden on the main processor (around 5% has been 
reported). 
> You can easily be playing "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" in the 
> foreground and not even realize it is recording in the background 
> (you need to leave the program running in standby mode in the system 
> tray). You could be viewing other recorded programs while recording 
> or even do the standard TiVo trick of viewing earlier parts of a 
> program while recording the later parts. This really seems to be the 
> realization in a $100 pci card of a 'digital' TV product first 
> introduced in the early nineties based on a SGI workstation (anyone 
> remember the name of that product?).
> 
> I wouldn't say there is nothing to be improved in the scheduling 
> software or the steps needed to make the files available to other 
> applications but this is the real item. There is also no interface 
to 
> any of the electronic programming guides. However, in every other 
way 
> this is even better than the revamped ReplayTV or hacked TiVo. I've 
> not seen the product in a store yet but it can be ordered directly 
> from Creative Labs.
> -- 
> 
> 
> 
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