The Next Window

Subscriber Bill DePierri wrote recently to ask about using a PC to record television. I’m already doing that with my home theater pc, which Bill has seen:

Terry:

We recently got a Cox DVR. It is pretty clunky with little flexibility. This got me to thinking about your comments about your PC-based DVR’s, especially since I have an old Dell machine that is about to go out to pasture.

This machine is a Dell Pentium 4 with a 2 GHz Intel processor. The computer has 8K of primary cache and 512 K of secondary cache. It has a 100 MHz bus, 1GB of RAM and two 80GB Disc Drives (EIDE).

If I made the conversion to a TV recorder, I would purchase at least one large (500GB?) drive and install it in the computer.

Questions:

1. Does this machine have enough power to handle one channel of video recording?
…

Continue reading Digital Video Recorder or Home Theater PC?

Rather than focus on the standard features of SageTV, which have been covered in many reviews and on the SageTV site, I’ll show some of the modifications I like.

One features I really like about SageTV is the ability to use different menu layouts and even additional functions. Don’t get me wrong, the SageTV program is a fantastic program. The original menu layout is very intuitive and not cluttered. But, we all have a few things we’d like to see…. Some of these changes are implemented in the the recent version 2.1 of SageTV.

Frey Technologies has a program called SageTV Studio, which is currently still in limited beta status. Several of the folks who are using Studio have released some fantastic additions to the great base product. One of the more prominent ones today is that of Nielm, a SageTV enthusiast in Belgium.

The modified main menu screens that are part of Cayars’ “STV” package are good examples. In addition to his own improvements in his STV layout, Cayars has included many of the modifications of other gurus. (If you’re still running version 2.0, Nielm has a similar STV, on which Cayars’ is based). Cayars’ and Nielm’s setups actually have additional menus that are not part of the base SageTV product. This is how they get enough visible selections to allow the new features. Even better, the menu files that control these menus and functions is editable by the user — so we can change the labels, delete items, add more, or change them.

As you can see from these screens, some of the functions are moved from the original positions or screens. More importantly, there are new features. The “Information” link takes you to a page where you can see the local weather and weather forecast. “Stop Playback” is a function that lets you close a file that is playing — this is important because SageTV can show the current program in a window on the SageTV screen or as a background behind the window, in addition to showing it in the normal viewing window.

At the bottom of the screen, this screen shows the program currently being recorded. That display also scrolls to show those programs scheduled to be recorded in the near future. At the bottom right corner is a view of available hard disk space, showing available space and space to be taken in the next 48 hours schedule. Cayars’ STV allows this disk space display to be at the very top of the screen, allowing additional space and information.

Simply, it’s standard PC, including an AMD Athlon XP 2500+, an Abit AN-7 motherboard, a cheap video card with S-Video Out, hard drives, DVD drive and three Hauppauge WinTV PVR-250 TV encoding cards and one PVR-150..

My HTPC case case is a standard Antec tower case. This is not designed for the HTPC service.

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For extra air flow (I have 4 TV tuner cards plus a heat-sinked video card), I added an Antec Cyclone slot fan, but that’s a pretty noisy solution — not motor or bearing noise, but the noise of moving the air. Also, the Antec Cyclone fan only lasted about 4 months before the bearing went out. Not satisfactory. I replaced it with a brand-X similar slot fan which has performed quietly and well. Imagine that…

The motherboard decision was made in concert with the processor decision. I’m a fan of the AMD Athlon XP processor because of its price compared to comparable Intel processors. The processor decision alone saved me a couple hundred dollars. I’ve used Abit motherboards for both AMD and Intel processors. Abit has a history of releasing new BIOS flashes for their motherboards, so I would be able to do some upgrading later.

Read more in Home Theater PC, part 2

After watching the first episode of NBC’s new “Heroes” show, I wasn’t too impressed.

The second episode was a lot better. This show seems to be pulling itself together quickly, with major plot steps quickly.

We learned in episode 2 that there’s a world-changing event happening in a month (we also learned exactly what it is, but I’m not going to post a spoiler). We saw the heroes in their ordinary lives trying to adjust to their strange new powers — each person with apparently a single, unique power.

And, we saw “the bad guy…” but we don’t know why he’s bad, except that the narrator told us.

This one stays as a “Favorite” on my SageTV home theater PC, which means it will continue to be recorded whenever it shows up, as long as I haven’t watched the particular episode.

Love that SageTV in a home theater PC! Think of it as TiVo® on super steriods. Plus, none of the nasty DRM and proprietary storage format that you get with Windows Media Center!

The third season return of the Sci-Fi Channel’s dark, haunting remake of Battlestar Galactica is almost here.

There’s a big time jump between seasons, though.

The SciFi Channel is running a series of mini “webisodes” on their web site so that we can learn what’s happened between seasons and make the transition successfully.

That’s really an interesting development, since last season ended with an apparent cliff-hanger. I guess it wasn’t so much a “hang” as a “fall off” the cliff.

Sci-Fi channel has new episodes at www.scifi.com on Tuesdays and Thursdays, posted at noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The new season starts October 6th.

If you’ve missed any webisodes, don’t dismay. They’re all still available, but you’ll have to change the episode number in the URL by hand.

The first is http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/webisodes/01/
(well, they also have big links for them, but that’s too easy!).

Watching movies is a neat escape from the stressful lifestyle we live in. Watching movies in a wide screen and surround sound take you far away and into the movie scene you are watching. You watch it as if you were there in the movie scene.

Of late, we can only experience this escape in a cinema. However, modern technology may be able to provide this same sight and sound experience right in your own living room. We will discuss the basic components of a home theater system in this article. Read on to understand how these basic components can deliver the best cinematic experience to a home theater system.

Home theater experts state that the most important consideration in setting up a home theater system is the size of the room where you will set up the home theater system. The most important component of the home theater system, which is the television, is dependent on the size of the room. Generally, a 27 inch television set at a minimum is necessary for your home theater set up. A flat screen television (plasma television or LCD TV) is good for a home theater system because it exhibits fewer glares and produces a crisper image.

Another major component of a home theater system that depends on the size of the room is the speaker. The number of speakers for your home theater system is dependent on the size of the room. You may add up to six speakers from the basic three speakers if you want a more lifelike sound. Adding a subwoofer may also be good to achieve a complete surround sound like in the movie theaters. Three speakers should be the minimum; you may go up to six if the room is big.

Another major for your home theater system is the DVD player. DVD players with progressive scan will be the best choice. This is because progressive scan produces sharp and flicker-free pictures. This however points back to the choice of television unit; you may need to check if the flat television set supports progressive scan signals. You may also want to acquire a five-disk carousel DVD player.

A more minor consideration is the power rating that will determine how loud your speaker can be. Of course, almost all these depend on the size of the room to where the home theater system is going to be set up. Small rooms require little from your equipment, while bigger rooms may require more power and size.

You may also want to add home theater seating to your home theater center. A bigger room thus requires more investments. A smaller room might require fewer pieces of equipment, but you should still make sure you get good quality equipment to avoid a “too basic feel” of your home theater system.

Finally, you may acquire a beautifully designed home theater system if you consider hiring a home theater expert. If you can afford this, it will be best for you because the home theater expert will be able to effectively design and set up your home theater system. Your home theater designer may also add some features like home theater seating and other home theater furniture to be able to give the complete home theater package that closely resembles a real movie theater.

Having the finest and high-quality home theater system will give you the most sought after set up that you could flaunt and enjoy to the max.

Read much more about home theaters and Home Theater PCs (a.k.a. Media Center PC’s) at my Terry’s Home Theater web site.

Technorati Tags: home theater, home theater+pc, media center+pc, plasma tv, projection tv

BBC News reports that a new Star Wars television series is on the way.

BBC Radio 1 interviewed producer Rick McCallum who said that the writing team would be meeting soon to start the project and that filming would begin in 2008 — to be ready for TV that same year!

The series will be placed between Episode 3 (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith) and Episode 4 (Star Wars: A New Hope — the original Star Wars movie).

Just finished watching the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, which my Home Theater PC recorded for me over Valentine’s weekend.

While this was definitely a “chick flick” (that is, full of emotion and low on action), I recommend it for rental, viewing on television or purchase.

Why? The photography in the movie — whether the filming of people or landscapes — was excellent. Sometimes, directors go for a soft look. Other times, they want the focus sharply on the person, but slightly blurred on the background.

Here, it seemed that everything was in focus, but I never had the feeling that I was looking at a soap opera — well, the content maybe gave me that feel, but the photography didn’t.

The new <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=862&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Terry's Home Theater</a> site has:<br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 5px; list-style: none;"><li><a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=863&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-systems.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-systems.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Home Theater Systems</a> — the first step in building your home theater is the audio system</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=864&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/wireless-home-theater.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/wireless-home-theater.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Wireless Home Theater</a> — would you rather get rid of the wires to the rear speakers or run them through the walls?</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=865&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-pc-1.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-pc-1.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Home Theater PCs</a> — turn your PC into a television-digitizing, DVD-, music-, slideshow-playing centerpiece of your home theater</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=866&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-video-displays.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-video-displays.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Home Theater Video Displays</a> — the "television"</li><li><br />
– <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=867&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/plasma-screen-tv.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/plasma-screen-tv.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">&#160;&#160;Plasma Screen TVs</a> — big, bright, cool and expensive</li><li><br />
– <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=868&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/lcd-screen-tv.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/lcd-screen-tv.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">&#160;&#160;LCD Screen TVs</a> — smaller, bright, cool and less expensive</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=869&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-projection-systems.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-projection-systems.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Home Theater Projection Systems</a> — how about a wall-sized video?</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=870&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-seating.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/home-theater-seating.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Home Theater Seating</a> — don't forget the theater-style seating, or even better, leather recliner-style theater seating</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=871&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/forums/" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/forums/';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Home Theater Forums</a> — talk about home theater</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=872&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.terryshometheater.com/financing-your-home-theater.php" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terryshometheater.com/financing-your-home-theater.php';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Financing Your Home Theater</a> — it may cost an arm and a leg, but be careful with those time payments</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=873&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;tag=terrystockdal-20&amp;amp;creative=9325&amp;amp;path=search-handle-url/ref=pd_kk_sr_1?index=stripbooks%26field-keywords=home%20theater" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;tag=terrystockdal-20&amp;amp;creative=9325&amp;amp;path=search-handle-url/ref=pd_kk_sr_1?index=stripbooks%26field-keywords=home%20theater';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Home Theater Bookstore</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=terrystockdal-20&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> — books about home theater</li><li><br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=874&amp;entry_id=166" title="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;tag=terrystockdal-20&amp;amp;creative=9325&amp;amp;path=tg/browse/-/404332/ref=d_hp_sn_nfr" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;tag=terrystockdal-20&amp;amp;creative=9325&amp;amp;path=tg/browse/-/404332/ref=d_hp_sn_nfr';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">New &amp; Upcoming DVD Releases</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=terrystockdal-20&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> — find out what's coming, when, pre-order it or buy it now</li></ul>

Had a lot of fun today at Cajun Clickers. At 9am, I lead the Web Design SIG (special interest group). We had 7-8 people attending. Topics included the free, open-source WYSIWYG <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=562&amp;entry_id=125" title="http://www.nvu.com" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.nvu.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">web design program Nvu</a>, tutorials for Nvu, comparing Nvu and FrontPage, images in web pages, when and why to resize images, auto-thumbnailing images, and more.<br />
<br />
At one o'clock, I talked about my Home Theater PC to a group of 10-12 very interested people. Several are ready to take the step — three, counting me, are already running SageTV-based HTPC systems. We looked at the various features of the beta SageTV 3.0 (specifically 3.0.7PR7). <br />
<br />
we also talked about SageTV versus Windows Media Center Edition PC's. For more information on that, see my comparison on my <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=563&amp;entry_id=125" title="http://www.terrystockdale.com/htpc/winmce_vs_sagetv.shtml" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.terrystockdale.com/htpc/winmce_vs_sagetv.shtml';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">SageTV vs Win MCE pages</a>.<br />
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