PurePVR

Instructables has a quick how to posted that will help outline the basic steps needed to create a PVR / DVR using SageTV as the driving force. Although the solution that they provide is not free (e.g. you need a computer, a Windows license and a SageTV license), most people will likely already have a PC and Windows, so all they will need is SageTV.

The post includes pictures and some guiding instructions. If you are interested, you can find the full post here.

Found via Make.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, HTPC, SageTV

Today I am going to be playing catch up. Instead of one post talking about something in particular, I’m going to post a few links. Unfortunately I have been so busy lately that this site hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves. So here we go:

• Watch TV on PSP with TiVo ToGo – Daily Game
• TiVo Adds iPod Support — For a Price – Beta News
• Apps Turn Your Computer Into a Powerful DVR – PC World
• DirecTV Titanium – Luxist
• NVIDIA DualTV MCE – A review at Digital Trends
• Feature: Build a living-room PC – Computer Act!ve
• PVR gets new features as sales rocket – Biz Community

I thought all of the above had some interest, hence me posting their links. Currently I need to shuffle my days around a bit so I can find a steady time to work on this site. But for now, hopefully this will do.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, TiVo, iPod, MCE, DirecTV, SageTV, SnapStream, Beyond+TV

Diane Kristine decided that she wanted to foray into the world of PVR / DVR users. Although she is not technologically inclined, she did opt to use her computer as the device. A large part of that reason is because up here in Canada TiVo isn’t exactly a feasible option and a large part of the cable providers only have HD compliant devices (some of us are still on non HD TVs).

She initially tried out GB-PVR and MythTV, but soon found them too technical. So along with her Hauppauge WinTV-150 she proceeded to try out SageTV & Beyond TV. She had a few experiences which might help new users decide what software to go with (including having SageTV’s Intelligent Recording record a half hour infomercial). Her ultimate choice is indeed Beyond TV, but you may want to see why she chose it and whether it fits your bill too.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, SageTV, Beyond+TV, GB-PVR, MythTV

Den Guru posted their review of SageTV 4.1 recently. The whole review is 12 pages, which is a in depth review. They looked at all sorts of different angles including the basic PVR / DVR functionality, the setup process and how well it functioned as a media center as a whole.

Overall they gave SageTV a decent score, but they felt that it was still lacking in some areas. If you are interested in seeing what some of the PVR / DVR products have to offer, this is another great review to check out.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, SageTV

One of the commonly advertised features of PVRs / DVRs is the fact that you can use time shifting technology. Time shifting enables you to pause and rewind live TV as well as record a show to watch it when you want (therefore shifting the original air time). In a similar fashion, place shifting allows you to decide where you will watch the show.

Ok, what use is this?

A common example of place shifting is the ability to watch the recorded program somewhere other than the through the PVR / DVR unit. This usually means a laptop or computer that is hooked up to the same network. This is useful if you can’t use the TV (e.g. someone else is watching something) or if you want to go sit outside in the backyard.

Not all commercial PVR / DVR solutions offer this, but there are a few that do. For example, SageTV just announced that they will be adding place shifting features to their future releases. Windows XP Media Center Edition has extenders which can be used to allow viewing and controlling through your Xbox (click here to read a recent post on The Green Button site about using an Xbox 360 as an extender). MythTV (which is a free solution) allows you to create front ends that stream the video from the main unit so that you can watch it on other PCs or an Xbox.

On top of PVR / DVR solutions that offer this functionality, there is also one mainstream device that is dedicated to this technology: Slingbox. Slingbox sits between your TV and and your input signal (wether it be regular cable or a digital cable or satellite box) while also being connected to the internet. Once connected to the internet you can actually use the Slingbox to view your programming from anywhere in the world that has a decent internet connection. This is truly ideal for people who travel alot. Slingbox is currently designed to be used with NTSC based signals, which includes the US and Canada.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, SageTV, MCE, Xbox, MythTV, Slingbox, Place+Shifting

Yesterday Adam Pash at LifeHacker posted an article on building your own DVR. In it he gives a brief overview of why he wanted to build his own versus buying a TiVo. His answer (like many others) is that he wanted more flexibility than TiVo could provide.

The article goes on to give a quick write up of some of the components that he needed as well as the software to do the actual DVR dirty work. Adam decided that the money was worth it to go with SageTV and he gives his reasons why. He also gives a short list called Extending SageTV where he goes on to describe some of the tweaks and features that he uses the most.

Overall it’s a decent article to give an overview of what to expect if you go down the do it yourself road. Be sure to check out the comments as there is also a wealth of information in there.

Technorati Tags: PVR, DVR, SageTV