Help with building a Linux MythTV DVR?

Question

I need help deciding which parts to buy.

I want to use the case, optical drive, and power supply from an older Windows XP computer I have lying around (it's motherboard is fried and the hard drive is only 60GB so I'll replace those).

I need help deciding what TV Tuner, motherboard, hard drive, and CPU to buy. I want to keep the cost of this down to $250... that is my budget and I don't want to go higher than that.

I was thinking of buying either a AVerMedia or a Hauppauge TV Tuner. The card definitely has to be able to record Digital Video, but HD recording isn't necessarily a priority for me. I really only need one tuner.

I was thinking about a PCChips motherboard (they are $40-$60), and I don't know about the CPU. I was also thinking about buying this hard drive: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/System_Drives/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A0637664.

Please offer your opinion, I would greatly appreciate recommendations if you've done this before. Thanks!

Answer 1

I've been using a Myth box for several years.

Hauppauge cards work great. Since they have an on-board MPEG encoder, they'll be able to allow you to record without using a lot of CPU. PVR-350's also have MPEG decoding, which allows for CPU-friendly playback. The only thing your CPU will need to do is commercial-detection (which can be CPU-intensive) and reading your remote control signals.

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Hau...

Get your motherboard, processor, and hard drives from NewEgg. Get a motherboard with SATA slots. Read the reviews there to help you pick one out. I like Western Digital hard drives. You can get a 320 GB SATA for $80.

You'll probably have trouble staying inside your budget, but you might make it work. Good luck!