[vox] Tivo question

[John Mark Walker]

On Monday 08 December 2003 09:17 pm, Rob Rogers wrote:
> > Take this one, for example:
> > http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2770648713
> >
> > In order to make it a total multimedia station, just add a TV tuner ($50
> > - $75), IDE DVD/CD RW combo drive ($50), and a video card with TV out
> > ($50), and you're all set. If you have a wireless network that you want
> > to connect to, then you can add that card for < $50. (I just looked up
> > these prices on newegg.com. Refurbished hardware would be less.)
>
> From my experience (and that of many others on the MythTV mailing lists
> and chat) that box will be unuseable with a standard TV Tuner. I've got a
> standard Hauppauge bttv card, and my 1.4 GHz (not a 1400, and actual
> 1.4GHz) could record and play a single stream (or watch TV "live") with
> the processer at 80-95% capacity.

That's odd. I've used a FuturePower all-in-one computer that had 800Mhz, 128 
MB RAM, and an included Prolink TV tuner that Linux supported - 
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-108-108&catalog=47&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0

That machine wasn't exactly uber-powerful, but I didn't get the performance 
issues that you described. Perhaps a processor upgrade would be recommended 
for the Ebay link above, but 800MHz PIII's aren't exactly expensive. Not to 
mention, the Celeron in question is (apparently) easily overclockable.

-JM