How To Convert Your PC Into a Media Center PC and DVR (Digital Video
Recorder)
A Media Center PC is a wonderful addition to any home or home
office, enabling you to easily record TV shows and pause and rewind live TV
like a TiVo, as well as store and play MP3s, home videos, and digital photos,
stream content to TVs in multiple rooms and purchase and download content
online. You don't have to buy an expensive new PC to enjoy the benefits of
having a media center and DVR. For a much lower cost, you can upgrade your
existing PC to a full media center PC and DVR and bring the full digital
entertainment experience to your living room.
DVR Components
Almost any PC can be converted into a media center and DVR (also called a PVR).
All you need are the following components, which can be easily purchased and
added to your system:
DVR Card or PVR Card (a.k.a. TV Tuner Card)
The most important component for converting your PC to a media center is the
PVR Card, which is also known as a
PVR/TV Tuner Card. The PVR/TV
Tuner card does two things: 1) it "decodes" the TV signal coming from the wall
so it can be shown onscreen, and 2) it "encodes" the signal into a form that
can be stored on your PC's hard drive, known as MPEG-2.
- Hardware Accelerated MPEG-2 (MPEG2) Encoding. Converting the TV
signal into MPEG-2 format requires a lot of processing power. Because of
this, it is important to purchase a PVR Card that includes "hardware
accelerated MPEG-2 encoding," also known as "hardware encoding." Without
hardware encoding, the PVR card must rely on the computer's main CPU to do
the encoding. This is very slow, which results in the TV image skipping
(dropping frames) and even degrading (digital static). For best results,
always use hardware encoding.
- Diamond XtremeTV PVR/TV Tuner. Diamond XtremeTV is a full line of
PVR Products. Diamond XtremeTV is available for as both a PCI PVR card and a USB 2.0 PVR device. Diamond XtremeTV
features MPEG-2 hardware encoding. For details see
below.
Media Center Remote Control
If you want to use your media center in the living room while sitting on the
couch, you will need a media center remote control to operate the system. There
are two types of media center remote controls available: RF (radio frequency)
and IR (infra-red).
- RF Remote Control. The RF remote control uses high-frequency
sound to send the signal to the PC. RF is stronger than IR, it travels up to
30 feet or even farther, and because it is sound based, can travel around
corners and even through walls.
- IR Remote Control. The "IR" remote control uses infra-red light to
send the signal to the PC. The IR remote must be able to "see" the PC to
communicate with it. As a result, IR remote controls cannot transmit around
corners or other objects and cannot travel through walls. Generally an RF
remote is preferable.
Diamond XtremeTV PVR "Power Pack" editions include the
Firefly PC Remote Control. This
is a high-end RF remote control that features outstanding design and
ease-of-use, and recently was awarded 4 out of 5 stars by PC Magazine.
PVR Software or Media Center Software
PVR Software or Media Center Software is the software you run on your PC to
control the PVR and Media Center functions, such as viewing live TV, recording
upcoming shows, pausing live TV, listening to MP3s, etc.
- Integrated Program Guide. The program guide is the screen that shows the
TV channels with the listing of upcoming shows to watch (similar to TV
Guide). For the best experience, make sure you buy PVR Software that includes an
integrated program guide, which comes up directly within the application.
Without an integrated guide, you have to open a separate window on your TV
screen to bring up an Internet browser. This is very inconvenient and
difficult to read.
- Diamond XtremeTV PVR Products feature Beyond TV 3 "Subscriber Edition" PVR Software
from SnapStream Media. Beyond TV was named "PVR Product of the Year for 2004"
by PC Magazine and features a fully integrated program guide.
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
Rather than use a third party software application, you can also upgrade your
operating system to
Microsoft
Windows XP Media Center Edition. This new version of the Windows operating
system includes all the functions for operating your media center PC and DVR,
and includes the integrated program guide.
- Diamond XtremeTV products are also the ideal PVR solution to use with
Microsoft Windows Media Center.
IR Blaster for Digital Cable & Satellite TV
If you are using your media center PC with a digital cable or satellite TV
signal (i.e., with a set-top box), you will need to have an IR blaster. The IR
blaster enables the PC to change the channel on the set-top box automatically
when you change the channel using the PC remote control. Some PVR products come
with IR blasters or you can purchase one separately.
System Specifications
Most existing PCs can be easily converted into media centers, especially when
paired with the proper PVR device. If your system meets the following
specification it should have more than enough horsepower for good performance:
- CPU speed of at least 800 MHz (1.6 GHz or more is ideal)
- System RAM of at least 512 MB
- Hard disk drive of at least 80 GB (for storing TV shows and movies)
Memory
If you do not have at least 512 MB RAM, we recommend that you upgrade your PC
memory. Check your system specification for the type of memory your PC requires
and ask your local computer dealer for help installing it. It takes just a few
seconds and you will see a dramatic improvement in your overall system
performance.
Hard Drive
As a rule of thumb, a compressed TV show file takes about 1-2 GB of storage per
hour of showtime. So if you have an 80 GB hard drive with 70 GB of available
space, you can store up to about 50-60 hours of TV. If your hard drive is less
than 40 GB, you will probably want to upgrade to a larger drive or add a second
drive to your system.
DVD Recorder
One of the great benefits of using a media center PC is you can easily burn TV
shows and movies to DVD once you have recorded them. If your PC does not
include a DVD burner, this is a great investment. They are not expensive and
can be installed in a few minutes.
Video Card (TV-Out and S-Video)
If you plan to watch the signal from the media center PC on your TV, you will
need to add a video card to your PC if you do not already have one. If
possible, use
S-Video for a higher quality signal. You can use the
S-Video output on most video
cards to connect to your TV, if your TV accepts S-Video input (most newer TVs
do). Or you can convert the S-Video signal to RCA using a simple adapter to
connect to any other TV.
Diamond XtremeTV is also available as a white-box solution for system builders
For details email us
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