Help with a multimedia centre pc

I'm not happy with my Mvix. I got the MvixPVR and it SUX!!!! There is allot of formats that it does not play like FLV files, and most movies I dl using FireFox and DownloadHelper is in FLV format.

Sad thing is building your own media player, is that to be able to play all formats and still be a PVR, will cost you more than R4500 (depends where you get your specials). Been trying to build one under that price (no success).

But one way to cut cost is to get the Ubuntu Media Player version. Have not tried it myself, but it will cut allot of the coat to build a machine that you need. (Microsoft Media Player is not Free, neither is Vista)
 
I use a media center vista server with a 1 tb drive with a hauppage mce approved tv tuner . I then have an xbox in each room with mce so all tv can watch tv or view any movie I have stored on the server also when you have visitors you put music on through the xbox and do a slide show at the same time its a nice party trick there are alot of people out there who dont like the xbox or microsoft but the mce package is a ver very nice tool to have. also if you put 2 or more tuners in to the server then you can wath and recorde in each room different channels at the same time the whole video on demand is a real pleasure.
 
Thats quite an awesome setup. Because you can also game with it. You could do something similar with basic PC's and a more advanced server PC.

Get yourself the Compro E900F TV Card in your server PC ... its dual hybrid analog / digital in + AV in, so you can watch / record two channels + put your DSTV on the composite input. Put two of those in and you have 4 SABC channels at the same time or 3 SABC + 1 Analog DSTV Signal + 1 Digital DSTV signal (Assuming you have the Dual DSTV thing)
 
that is pretty much what I have except the hybrid part but Im trying to ether get an hdmi capture mce approved card so i can push my hdpvr through it or if dstv gets it right aleast push 720p or 1080i through the YPbPr then at least I can push hd out to all tvs in my house as it stands the hdpvr doesnt support more that 480p through the YPbPr ports... if any body needs the regedit for the old 2005 mce to get sabc3 let me know ill be happy to supply it
 
I believe this is what you need to get HDMI into your PC: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=wIxyLFT9vTWHLHk8

Although looking at my supplier's pricelist, its not the most cost friendly purchase, but I will say the Audio out on these things is awesome, but that doesn't really matter to you. I think the HDMI input is what will be attractive to you ... although not sure if you can PVR it ... probably can, but softwaer encoding I'm guessing.
 
now that is the answer but I dont see if its mce approved if it is then Ill definetly get one do you know how much it costs to the public or which supplier sells it (rectron , axiz ..)
 
frozen7days said:
now that is the answer but I dont see if its mce approved if it is then Ill definetly get one do you know how much it costs to the public or which supplier sells it (rectron , axiz ..)
Click to expand...

Well I'm yet to add them to my site, but price is R2200 for the HDAV 1.3, R1850 for the Slim version which is low-profile and not PCI-X, and R2665 for the Deluxe version.

Told you pricing was a choking factor on these :p

If you give me until Monday (and send an email to remind my dumbass brain), I will phone my Asus Rep and ask him if it is MCE certified.
 
I ended up building up a pc from Rectron. put the GT9400 in as this has HDMI on the card already. Machine with Vista Premium HOme came to about R4200. Bought a remote (Hauppauge) form Sybratic for about R400.

Will test it all tonight, but so far its looking pretty good....

Thanks for all the advice btw.

Roddy
 
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