Details About My Custom-Built DVR

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Al

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As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:

BTV 3.4 / Firefly Remote / Hauppauge PVR-250BTV Bundle
$179.99 + $7.16 = $187.15 delivered
http://store.snapstream.com/btvand250btv.html

Silverstone Case, SST-LC03 Black $139.00
http://tinyurl.com/ytxkv
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-163-016&depa=0
Zalman ZM300A-APF 300W PSU $48.00
http://tinyurl.com/3l7af
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-211&depa=0
Shipping for both $21 = $208 delivered

Asus P4R800VM Pentium 4, Socket 478, mATX, 4GB DDR, 400MHz FSB Motherboard
$73.79
http://tinyurl.com/6lyaz
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X2
92ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=125780
Kingston 512MB PC3200 DDR DIMM Memory $85.03
http://tinyurl.com/6kny6
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X2
92ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=55906
Shipping for both $10.48 = $169.30 delivered

IEEE 1394 card $10.99 delivered
VIA (IEEE 1394) FireWire COASLU1394
http://store.mrtechus.com/lui13fi31pci.html
Zalman CPU Cooler CNPS7000A-AICU $24 + $6.75 = $30.75 delivered
http://www.maincomp.com/shop/product.jsp?id=759

ACCESS MB ASUS AV/S Bracket $11 + $5 = $16 delivered
(Required for TV out with the Mobo I bought, see notes below)
http://tinyurl.com/5tdtc
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-211&depa=0

CPU INTEL CELERON 2.4G 478P RTL $67 delivered
http://tinyurl.com/3v87f
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-112-176&depa=0

FDD 1.44MB NEC|FD1231H -302 OEM BLK Floppy $9.99 Delivered
http://tinyurl.com/69l6e
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=21-152-001&depa=0


DVR|PIONEER DVR-107 BLK DVD+/-RW DVD Burner $84.99 Delivered
http://tinyurl.com/3xahx
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=27-129-139&depa=0

Western Digital Caviar WD1200BB 120GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive $78
Delivered
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101203

$187.15 - BTV Bundle
$208 - Case + PSU
$169.30 - Mobo + RAM
$10.99 - Firewire card
$30.75 - CPU Cooler
$16 - AV/S Bracked
$67 - Celeron
$9.99 - Floppy Drive
$84.99 - DVD Burner
$78 - Hard Drive
_____
$862.17 - total

NOTES
1) I ordered the wrong Mobo so I had to add the AV/S bracket later. Oops.
This is the one I thought I had ordered:

http://tinyurl.com/529nh
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-151&depa=0

This one was recommended by Keith Clark, and it seems like a decent board,
although the price has gone up since I looked so it isn't the great deal it
had been.

2) I originally bought the DVD+/-RW LITEON SOHW-832S BLK RT DVD burner
which supposedly does dual layer. I never tested that capability, but the
DVD-R playability with my three set-top DVD players was terrible, so I
returned it for a full refund of my $85 purchase price to NewEgg, no
restocking fee.

I also noticed that NewEgg only posts postive reviews about their products.
I found this out when my negative review about the Lite-On didn't appear on
the NewEgg.com website. Then I read their policy that they do not post
negative reviews, so take them with a large grain of salt. If you do some
research on the web, you can see that these Lite-On burners often burn
uplayable disks if you use cheap media, so I would recommend against them.
I have a Pioneer A104 in my Sony Vaio, which has been an absolute champ, so
I decided to go with the Pioneer 107 for my new box, and it has been working
great.

3) I had absolutely no problems with any of the merchants I used, with
everything being delivered fast. NewEgg, in particular, impressed me with
their operation.
 
G

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>As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:

Does your motherboard have TV out built in it?

If no.... what TV video card did you buy?
 
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In article <41236b66$0$21759$61fed72c@news.rcn.com>, No@Email.com
says...
> As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:
>
> BTV 3.4 / Firefly Remote / Hauppauge PVR-250BTV Bundle
> $179.99 + $7.16 = $187.15 delivered
> http://store.snapstream.com/btvand250btv.html
>
> Silverstone Case, SST-LC03 Black $139.00
> http://tinyurl.com/ytxkv

My PVR card cost more thant he whole rest of the computer combined, I
feel so inadequate :) I'm about to double the value of the machine by
getting a bigger hard drive though, 30GB isn't cutting it :) --
_________________________
Chris Phillipo - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
http://www.ramsays-online.com
 
G

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>> BTV 3.4 / Firefly Remote / Hauppauge PVR-250BTV Bundle
>> $179.99 + $7.16 = $187.15 delivered
>> http://store.snapstream.com/btvand250btv.html

Hmmm..... the link above takes me to the bundle that
does NOT come with a remote.

Did you in fact get the bundle that has a remote as
well?
 
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>>As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:
> feel so inadequate :) I'm about to double the value of the machine by
> getting a bigger hard drive though, 30GB isn't cutting it :) --

Shuttle XPC mini-PCs are compact and a great way to put a lot into a
little box that can sit right next to a TV w/o hogging valuable space.
http://us.shuttle.com/

--

www.fatwallet.com/forums/ -> hot deals for the latest HD threads (eg.
Fry's had a $69 AR 200GB HD just yesterday)
 
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David Chien wrote:

> >>As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:
> > feel so inadequate :) I'm about to double the value of the machine by
> > getting a bigger hard drive though, 30GB isn't cutting it :) --
>
> Shuttle XPC mini-PCs are compact and a great way to put a lot into a
> little box that can sit right next to a TV w/o hogging valuable space.
> http://us.shuttle.com/
>
>

Except they look like a PC, which many people, myself included, find highly
objectionable in a living room environment.

Check out the cases at http://www.pcalchemy.com if you want a more refined,
high-end look.

One thing I like about the Silverstone case is that not even the DVD drive
is visible - it's behind a nice drop down panel.
 
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>Except they look like a PC, which many people, myself included, find highly
>objectionable in a living room environment.

Point taken

But Im not much on building a PC..... no time.... so
thought maybe a bare bones model like the Shuttle be
nice as al one has to do is install PVR card, hard
drive and optical drive
 
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me6@privacy.net wrote:

> >Except they look like a PC, which many people, myself included, find highly
> >objectionable in a living room environment.
>
> Point taken
>
> But Im not much on building a PC..... no time.... so
> thought maybe a bare bones model like the Shuttle be
> nice as al one has to do is install PVR card, hard
> drive and optical drive

OK, but start to finish, you can build a PC "from scratch" in a couple hours if
you're handy with a screwdriver at all. And that's building in time for a beer
(or a cup of coffee).
 
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On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 10:40:46 -0700, Keith Clark
<clarkphotography@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Except they look like a PC, which many people, myself included, find highly
>objectionable in a living room environment.
>
>Check out the cases at http://www.pcalchemy.com if you want a more refined,
>high-end look.
>
>One thing I like about the Silverstone case is that not even the DVD drive
>is visible - it's behind a nice drop down panel.


I bet you've got one of those kitchens where you have to guess which
door the fridge is behind :)
 
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Laurence Payne wrote:

> On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 10:40:46 -0700, Keith Clark
> <clarkphotography@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Except they look like a PC, which many people, myself included, find highly
> >objectionable in a living room environment.
> >
> >Check out the cases at http://www.pcalchemy.com if you want a more refined,
> >high-end look.
> >
> >One thing I like about the Silverstone case is that not even the DVD drive
> >is visible - it's behind a nice drop down panel.
>
> I bet you've got one of those kitchens where you have to guess which
> door the fridge is behind :)

I wish! In my dreams...
 
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I don't know what's the point of all these trouble and money.
Why not get this instead?
<http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvr/product.asp?model=SD-H400>

$100.00 Rebate <http://images.pricegrabber.com/rebates/11376.pdf>

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 10:44:53 -0400, "Al" <No@Email.com> wrote:

=>As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:

---nip nip---

=>
=>$187.15 - BTV Bundle
=>$208 - Case + PSU
=>$169.30 - Mobo + RAM
=>$10.99 - Firewire card
=>$30.75 - CPU Cooler
=>$16 - AV/S Bracked
=>$67 - Celeron
=>$9.99 - Floppy Drive
=>$84.99 - DVD Burner
=>$78 - Hard Drive
=>_____
=>$862.17 - total
=>
=>NOTES
=>1) I ordered the wrong Mobo so I had to add the AV/S bracket later. Oops.
=>This is the one I thought I had ordered:
=>
=>http://tinyurl.com/529nh
=>http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-151&depa=0
=>
=>This one was recommended by Keith Clark, and it seems like a decent board,
=>although the price has gone up since I looked so it isn't the great deal it
=>had been.
=>
=>2) I originally bought the DVD+/-RW LITEON SOHW-832S BLK RT DVD burner
=>which supposedly does dual layer. I never tested that capability, but the
=>DVD-R playability with my three set-top DVD players was terrible, so I
=>returned it for a full refund of my $85 purchase price to NewEgg, no
=>restocking fee.
=>
=>I also noticed that NewEgg only posts postive reviews about their products.
=>I found this out when my negative review about the Lite-On didn't appear on
=>the NewEgg.com website. Then I read their policy that they do not post
=>negative reviews, so take them with a large grain of salt. If you do some
=>research on the web, you can see that these Lite-On burners often burn
=>uplayable disks if you use cheap media, so I would recommend against them.
=>I have a Pioneer A104 in my Sony Vaio, which has been an absolute champ, so
=>I decided to go with the Pioneer 107 for my new box, and it has been working
=>great.
=>
=>3) I had absolutely no problems with any of the merchants I used, with
=>everything being delivered fast. NewEgg, in particular, impressed me with
=>their operation.
=>
 
A

Al

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<me6@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:7617i09tbm7ajapmsrm4q650a5nal73k9o@4ax.com...
> >> BTV 3.4 / Firefly Remote / Hauppauge PVR-250BTV Bundle
> >> $179.99 + $7.16 = $187.15 delivered
> >> http://store.snapstream.com/btvand250btv.html
>
> Hmmm..... the link above takes me to the bundle that
> does NOT come with a remote.
>
> Did you in fact get the bundle that has a remote as
> well?

My bad. I did get the one with the remote for $179.99 plus shipping.
 
A

Al

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"Keith Clark" <clarkphotography@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4123949E.A66A3FDD@hotmail.com...
>
>
> David Chien wrote:
>
> > >>As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:
> > > feel so inadequate :) I'm about to double the value of the machine by
> > > getting a bigger hard drive though, 30GB isn't cutting it :) --
> >
> > Shuttle XPC mini-PCs are compact and a great way to put a lot into a
> > little box that can sit right next to a TV w/o hogging valuable space.
> > http://us.shuttle.com/
> >
> >
>
> Except they look like a PC, which many people, myself included, find
highly
> objectionable in a living room environment.
>
> Check out the cases at http://www.pcalchemy.com if you want a more
refined,
> high-end look.
>
> One thing I like about the Silverstone case is that not even the DVD drive
> is visible - it's behind a nice drop down panel.
>

The Silverstone case is great looking, but just be aware of its height,
which just barely prevented me from fitting it into my new entertainment
center.
 
A

Al

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Apr 8, 2004
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<me6@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:b917i0h8kphj8fnqh5ior9ivmts18olos6@4ax.com...
> >As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:
>
> Does your motherboard have TV out built in it?
>
> If no.... what TV video card did you buy?

You need to add the Asus AV/S bracket to get TV out. I paid $11 plus $5
shipping for it from NewEgg.com (listed in my original post), but I had to
wait until it was in stock. The AV/S does not take a PCI slot, but it does
take one of your rear panel slots in the case. It has a cable that attaches
to a pin-out on the mobo, and then it has composite and S-video out on the
back.
 
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In article <npp7i09gocbqo9gv7tppqvppovnprgqvan@4ax.com>,
ROOT@Hotmail.com says...
> Subject: Re: Details About My Custom-Built DVR
> From: Blade Runner <ROOT@Hotmail.com>
> Newsgroups: rec.video.desktop
>
>
> I don't know what's the point of all these trouble and money.
> Why not get this instead?
> <http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvr/product.asp?model=SD-H400>
>

Mainly because Tivo service costs money and you can't save what you
record with it on DVD.

--
_________________________
Chris Phillipo - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
http://www.ramsays-online.com
 
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>I don't know what's the point of all these trouble and money.
>Why not get this instead?
><http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvr/product.asp?model=SD-H400>

What if you don't what Tivo service?

Or what if your like me and don't have a wired phone
that Tivo can use to get its info?

I have a cell phone only
 
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Blade Runner wrote:

> I don't know what's the point of all these trouble and money.
> Why not get this instead?
> <http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvr/product.asp?model=SD-H400>

In a word?

Control. Versatility.
 
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Al wrote:

> <me6@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:b917i0h8kphj8fnqh5ior9ivmts18olos6@4ax.com...
> > >As promised, here are all the details of my custom-built DVR:
> >
> > Does your motherboard have TV out built in it?
> >
> > If no.... what TV video card did you buy?
>
> You need to add the Asus AV/S bracket to get TV out. I paid $11 plus $5
> shipping for it from NewEgg.com (listed in my original post), but I had to
> wait until it was in stock. The AV/S does not take a PCI slot, but it does
> take one of your rear panel slots in the case. It has a cable that attaches
> to a pin-out on the mobo, and then it has composite and S-video out on the
> back.

If you get the P4R800-v Deluxe board as I reccommended, then TV-out is included
on the motherboard.


http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=P4R800-V%20Deluxe&langs=09 (scroll down to
see list of connectors)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-151&depa=0

This view shows the S-video and composite jacks (far left, next to the
kybd/mouse)
http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=13-131-151-02.JPG/13-131-151-03.JPG/13-131-151-04.JPG/13-131-151-01.JPG
 
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> Check out the cases at http://www.pcalchemy.com if you want a more refined,
> high-end look.

Good link, nice boxes to keep in mind!

Here, I'm not a stickler to Shuttles next to TVs, so I'll stick
with those for now, but the PCAlchemy boxes are definitely hi-fi!
 
G

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>>But Im not much on building a PC..... no time.... so
>>thought maybe a bare bones model like the Shuttle be
>>nice as al one has to do is install PVR card, hard
>>drive and optical drive
>
> OK, but start to finish, you can build a PC "from scratch" in a couple hours if
> you're handy with a screwdriver at all. And that's building in time for a beer

It has consistanly taken me under 30 minutes to assemble the Shuttle
SS51G hardware from components (shuttle + hd + CD + floppy + CPU + RAM +
etc.). It's actually the software install that takes longer (2-5 hours
depending on CPU speed, OS installed, and applications installed). Once
you've put one Shuttle box together, you 'get' how to put them together
very, very quickly, and can assemble one fast if needed in under 15 minutes.
 
G

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> I don't know what's the point of all these trouble and money.
> Why not get this instead?
> <http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvr/product.asp?model=SD-H400>

1) can't load up your own movies.
2) can't load up your own MP3 music
3) can't load up your own pictures.
4) can't surf the net on the TV
5) can't burn/copy CD/DVDs with one from other discs
6) can't run applications with one.
etc.

Basically, the custom DVRs let you do everything these DVD/PVR
recorders do, but a whole lot more. With a 400GB HD, you can have a
hundred movies, ten thousand music files, a million photos all at your
fingertips. And when watching TV shows, yes, you can record just like a
PVR, but also edit out segments you don't want, create DVDs from home
camcorder movies, surf the internet while watching TV
(side-by-side/PIP), edit documents, etc.
 
G

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David Chien wrote:

> > I don't know what's the point of all these trouble and money.
> > Why not get this instead?
> > <http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvr/product.asp?model=SD-H400>
>
> 1) can't load up your own movies.
> 2) can't load up your own MP3 music
> 3) can't load up your own pictures.
> 4) can't surf the net on the TV
> 5) can't burn/copy CD/DVDs with one from other discs
> 6) can't run applications with one.
> etc.
>
> Basically, the custom DVRs let you do everything these DVD/PVR
> recorders do, but a whole lot more. With a 400GB HD, you can have a
> hundred movies, ten thousand music files, a million photos all at your
> fingertips. And when watching TV shows, yes, you can record just like a
> PVR, but also edit out segments you don't want, create DVDs from home
> camcorder movies, surf the internet while watching TV
> (side-by-side/PIP), edit documents, etc.

Right - added a weather module and now my wife doesn't sit there watching
the Weather Channel driving me nuts just to get a 10-day forecast. Now it's
literally 3 remote buttons away. Click-click-done.
 
G

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> It's a common problem.
>
> Put a few hundred MP3s in folders on a DVR(+/-)R disk and try to play it in
> drives advertising "MP3 compatible). I tried that at Frys, GoodGuys, Best Buy,
> etc, and several DVD drives had to be "convinced" to release the disk. A couple
> of them sounded like they were going to explode (literally).

Here, try the excellent Philips DVP642 DVD/MP3/CD/JPEG
CD/VCD/SVCD/DIVX/XVID/MPEG-4 player available for <$69 at Walmart.com
and amazon.com

Fully unlocked with (open tray 7 8 9 ok 0 close tray) and completely
unprotected. Will play MP3s on DVDs w/o any problems.

see www.fatwallet.com/forums/ -> hot deals for the "philips dvp642"
thread for more details.
 
G

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David Chien wrote:

> > It's a common problem.
> >
> > Put a few hundred MP3s in folders on a DVR(+/-)R disk and try to play it in
> > drives advertising "MP3 compatible). I tried that at Frys, GoodGuys, Best Buy,
> > etc, and several DVD drives had to be "convinced" to release the disk. A couple
> > of them sounded like they were going to explode (literally).
>
> Here, try the excellent Philips DVP642 DVD/MP3/CD/JPEG
> CD/VCD/SVCD/DIVX/XVID/MPEG-4 player available for <$69 at Walmart.com
> and amazon.com
>
> Fully unlocked with (open tray 7 8 9 ok 0 close tray) and completely
> unprotected. Will play MP3s on DVDs w/o any problems.
>
> see www.fatwallet.com/forums/ -> hot deals for the "philips dvp642"
> thread for more details.

That's good to know, thanks.

I bought a Toshiba a few months ago that came with the best remote I've ever seen and
we're happy with it. Since then I built an HTPC/DVR to handle the formats that the
Toshiba can't.
 
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