I just put in a second HD-3000 and installed it on my R5A16 KnoppMyth PVR.

Everything is working fine but while I was working on it I this thought occurred to me: an NTSC PVR and an ATSC PVR seem to be two very different things. Is having them combined into a single PVR the way to go or would it be better to separate them with one assigned to handle the NTSC side and another for ATSC?

For example, the receiver cards are very different (PVR-250s vs HD-3000s). The use totally different drivers (ivtv vs dvb) and configuration. They store different files, although both are MPEG2, they seem quite different. They are displayed differently. The channels are completely different. They use different sources from zap2it.com (analog CATV vs OTA).

The more I look at my PVR it seems like the NTSC design seems almost unrelated to the ATSC design. Is this just they way is worked out on my PVR or have others thought this too?

I do not intend this as a criticism but rather as an observation. I am hoping for some thoughts from people here in the forum as to what have they done.

Do you keep separate PVRs for NTSC and ATSC or have you combined them?

Is there an advantage to separating them into standalone systems or have them combined into a single machine?

If you designed a PVR system starting from scratch, would you keep them separate or combined?

Just curious. Thanks!

Andrew Lynch

I have to agree the integration is not wonderful at this point, however I think you have to keep it in one box, as most of us have far too many devices to worry about already, and things like mythtv are an attempt to consolidate. The only real problem I've seen is that the guide gets real ugly when you are trying to draw from two or three different input types. Some work really needs to go into this to somehow allow one set of channel listings that automagically determines what tuner to use based on priorities. I know it's a monumental task, but this is the biggest problem area I see at the moment.

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Have a question search the forum and have a look at the KnoppMythWiki.

Xsecrets

Sorry Andrew, but this is a pointless poll. Really, the issue is moot.

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cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!

Well, that's probably true but I am curious as to what some of the other people here are doing and if anyone else had considered this.

I am currently mulling over splitting my PVR into two machines (NTSC vs ATSC). There are some practical considerations I think. On my system has evolved into a PVR with dual PVR-250s and dual HD-3000s and am starting to build up some serious heat. Especially since it is an intel P4 prescott system.

There is an article on the KnoppMyth home page about LinHES and it has been in the back of my mind for a while now. The thing about LinHES is that it appears that the MBE (only, as I read it) records all shows and controls the recordings database and shares video/audio media from the SBE. The SBE (as I read it) allows live PVR TV viewing locally, access to the MBE database and files, and shared video/audio.

Can the SBE use its tuners to record its own shows and insert them in the MBE database? When I looked it over, it did not appear it could do that. Maybe I read that wrong but if the MBE and the SBE could each record shows and insert them into the MBE database that would be ideal.

I have set up an older computer in the basement as a frontend only system and that works great. The PVR upstairs is a combined NTSC/ATSC frontend/backend system. I am thinking I'd like to change this configuration around and do something totally different.

In the meantime, what I am considering is two fully functional and separate databases with independent ability to record and store programs. The only thing they'd share is a common display which I'd use a s-video AB switch to change video sources.

The part I have not figured out how to do is to allow the separate backends to share their data in a distributed database. In other words, instead of a MBE/SBE arrangement (which I think LinHES is), the two backends would be peers with each others data and recording present in their MythTV databases if the peer is available.

Anyway, I am always interested in what other people are doing as their systems grow and expand.

Thanks!

Andrew Lynch

Please don't turn this into a how does LinHES work thread. You know better. What you are planning really doesn't make sense. It will make things more difficult for you as far as using a frontend and viewing recorded content from either of these independent backends. Yes, is the answer to your query.

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cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!

One of the great strengths of MythTv is that it can combine sources from all sorts of devices and view them on any "frontend" device. Why on earth would you give that up and separate the NTSC and ATSC recording?? Where would firewire "recording" from a cable box fit in? How about other technologies like IPTV? Would you design a separate system for each one?

Maybe you could keep each in a separate box and market them as individual units! You could equip each one with its own remote control and mass-market them in stores like BestBuy and CircuitCity! That would create a market for more products like switching systems and programmable remotes. I think you may have something big here.

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Do you code to live, or live to code?
Search LinHES forum through Google

OK, hold on guys. I am not trying to make some point or make a statement. I am just asking a question about how best to configure a HDTV PVR out of pure curiousity. Nothing more. It is not a criticism, honest!

Yes, I agree. It appears that the integrated solution is the answer. Based on what I have read and my experience, it is probably the only answer short of two completely separated PVRs (maybe sharing some directories at most). I only brought up the LinHES question to focus on my question about distributed recording not change the subject.

I just want to understand and make sure I understand correctly.

Thank you for helping and all your hard work. I apologize if my question offended anyone.

Andrew Lynch

It didn't offend. I just hate when threads go off topic.

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cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!