Hi... I'm obviously new here but I've been lurking for about a week now, and I decided that once I get my tax return I'm going to use the money to buy the parts to build a nice mythtv box. I have a few questions about hardware:

1. I'm planning on buying some parts to upgrade my computer, and use some of the old parts in the mythtv box. My current setup is a Athlon 1400 with 512 megs of ram, and I'm planning on putting that in the mythtv box. This should be fast enough and enough memory right?

2. I don't watch all that much tv, so at least for the time being I only need it to be able to record one show at a time while I watch another. I already have a Hauppauge WinTV card that works perfectly under Linux. If I get a PVR250/350 and make that dedicated to recording, and watch tv using my current card, will the performance be ok?

3. I have an Nvidia with tv-out, should I get the PVR250 or 350?

4. I understand that the PVR250/350 captures in MPEG2 format... which is really big. Is it possible to have mythtv automatically convert that to something smaller, like a divx format or something else that won't have a real noticeable drop in video quality? I'm thinking there would either be a way to do it on the fly (though that might affect performance if I'm doing something else at the time) or I could set up a cron job to do it overnight when the machine would otherwise just be idle?

5. Are there any good wireless joystick options that I can look into? This isn't a big deal but I figure I'm already going to be using a wireless keyboard & mouse & remote, and PC controller cables are notoriously short so the joystick might not reach my couch!!!

6. I'd like a case that is relatively quiet and will look inconspicous in my entertainment center. I want it to look like part of my setup, not like a big old PC sitting in the middle of my living room.

I look forward to hearing from you guys and also hopefully helping out others in my same situation once I get started on this. Thanks!

What's a tax return?!
Plenty of memory! Given that you plan on using a bttv card and a MPEG-2 card, the 1400 is faster enough!
Yes.
If you happy with the tv out of the nvidia, get a 250. The TV out on the 350 is suppose to be great, but I have not seen it. Getting TV out working can be problematic.
Possible yes, divx no. You can Use Myth's built in transcode but that will only transcode to MPEG-4(.nuv) or RTJPEG(.nuv).Logitech Wingman wireless rumblepad, less rumble it works great! I pick up a couple several months ago on ebay for a great price.
Hard one...I picked up a couple of case at our local computer show in Ca. that look great in my entertainment center and next to my TV.
:-) Welcome aboard!

_________________
cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!

Thanks a bunch!!!!

Hmm... so I'm under the impression that the tv-out on Nvidia cards isn't all that great? Maybe I'll get the PVR350 and hope that the tv-out works ok. It'd be cheaper than buying the 250 + a new video card with tv-out, so I can then use the Geforce3 that I have in my current system (that doesn't have tv-out)

couple of follow ups to cesemans post.

The only thing I would watch out for with that processor is what chipset the motherboard is using. Some of the via chipsets can be problamatic with the ivtv drivers for the pvr250/350. May not be as bad with the newer drivers, but I am not sure as I switched to a nforce2 mb back when my via wouldn't work.

Second for the case if you have a uATX (micro-atx) motherboard then the Coolermaster 620 looks right at home in a home entertainment center. Mine is almost exactly the same size as my reciever and even has the same gold feet.

That case is exactly what I need!!!!

My current mb is a full-sized ATX so I'd have to buy a new one, which I don't mind doing because they're pretty cheap, and it'd solve the potential problem with my chipset. Thanks!

I'm happy with the TV out on my GeFORCE 4.

_________________
cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!

Well I don't have a problem with the output on my onboard nforce2 tvout, but it was VERY red until I enabled the xv controls and toned it down. I would say it's probably 90% or better of what you would see with the cable plugged directly into the TV. Just ever so slightly washed out.

Ok, I just found out I can get a P3-500 with 512 megs of ram for free. Plus a tv tuner, an ATI that I know works in Linux. I think if I get the PVR 250 or 350 and use it for recording and use the ATI for watching live tv only I should be ok performance wise... so I'm not worried about that.

I'm curious about watching dvds, listening to mp3s, using the emulators & stuff like that. Do you think a P3-500 will be adequate for that?

a p3 500 is not good enough to record and display at the same time (what you do when you watch tv). It definitely can't handle recording two shows at once while watching one of them.

My understanding was that it would be enough if I get a PVR250, because that tuner has a hardware encoder so the tuner does the work instead of the main processor.

Doesn't matter though, I just scored a free Duron 1.4!

That's where a govornment deigns to give you back a portion of the money that they took fom you after you demonstrate to them that the ammount they took from you was more than they should have taken. This usually involves spending time analizing how much you made, what part of what you made you can deduct for various expenses, donations to charities with and without receipts, then looking up the "adjusted" income and comparing it with a chart that provides you a stated amount that you shold have paid.

Some people feel extream anxiety about completing these forms and pay others a not insignificant amount of money to complete these forms for you.

Occasionally the govornment takes offense at what you claim to be deductable, or feels that your change in income from the previous year is too substantial to be valid, and decides to Audit your tax forms. If you have someone complete your forms for you, they will often stand by your side during this audit. Sometimes they will even pay any penalties for you.

There is even a burgeoning industry built around you receiving a portion of your return from the people preparing your forms. In exchange you authorize them to receive all of your return. Sounds like the potential to give you the least while they take the most, but many Americans feel the relief of having someone else do the (admitedly very simple) math is worth the possibility of being cheated out of some of their return.

Note you can take the above as humerous, or serious. Just remember, that's how you took it.

-Rusty

where did you get a free duron?!

eugene

Try to stay away from mobo's with the Via Chipset. I got mine working , but from reading in the forums the VIA chipsets are a headache.