DVR strictly for using WMC with CableCard tuner

[docluv01]

Hey guys, I recently setup my WMC on a mini Zotac I had laying around, with an HDHomerun tuner.

Here are the specs of the Zotac:
Intel Atom D2700 2.13 GHz Dual-Core
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M (512MB)
4 gig ram

Initially, I didnt have high hopes for this setup to work. But, I must say, it worked flawlessly! quality was good, no choppyness!

Some tests I ran were recording 3 HD shows at once, (HBO, STARZ, and ESPN), while watching a 4th. I checked the cpu usage in task manager, and I was shocked to see that it barely put a dent!

The Zotac I had cost $279 and change. For its size and what its doing, its well worth it.

However, I am thinking of replacing 2 more cable boxes in the house with this type of setup. From the looks above, it seems the CPU isn't burdened at all. If anything, the on-board graphics is doing all the work.

If all I'm going to do with this is use for DVR and watching TV, what woudl be the minimal requirements for CPU and Graphics? I want to build something as small as possible. I saw on Newegg cheapest dual core cpu's were some AMD Llano's, AMD Trinity, or Intel Celeron's.

Also if I get a MB with on-board graphics, what is minimum? Some CPU's have graphics on board and some MB's have it on-board....

Trying to keep costs as low as possible, as I would like to build a few of these...Trying to avoid refurbs off the web, as most are big and clunky.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks!!!

[foxwood]

Have you considered trying an extender? Then you can watch the recordings on more than one TV, whereas with 2 PCs, you would have to record your HBO and Stars shows twice.

[docluv01]

I did try using the Ceton Extender. For soem odd reason, I could not get it to work properly on my onkyo setup. It didn't seem to like the AC3. Plus u need a hefty main pc to feed to extenders.

I'd rather have standalone units. I'm ok with having content on separate tv's...wife watchign her own stuff, me my own. then tv in office....

[foxwood]

Plus u need a hefty main pc to feed to extenders.

Says who? The Extender process doesn't work any harder than the processes that you've already said were surprisingly light on your Zotac.

Comparing paper specs that were written for 2007 era XP boxes to todays equipment is an rather futile exercise.

[barnabas1969]

Plus u need a hefty main pc to feed to extenders.

How did the extender affect the CPU usage of your Zotac box?

I did try using the Ceton Extender. For soem odd reason, I could not get it to work properly on my onkyo setup. It didn't seem to like the AC3.

Other extenders don't have this problem. You could pick up a used Linksys DMA-2100/DMA-2200 or an HP X280N cheap on e-bay.

[foxwood]

Also if I get a MB with on-board graphics, what is minimum? Some CPU's have graphics on board and some MB's have it on-board....

All current generation onboard graphics should be more that capable of handling your recorded TV content. The only significant fly in the ointment is that HBO in particular seems to trigger something that has been labelled as the 29/59 bug, and different drivers on exactly the same hardware can change the way that is perceived.

[grinchy]

I did try using the Ceton Extender. For soem odd reason, I could not get it to work properly on my onkyo setup. It didn't seem to like the AC3. Plus u need a hefty main pc to feed to extenders.

I'd rather have standalone units. I'm ok with having content on separate tv's...wife watchign her own stuff, me my own. then tv in office....

We're you trying to bitstream to the Echo using the Echo's settings app? What codecs do you have installed?

Plus u need a hefty main pc to feed to extenders.

How did the extender affect the CPU usage of your Zotac box?

I did try using the Ceton Extender. For soem odd reason, I could not get it to work properly on my onkyo setup. It didn't seem to like the AC3.

Other extenders don't have this problem. You could pick up a used Linksys DMA-2100/DMA-2200 or an HP X280N cheap on e-bay.

Funny thing is (regarding AC3 audio), it's opposite for me. DVD's that I rip to mkv using MakeMKV w/AC3 audio work perfectly fine on the Xbox360 and the Echo. But on my DMA2100, it only plays video - I've tested this on two different DMA's in different setups. I believe there were/are some old threads discussing that same issue with the DMA2100.

[barnabas1969]

Funny thing is (regarding AC3 audio), it's opposite for me. DVD's that I rip to mkv using MakeMKV w/AC3 audio work perfectly fine on the Xbox360 and the Echo. But on my DMA2100, it only plays video - I've tested this on two different DMA's in different setups. I believe there were/are some old threads discussing that same issue with the DMA2100.

The OP is talking about playing live/recorded TV. He never mentioned DVD/Bluray rips. On the subject of ripping DVD/Bluray though... I've had much better success with the HP X280N than I've had with either the Echo or the Linksys extenders.

[grinchy]

Funny thing is (regarding AC3 audio), it's opposite for me. DVD's that I rip to mkv using MakeMKV w/AC3 audio work perfectly fine on the Xbox360 and the Echo. But on my DMA2100, it only plays video - I've tested this on two different DMA's in different setups. I believe there were/are some old threads discussing that same issue with the DMA2100.

The OP is talking about playing live/recorded TV. He never mentioned DVD/Bluray rips. On the subject of ripping DVD/Bluray though... I've had much better success with the HP X280N than I've had with either the Echo or the Linksys extenders.

Whoops - sorry about that!

[docluv01]

I didn't try teh extender off the zotac. Initially, I tried teh Ceton off my quad core pc, but since I was unhappy with the performance, I did not persue any further...

Plus, based on feedback I got from others in anotehr thread, I was told that extending does take decent CPU.

Plus u need a hefty main pc to feed to extenders.

Says who? The Extender process doesn't work any harder than the processes that you've already said were surprisingly light on your Zotac.

Comparing paper specs that were written for 2007 era XP boxes to todays equipment is an rather futile exercise.

[docluv01]

Not to knock teh Ceton, but when using it, the video wasn't smooth. It clearly looked liek it was streaming. I didn't realize those other models worked with win7 WMC with a cable card tuner also. Has anyone used them with good experience? how would an Xbox compare?

Plus u need a hefty main pc to feed to extenders.

How did the extender affect the CPU usage of your Zotac box?

I did try using the Ceton Extender. For soem odd reason, I could not get it to work properly on my onkyo setup. It didn't seem to like the AC3.

Other extenders don't have this problem. You could pick up a used Linksys DMA-2100/DMA-2200 or an HP X280N cheap on e-bay.

[barnabas1969]

Not to knock teh Ceton, but when using it, the video wasn't smooth. It clearly looked liek it was streaming. I didn't realize those other models worked with win7 WMC with a cable card tuner also. Has anyone used them with good experience? how would an Xbox compare?

Yep. If you look at my signature, I own three HP X280N's, and a Linksys DMA-2200. I have two 3-tuner HD HomeRun Primes (6 tuners total), plus two ATSC tuners, a ClearQAM tuner, and an NTSC tuner. Extenders don't care what kind of tuner you have, but not all of them work well with H.264 video encoding. In Europe, H.264 encoding is common (on OTA, Cable, and satellite, from what I understand), and it is beginning to happen on some cable TV providers in the USA too. I recently purchased a DMA-2100 for testing purposes, and I also was part of the Echo beta. I got my Echo in October 2012, and returned it 2 weeks ago. The Echo did not compare to the HP and Linksys extenders. The HP extender seems to handle H.264 better than the Linksys, but the XBox360 is reported to handle H.264 the best.

The HP works fine with H.264 video encoded at a bitrate below 20Mbps, which means that it should handle H.264 from a Cable TV source.

I've never owned an XBox360, but everyone says that they are even better than the HP and Linksys extenders (the XBox360 purportedly has better codec support and animated menu transitions). The XBox360 is the loudest and most power-hungry of the bunch. D-Link also made an extender, but every review I've read says to stay away from it. You can read my post here regarding the pros/cons of the HP and Linksys extenders.

[docluv01]

Interesting....I did not know the other older ones still worked. I may look into this now I saw a few on ebay.

anything in decent condition is like $130 to $150. I could get refurbed xbox360 locally for that amount....

Thank you very much!

Not to knock teh Ceton, but when using it, the video wasn't smooth. It clearly looked liek it was streaming. I didn't realize those other models worked with win7 WMC with a cable card tuner also. Has anyone used them with good experience? how would an Xbox compare?

Yep. If you look at my signature, I own three HP X280N's, and a Linksys DMA-2200. I have two 3-tuner HD HomeRun Primes (6 tuners total), plus two ATSC tuners, a ClearQAM tuner, and an NTSC tuner. Extenders don't care what kind of tuner you have, but not all of them work well with H.264 video encoding. In Europe, H.264 encoding is common (on OTA, Cable, and satellite, from what I understand), and it is beginning to happen on some cable TV providers in the USA too. I recently purchased a DMA-2100 for testing purposes, and I also was part of the Echo beta. I got my Echo in October 2012, and returned it 2 weeks ago. The Echo did not compare to the HP and Linksys extenders. The HP extender seems to handle H.264 better than the Linksys, but the XBox360 is reported to handle H.264 the best.

The HP works fine with H.264 video encoded at a bitrate below 20Mbps, which means that it should handle H.264 from a Cable TV source.

I've never owned an XBox360, but everyone says that they are even better than the HP and Linksys extenders (the XBox360 purportedly has better codec support and animated menu transitions). The XBox360 is the loudest and most power-hungry of the bunch. D-Link also made an extender, but every review I've read says to stay away from it. You can read my post here regarding the pros/cons of the HP and Linksys extenders.

[docluv01]

As for my initial question, it seems that any kind of onboard graphics should be sufficient to do TV.

As far as CPU, i'm geussing anything dual core? anything I should stay away from?

Thanks again!!!

[foxwood]

As for my initial question, it seems that any kind of onboard graphics should be sufficient to do TV.

I didn't quite say that - I said that any current generation onboard graphics should do. Looking at Newegg's list of book-size PCs, I still see some first generation Atoms with GMA graphics that I wouldn't plan on using, but anything with a NVidia ION or AMD apu, or the more up to date Intel HD graphics should be OK for watching live or recorded TV.

[barnabas1969]

Go check this wiki in regards to GPU's and such.

Microsoft recommends having one CPU core per extender that is running simultaneously. Several people have said that newer CPU's are more powerful and therefore don't need one core per extender, but I haven't tested that.

I definitely can tell you that you need 2GB of RAM for Windows PLUS another 1GB of RAM for each extender that you plan to run simultaneously.

[staknhalo]

Go check this wiki in regards to GPU's and such.

Microsoft recommends having one CPU core per extender that is running simultaneously. Several people have said that newer CPU's are more powerful and therefore don't need one core per extender, but I haven't tested that.

I definitely can tell you that you need 2GB of RAM for Windows PLUS another 1GB of RAM for each extender that you plan to run simultaneously.

I can confirm on a single core AM3 Sempron 140, I can have the HTPC going as well as an extender at the same time without issue. Includes live HD TV playing on both; as well as other activities. The Sempron is paired with a GT 210 and 4GB RAM. Not sure if it can handle more, as I only have 1 extender.

[barnabas1969]

Go check this wiki in regards to GPU's and such.

Microsoft recommends having one CPU core per extender that is running simultaneously. Several people have said that newer CPU's are more powerful and therefore don't need one core per extender, but I haven't tested that.

I definitely can tell you that you need 2GB of RAM for Windows PLUS another 1GB of RAM for each extender that you plan to run simultaneously.

I can confirm on a single core AM3 Sempron 140, I can have the HTPC going as well as an extender at the same time without issue. Includes live HD TV playing on both; as well as other activities. The Sempron is paired with a GT 210 and 4GB RAM. Not sure if it can handle more, as I only have 1 extender.

It would be interesting to see your CPU/RAM usage with one extender running and also TV playing on the display that is connected to the HTPC.

On my setup (see my signature), I can play live and/or recorded TV on all five of my TV's (four extenders and one connected directly to a GT430), and the CPU hovers around 35% (unless it's also scanning for commercials). The RAM sits around 6.3GB in-use when all five TV's are running.

[staknhalo]

Go check this wiki in regards to GPU's and such.

Microsoft recommends having one CPU core per extender that is running simultaneously. Several people have said that newer CPU's are more powerful and therefore don't need one core per extender, but I haven't tested that.

I definitely can tell you that you need 2GB of RAM for Windows PLUS another 1GB of RAM for each extender that you plan to run simultaneously.

I can confirm on a single core AM3 Sempron 140, I can have the HTPC going as well as an extender at the same time without issue. Includes live HD TV playing on both; as well as other activities. The Sempron is paired with a GT 210 and 4GB RAM. Not sure if it can handle more, as I only have 1 extender.

It would be interesting to see your CPU/RAM usage with one extender running and also TV playing on the display that is connected to the HTPC.

On my setup (see my signature), I can play live and/or recorded TV on all five of my TV's (four extenders and one connected directly to a GT430), and the CPU hovers around 35% (unless it's also scanning for commercials). The RAM sits around 6.3GB in-use when all five TV's are running.

I can do that. Maybe over the weekend.

[staknhalo]

It would be interesting to see your CPU/RAM usage with one extender running and also TV playing on the display that is connected to the HTPC.

As requested - here you go. Live HD TV playing on both at the same time (different stations each). It will spike momentarily when the extender connects; and when changing a channel on either the extender or HTPC - but the CPU sits between 30%-40% mostly. Memory pretty much always stays where it is from what I saw.