Maximum PC

Hey Guys with the world cup going i want to buy something to record it since it at really bad times for me being in aus. Anyways i'm trying to toss up buy a PVR IE Tivo etc. or a add-on card for my pc i heard you can get in case or external. i dont mind in case i can do it. PVRs i can look for myself but i need help with the addon card i'm confused about tv tuners and capture card.

Recording OTA free digital tv pal
what i want to spend <50
max 100
resolution of content :576p
max resolution of aus: 1080i
i would like a feature that is an auto on/off function for the pc with the scheduling.

I'd just get a console DVR that takes DVD's. They're only about $80 in the US, with some BluRay's that have DVD DVR abilities being about $140 (seen some at $90 open box). It's just simple enough where some of the PC/TiVo/DVR cable boxes add complication to actually get the data off the console. With a DVD DVR, you can just finalize it, eject, then you could store it on your computer by ripping it like any other DVD.

I like that option still. Our Samsung SMT-H3270 cable box doesn't allow any way to pull the data off the box. TiVo allows it, but it takes far more work than just ejecting a disc. I like keeping all of the football games I record on the Computer. If I feel like watching the 1999 Hall of Fame game in Canton during basketball season, I got it and it's ready to stream to the living room.

However, TiVo is really nice as an option if you're already hooked up via a computer or networked. It is way faster than a DVD DVR and just much more user friendly for the usual DVR tasks. DVD DVR's are recording, so hitting reverse if you're watching it live is iffy. My Panasonic allows rewinding during records, but it takes about 5 seconds to think about it, and then it's jumping around instead of a steady rewind like TiVo or the Cable Box does. Most models of TiVo still allow pulling data off for data whoring too. <-Need corrected if the newest one doesn't.

unfortunatly a tivo 320gb is $650-$700 and a regular PVR is about $350+
so i think a tv tunner and a extra tb drive would be cheaper

I don't know if that even exists... for example, a Tivo is at its guts an always-on computer with proprietary hardware running customized linux. If you can find the right PC setup to suit your needs, make like tivo and just leave it on

Tivo is expensive but IMO it completely blows any other DVR setup out of the water. I've used tivo for about ten years and I've never regretted spending the dough on it. It sounds like you're not considering tivo but it doesn't have to cost $500... you can get going for a lot less in the short term if you buy a refurb model and monthly subscription.

what do you mean Monthly subcription? is a thing the cable companies in the US give? if you read carefully the orginal post it says " over the air free tv" meaning no cable company. sorry if sounded a bit mean.

so what do you guys recommend as a tv card thing?

Do you want to keep the recordings forever, or just watch them a week or so later and delete them?

You can invest quite a bit into an HTPC, or just buy a DVR. If you get a tuner card and record it to your PC, it's the best of both worlds. But you'll be watching it from your PC. However, I have no idea what Australia uses as a broadcast format. Here, I still need a booster and placing the big antenna in the attic to get a good terrestrial signal; and I'm in a fairly large city.

A DVR will record what you want with the equipment you [possibly] have now, can watch it right from the player just as if it's a DVD (because it is a DVD), can take the DVD and rip it to your PC in about 3 minutes, and it's $70 USD.

"Monthly subscription": a Tivo (or any other DVR) needs guide data, and is flat-out useless without it. Tivo requires a paid subscription (or a prepaid lifetime sub) for said data - simple as that. Even if you're OTA-only, the DVR needs data.

I gathered from your posts that you're in Australia, and that you're an OTA-only user. Correct?
Now, as to the PC that you'll be using, what are its specs (both hardware, as well as OS?) It's quite likely that what you have will suffice (and, may even have an in-box DVR app (think Media Center)).... But, need to know first.

what do you mean by broadcast format?
from what i know its pal 720p and my lg tv says that we have a good signal.
something like the final i want to keep and the really good matches.

and guide data we get free the epg free

PC
e4400 OC @2.6ghz
GB 946gmx-s2
2gb ram
5770
500gb hdd
win 7 x64
500w seasonic

We have digital Over The Air transmissions and are carried with a format. I believe ours is still ATSC format (protocol) while cable companies generically use QAM, and even more cable coms encrypt the QAM signal so that only their box you rent can get a good signal. Kinda like the old days where you get the signal, but it's wavy and can only hear the sound.

OTA may get by with ATSC here, but I have no idea what protocol Australia uses...or if you're still talking about simple Analog transmission which rules all this moot. The US just complicates matters, so I hope it's not this difficult down there

Take Cup's reply and run with it. If you have Media Center that is in Vista or Win7 HP (XP-based Media Center Edition obviously), it's a great start. Hopefully by the time this is resolved, the stupid horns the crowd uses will be filtered out and less annoying to spectate from home. I tell ya, I can't hear a damned thing besides those kazoos or whatever they are.

Here's another option: ESPN3.com is hosting their broadcasts of all the matches for online viewing (click the "replay" tab on that page). The video quality is low and I'm not sure how long they'll keep the games available but the price is right

Hardware- and software-wise, you're right where you need to be. you need only a tuner (and, possibly, a remote if you want one.)
If you were in the US or Canada, it would be easier to advise you on a tuner (that's where the majority of us are.)
But, you're in Australia - y'all have a different broadcast format than we do (as you said, PAL), requiring different tuners. And, there's some funkiness in getting working EPG data into Media Center for you (MS has no EPG data for you guys); but, it is doable.

I'd recommend posting the tuner question (after a quick search, of course) at the forum that's targetted to you: the Australian Media Center community at http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/community/forum.php
They'll be able to help you out right quick on those two points.

I'm not trying to kick you out of here - not at all. But, they're a lot better suited your your particular situation (a potential MC user in AU, needing tuner advice) than we are.

Regards,
Cup