Freevo & Tivo etc...

jabaroon

Hi All,

Am in the process of building my own PVR and will probably use Freevo or MythTV. However, the only thing I cant seem to find is a nice case.

Im looking for a slim case -- something about the size of a DVD player. I have seen plenty of ITX cases, but all are either from companies that wont ship here, or are gash looking!!

Im not looking for anything TOO small. Want to be able to fit at least a PVR250/350 into it.

Has anyone else undertaken any similar projects?....what cases did you use?
What sites can you recomend for them?

Thanks,
Jab

PS - I am looking for something that doesn't look like a PC, something that looks like an AV component!

Bubonic

I am building a MythTv box at the moment.

Right now I am looking at the Shuttle XPC SN41G2.
Its kind of pricey but will do the job nicely.

http://www.shuttle.com/hq/product/barebone/default.asp?B_id=11

Keith

WezzyB

The Shuttle cases look cool but I don't think they'd fit with your rack of AV Components.

There are lots of providers that do cases that are shaped lilke AV Components.

I would recommend you check out the following sites:

• Ultim8pc
• Mini-itx
• EPIA center

Phibsboro

One thing to watch out for is to make sure it will take full height cards. I got a Minuet case http://www.thinkgeek.com/pcmods/cases/6604/ from itdirect.ie without realising it only takes half height cards - its currently sitting at my feet awaiting conversion into a housewarming pressie for little sis! In the end I went with a SK41G (older and cheaper Shutlle than the SK41G2). It really looks the biz next to the telly. Have got MythTV and MythDVD up and running. Was using a creative labs personal cinema card as capture and tv-out but the quality was sub-vhs at best so I bit the bullet and am picking up a PVR 350 from elara.ie tomorrow. Weeks of fun trying to get the ivtv driver working properly I reckon

C

jabaroon

Yeah!....it seems that lots of people have found out the hard way about the half height cards!....2 people have already warned me!!!....Im happy for learn the easy way from those who have learned the hard way!!!!!!

Have got Freevo up and running, but w/o a TV card. Have been doing my research before I buy one and all accounts seem to suggest that its better to splurge and get a good one.

I would be very interested to know how you get on with the PVR350 once you get it installed. I was considering a 250 or a 350.....

Keep in touch!
Ta,
Jab

Kali

something like this would probably look excellent alongside other components:
http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=ATC-620C-BX1&other_title=+ATC-620C-BX1+ATC-620

silent

check out the htpc forum at www.avsforum.com the one and only place you'll need for info on this topic

I had a htpc case from these guys in the uk (actually a one man company) - it was bit flimsy but looked great
would I do it again, I'd pick up either the black shuttle SN41G2B or the abit digidice and get it black anodized to look good.
the av-component cases are just too expensive and none would look good anyway besides a harman kardon reciever and dvd player
and for software - can't praise showshifter enough
edit: bad link

_sheep

http://www.hushtechnologies.com/

Phibsboro

Hey,

just a quick first take on the PVR 350 - amazing! The picture quality in Myth Live TV (actually delayed ala Sky Plus) is superb - basically indistinuishable from my NTL analogue cable fed directly to TV. Even fast moving content (rugby for example) is rock solid. Compared to the ordinary card, the picture retains it vabrancy/luminacy (its hard to fully explain the difference until u see it! Suffice it to say that I would actually consider using the Live TV functionality in Myth, which I never would before).

Having said that, the linux driver (ivtv) is more alpha than beta at the mo - I would say I'm a few months away from a solid system. The TV-Out part of the PVR 350 is especially buggy.

Colm