Suggestions for new computer

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Dave Germiquet <davegermiquet-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org>

| I'm looking to buy a new PC, that can be ran with mythtv and has the
| power to do video encoding and audio encoding.

My MythTV box is an old PC.  With 5 PCI slots and 5 tuner cards.

| It's going to be my multimedia center including using music with
| coaxial output, the problem I'm finding is that most of these
| motherboards only have 2 PCI regular slots...
| If even that, alot of them only have pci express slots.
| 
| Which leads me to questions like:
| 
| Are there pci express slots that can do serial for ir blaster and ir
| remote?

You could use USB for serial, I expect.  Not sure because I don't know
if the serial port needs to be abused for this purpose (eg. run at a
non-standard speed).

| Are there PCI express tuners

Yes.  I don't know how well-supported they are by MythTV.

Here's one PCI-e card with two tuners.  I have not looked to see if
MythTV supports it:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33859&vpn=1229&manufacture=HAUPPAUGE

| that can be found that will work
| with rogers digital cable or satellite tv

[Answering as if you asked about PCI cards]

Not as one would hope.  Because of encryption of these signals, you
have to hook up your tuner via analogue, not digital.  With cable, you
can use the tuner card to select any of the low-numbered analogue SD
signals.

For other signals, you need to connect the tuner card to the analogue
out of the set-top box.  And use an IR Blaster to select channels.

There are things that can grab analogue HD out from a set-top box but
I don't know much about them.  I think that this is one that should
work (at this instance it is $199.99 + shipping, which is as good a
price as I've seen):
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=30194&vpn=1219&manufacture=HAUPPAUGE

A tuner supporting QAM should work on cable for HD, except for the
encryption.  In the US, the FCC forbids encryption of local channels
on cable.

| or even Digital over the
| air?

Local HD channels can be picked up via an antenna.  They are not
encrypted.  Look for a tuner with ATSC support.

| Are regular PCI slot being phased out completely now?

Looks like it.  For example, the Intel chipsets for the i7 don't
support PCI (as I understand it).

| Any suggestions would be helpful.

"They" are trying to close off the ways myth can get signals.  Half
done, so far.
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