home network

[JonJon]

I plan on using an older gateway computer and putting in two sapphire theatrix's and networking it through my home network. I plan on using it to watch/record tv onto two of my computers using beyond tv link, does anyone have any recommendations or tips? thanks.

[dlandrum]

1) confirm your network has switches and not hubs; 100mbit or better
2) get good video cards for your Link machines
3) get 2x the hard drive space you "think" you need for your server
4) Firefly is a good sturdy remote

[JonJon]

hmmmm, well my two computers are connected through a hub, so would I have to run the cable down to the hub in order for beyond tv link to pick up the two tuners??

I am guessing that when you record shows it'll save onto the server computer, so I guess i'll just pick up a new hard drive for it (i'd end up transferring the shows i'd want to keep to one of my computers anyway....have 300gb storage drive in the one I use).

Also, an ATI radeon 9600se is fine for the server computer right (going to have that lying around after I upgrade my second computer to an x800xl).

[wes]

not sure what you mean by "run the cable down to the hub" if you're refering to the tv cable (that the tv signal comes in on) then no. all BTVlink needs is a normal ethernet connection (as dlandrum says 100mbit or better)

A switch is just a hub with a little more smarts.
with a hub, any network message that comes in goes out to all the ports.
with a switch, it knows which computer is on which port and sends messages only to the appropriate port. cutting down on network traffic.

Yes, all shows should store on the server computer - you can use a network share as a drive, but i wouldn't reccommend this for recording. but it's not too bad for archival storage / playback

as far as space, i've been using
good for the mpeg recordings - about 2 gigs an hour
near vhs for the showsqueezed wmv - about 550 MB per hour

[JonJon]

well by the cable, i was referring tot he ethernet cable to the hub...unless I am able to just hook it into the router.

Also, from what you say wes, I can easily use an 80gb hard drive for the server (i wont record that much, and when I do i'll want to transfer it over anyway).

Also, unless I am playing video back, it doesn't matter what the video is in the server computer right?

Oh yeah, and if anyone's wondering, the gateway runs on a pentium 3 733mghz, i don't know the ram yet...though if it's less than 256mb i'll just buy another stick for like 15 bucks, gonna toss in an 80gb hard drive....and yeah, that should be all the useful information.

And just so nobody asks, i am getting a new psu for it (a nice cheap e-power 350watt psu because they make quality units) because I don't trust the psu that came with it to handle two tv tuner cards....

[JonJon]

also, can i use the same beyond tv link for two computers or do I have to purchase two different ones??

[dlandrum]

You will need 2 licenses of BTV Link for 2 computers.

[JonJon]

Okay, well does anybody else know the answers to my other questions? it'd be greaty appreciated if u did.

[dlandrum]

Also, unless I am playing video back, it doesn't matter what the video is in the server computer right?

The video card on the server is irrelevant.

[JonJon]

that's what i figured lol. Well, here's another question, how much ram do u recommend for the server machine? I already know I have to put in more ram in this old pc....im thinking another 256mb SD stick will do.

[dlandrum]

I keep task manager running all the time, and I see that my server at some time peaked at 800mb. I have 1gb in the box. The server is my wife's primary machine, so it does email, ms office, web browsing, itunes, and BTV.

[JonJon]

hmm, well the server is not going to do anything else but that.....so I doubt it'll be that bad...hard drive swapping won't kill me.

[pdaughe]

Originally Posted by JonJon

I plan on using an older gateway computer and putting in two sapphire theatrix's and networking it through my home network. I plan on using it to watch/record tv onto two of my computers using beyond tv link, does anyone have any recommendations or tips? thanks.

JonJon,

Please be aware that Beyond TV does not support two sapphire theatrix tuners in the same machine. Do a search on "550 Pro" to find the appropriate thread.

[JonJon]

hmm, does that mean I need a dual-tuner?

EDIT:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116628

would I be able to use this and set one tuner for one BTV Link computer and the other for the other BTV Link computer?

[JonJon]

anybody?