Computersight -

Nowadays nobody has enough time to watch every show they want. That is why TiVo was invented, but they charge a monthly fee. Using TV Tuners in your computer you can create your own without having to pay that annoying monthly fee.

First off the basic parts that you will need are: Motherboard, Processor, RAM, Hard Drive, Case, Video Card, TV Tuner.

Motherboard

The motherboard is the central circuit board of a computer. This contains all the important sockets and connectors for the rest of your hardware. You may want to get a motherboard that already has a graphics processor inside, but if not make sure it has a PCI Express slot in order to add one. The TV Tuner will be attached through a PCI slot which much also be on your motherboard.

Processor

For this project the processor you get depends on the programming you plan to be recording or watching. For High Definition programming you are going to need a CPU that runs at about 3 Ghz and about 800 mhz for standard definition. Make sure the CPU slot matches the one in your motherboard otherwise it will not work.

RAM

I would lean towards at least 1 GB of RAM for this project, however the operating system that we will be using gives the minimum at 256 MB. Buy one stick rather than 2, 512 MB sticks, in case you need to add more RAM later.

Hard Drive

Depending on the amount of recording you want to do you may want to increase or decrease the size from about 80 GB of space. It is about 2 GB/hour for standard definition whereas high definition programming takes about 7 GB/hour.

Case

Nothing fancy here, just something that is large enough for your motherboard.

Video Card

Buy an Nvidia card that has an S-video output slot so you can connect to your TV. Some TVs do come with VGA outputs so you may not even need to have an s-video slot on your card. You do not need the most powerful card in the world to show high definition programming, an Nvidia 6200 will do. DO NOT BUY AN ATI CARD. The drivers for ATI are not stable at all for the Linux based operating system and it just seems to cause more and more problems.

TV Tuner

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Tuner_Card#Cards_that_work Use this website to see a list of approved tuners.

This project is not for people new to computer hardware, if you are, please have someone help you with it. I recommend buying all products from www.newegg.com. They have great prices for all the items you are going to need for this project and their customer service is also very helpful.

Start Putting your TiVo Together

When all of your parts arrive from Newegg I would recommend opening the motherboard’s manual and reading it through to get a feel for all the slots on it. Make sure you are wearing rubber gloves, static shocks could cause many malfunctions in the electronics of your computer. Do not keep the motherboard on the floor as it could crack if not on a solid surface. Start by putting the processor in the correct slot and add the heatsink. The heatsink comes with the processor and is extremely important, without it, the computer could overheat and die. Next add the RAM. Connect the power source from the power supply unit in your case to the motherboard, this needs to be attached at a point near the processor, 4-pin, and a large 24-pin one in the central motherboard. Next attach the TV Tuner and Video Card if you have one. If you bought a higher quality Video Card it may need to be attached to your power supply. Now place the motherboard in your case and screw it, make sure there is not metal touching the motherboard. Use the washers that come in the motherboard packet in order to make a space between the motherboard and the screws. Using a SATA cable, which should come with your motherboard, attach your hard drive and screw it into the case. Close your case up and your TiVo box should be ready to go.

Installing Mythbuntu

First you have to download the Mythbuntu ISO file from www.mythbuntu.org. Then either burn it onto a disc or put it on a USB drive. Make sure the BIOS of your motherboard will allow you to boot from a USB before you try. When it is booted up install using the entire hard drive and wait for the install to take place. After the install has taken place boot up the machine and go through the onscreen instructions so it can idtentify your TV tuner. It will then look at all the channels that are available in your area, digitally. There will be a schedule guide as well and you can choose which programs you want to record and in what definition. You can also watch television from this computer, although you will not get every single channel that you want. For any further questions with Mythbuntu please consult their website.