Technical > PC Hardware Discussion/Reviews > building your own networked tv tuner box

building your own networked tv tuner box

Quite simple. All you need is a main htpc with a multi tuner and an extender for each other tv such as an xbox360 or a ceton echo which is beta testing and avail end of nov. My beta echo should be here on monday so i can return my cable box in my bedroom and tap into my htpc in the living room

reply to kba4
I think there is more than one way to skin this particular cat as it were.

As you stayed the Silicondust HDHomerun will stream its signal so that is one solution right there (though limited to OTA or Clear QAM). The Media Center / Media Center Extender option is one as well (while it supports digital cable it has a robust DRM system that necessitates trusted extenders to deal with encrypted media).

I currently use two dedicated Media Center systems and Windows home Server combo with Hauppauge HD PVR USB unit, Hauppauge Colossus PCIe card and multiple Silicondust HDHomerun units. Whereby many recordings are automatically sent to the server(user selectable) and accessed from there as an archive. In this case no recordings are restricted or encrypted even HD AVCHD / H.264 recordings from Premium channels like HBO-HD, Showtime-HD and so on. This is a function of the Hauppauge HD PVR USB unit and Hauppauge Colossus PCIe card.

DVBlink also has a software product that will effectively give a tuner HDHomerun like streaming capabilities. I've not tried it though.

I also have a cablecard but haven't tried it yet.

reply to kba4
The HDhomerunPrime supports cablecard and would get more then just clear QAM channels
»www.silicondust.com/products/hdh···n/prime/

reply to kba4
thanks to all for the replies so far... my goal is to build something similar to the HDHR because in most cases building your own system yields a lot more control and potential as you're not limited to the OEM spec's for the device. I like the HDHR and the Ceton products but I'd really like to utilize the PCI-e 4 TV tuners I already have and with the TunerSalad app, I could add even more.
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I see what you're saying, even though I'm really just listening...

This might be something like what you are looking for:

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DVBLink Connect! Server
DescriptionTechnical SpecificationsDownloadSupport
Description
DVBLink Connect! Server lets you enjoy your favorite TV channels throughout your whole house and on the go.

Access TV content in your home network in Windows MediaCenter, running on network computers
Watch Live TV on DLNA enabled clients such as DLNA TVs, Sony PlayStation3, on netbooks and laptops, running Windows 7
Stream your live TV programs to your iPhone, iPad, Android or Windows Mobile devices
Browse EPG and set recordings remotly on your phone
Watch live TV on Mac or Linux using DVBLink Client for XBMC
Make your own DVBLink streaming client using DVBLink Remote API!
How to get DVBLink clients
DVBLink clients for mobile devices (IPhone, IPad, Android and Windows Mobile) can be downloaded free of charge from the mobile app markets.

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reply to BangBang
Let me know how your experience with the Echo goes.

I'm really interested in making my MCE setup as efficient as possible. Currently, I have two Win-7 HTPC's on a gigabit LAN, one has a dual-tuner clear-QAM tuner and the other has the same dual-tuner card as well as one analog/digital combo card. so on my LAN i have a total of 6 tuners. I'd really like to swap out the HTPC's for Echo's and move the two HTPC's into the same room with my networking gear, creating a back-end system feeding the Echo's. Eventually I'll probably get a HDHR and/or Ceton PCI-e tuner too, for access to the rest of my cable channels (with the assistance of the obligatory tuning-adapter, of course.)
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I see what you're saying, even though I'm really just listening...