Gadgets! Gadgets! Gadgets!

Building Your Own Digital Video Recorder

DVR is a great idea. It let’s you record TV shows like a VCR, but instead of VHS tapes, it stores video onto a hard drive. These units run about $300. You get something like 30 hours of recording and you can selectively record the TV shows you want to watch. The DVR unit is basically a specialized computer.

I figured with all the stuff out today for home computers, I could build these functions on my home computer and not have pay a monthly subscription fee or spend $300. Here is a list of things I did to get this project to work. I know many of you probably could figure this stuff out on your own. I just wanted to share what worked for me.

Here’s what I started with.

* Pentium III, 733mhz on Apollo Pro Motherboard with 512meg 133mhz sdram.
* Sony 8x CDRW, 80gig Western Digital Hard Drive, 32meg ATI Rage Pro video.
* Windows 2000 Professional

By today’s standards, this is an antique computer. I’ve had this computer for about 5 years, but hey it still works. You could buy a system about ten times as fast as this one for like $500 now. Amazing.

Here’s all you need to turn your computer into a DVR.

ATI TV Wonder VE. $39 with $10 mail in rebate.

I just installed the card and loaded the software. The card plugs into an open pci slot in your computer. One screw and you’re done. It’s that simple. I have basic cable and plugged the cable into the back of the card. I don’t think digital cable works, since the ATI tuner takes analog signals.

It comes with GUIDE+, which downloads all the TV listings in your area. You can then sort the listings by show name, channel, and times.

The software GUIDE+ is great. I love just typing in the first few letters of my favorite program and GUIDE+ lists all the times and channels that show is showing. You can also search by actor, subject, or channel. Type in “Raymond” and one of my favorite shows “Everybody Loves Raymond” is displayed with every channel, show time and a short synopsis of the episode.

I click on simple record icon next to each episode I want to record. Highlighting the show gives you an episode synopsis and who’s starring in it. Really COOL!

The shows get recorded to your hard drive and listed in a library folder. Each day after work or a long vacation, I just click on “Library” and it shows me all the shows it recorded while I was away.

Now I can either watch these on my computer or copy them to cd and play it on my DVD player! The record quality is a little better than VHS. Remember those?

Technically the shows are recorded at 480×240. When you copy this to a CDRW, it plays on your on your TV from the DVD player like any other movie you’d rent from the video store! Believe it or not, the quality is clearly better than VHS.

There are even higher quality settings, but you’ll get few hours of record time and given the quality of standard TV, just a waste of hard disk space. I tried it just to see and found the quality really didn’t improve that much. A 30-minute program takes about 650 Meg at a standard setting. The higher quality settings use about 1.7gig for 30 minutes.

So that’s it! For around $40, I built a DVR equivalent. I burn my favorite shows to CDR, which cost about 10 cents each. I can now record the entire season of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and make my own season box sets! Applying simple math, 100 episodes will cost me about $10.

About the Author

Robert Rogers is a writer in the Washington DC area. For more free tips and resources, visit his blog at

Consumer Electronic Reviews

BuyTV Spotlight – Q-See QSPDVR04 4-Channel PCI DVR Card and 4 Channel USB 2.0 DVR Adapter

Videosecu 16 Channel Home CCTV Security Surveillance System DVR PC PCI Video Capture Card 1B4 $79.99 This DVR card is a PCI Card installed in a PC that will display and record live video from the cameras connected. It has 16 channels video input, the maximum display/recording rate is 120 fps. Video compression format: MPEG4 and Motion JPEG, recording resolutions up to 640 x 480 NTSC. Advanced event search feature is available, search recorded files by year, month, date, hour. Simultaneously recor…

VideoSecu 4 Channel PCI DVR Card Surveillance System, including 1 of 4 Channel PCI DVR Card, 4 of CCD Day Night Dome Security Cameras, 4 of Security Camera Power Supplies, 4 of Security Camera Extension Cables B8F $268.99 Professional DVR Card and security camera Kit, it turns your PC into a professional DVR. This DVR is a PC based multi-channel video surveillance system that utilizes the most advance digital video compression technologies to bring you quality pictures and video performance. 4 security cameras can be connected to view live on a local monitor screen. You can store video clips in HDD. Users can simpl…

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EasyCAP DC60 – USB 2.0 Audio/video Creator Capture High-quality Analog Video $4.06 EasyCap USB 2.0 Video Capture Adapter provides a link between a PC and a video device with RCA connector or S-Video connector, such VHS, VCR, DVD, TV, DV, analog camcorder, camera….

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Startech 10u 19 Inch Wall Mounted Server Equipment Cabinet $351.19 To ensure a cool operating environment for your networking equipment, the server rack includes a 5in roof-mounted fan (85 CFM) and vented side panels – not only helping to keep temperatures down, but keep dust out of the rack. To secure network equipment from tampering, the cabinet features a lockable, smoked acrylic front door, that can be removed entirely or installed to open to the left or righ…

$114.2 shipped–$110.06 shipped–32 Video Channel DVR PCI Surveillance Video Capture Card $114.2 This video capture DVR card is a professional digital security product.

$122.2 shipped–$118.46 shipped–16 Channel 240 FPS DVR PCI Video Capture Card Supports both PAL and NTSC Standards (Blue) $122.2 This is a 16 channel 240 FPS DVR PCI video capture card.

$23.78 shipped–$22.97 shipped–4 Channel MPEG4 DVR PCI Video Capture Card (Green) $23.78 This is a 4 channel MPEG4 DVR PCI video capture card.

$35.78 shipped–$35 shipped–FSLH-1609 4 Channel DVR PCI Surveillance Video Capture Card (Blue) $35.78 This vdeo capture card supports both NTSC and PAL system.

$62 shipped–$61.67 shipped–16 Channel 120 FPS DVR PCI Video Capture Card Supports both PAL and NTSC Standards (Green) $62 This is a 16 channel 120 FPS DVR PCI video capture card.

$64.08 shipped–$60.44 shipped–16 Audio/ Video Input Channel 120 FPS DVR PCI Video Capture Card (Blue) $64.08 This DVR PCI video capture card supports both NTSC and PAL video formats.

AVERMEDIA NV3000 30 FPS CAPTURE $153.59 AVerMedia AVerDiGi Hybrid NV3000 – DVR card – PCI – 4 channels

AVerMedia AVerDiGi NV6480 HYBRID Video Input Adapter – Surveillance Platform $1029 The AVerDiGi NV6000 Series HYBRID Surveillance Platform features a comprehensive, yet user-friendly Windows-based digital surveillance recording (DVR) solution. It provides remote recording & monitoring, digital video archiving, password protection, audio and video recording synchronization, and much more. It comes with 16 cameras and 8 audio channels per card; the AVerDiGi NV6000 provides the tools needed for total security in virtually any environment. Now you also have the added advantage of incorporating the best in CCTV Analog cameras as well IP cameras into a meshed Hybrid environment !!

Digital Video Recorders $29.71 Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher’s book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Tivo, Replaytv, Digital Video Recorder, V+, Dreambox, Elgato, Moxi, Tivoweb, Tivo Digital Video Recorders, Telly, Playtv, Sky+, Mythtv, Thomson Dti 6300-16, Gb-Pvr, Linuxmce, Hauppauge Mediamvp, Flip Video, Mediaportal, Tivo, Inc., Explorer 8300, Astro Max, Proprietary Dvr, Freebox, Psx, Mpeg Streamclip, Electronics Line Usa, Sagetv, Motorola 6412, Showshifter, Tivo Community Forum, Network Dvr, Icetv, Flip Video Mino, Beyond Tv, Dpanda Dvb-T Pci Digital Tv Receiver Card for the Pc, Dvarchive, Motorola 3412, Multi Access Video Disk Recorder, Pvr-Resistant Advertising, Micro Dvr, Whole-Home Dvr. Excerpt: Astro MAX was a personal video recorder (PVR) service for Astro launched in July 2006 . It marked the first PVR system ever to be introduced in Malaysia, though LG ‘s PVR-integrated Time Machine TV introduced later that year.Technical information Astro MAX was introduced in July 2006 as a combined digital satellite receiver/decoder and personal video recorder (PVR) , as well as a rival for the upcoming LG’s television integrated with a similar digital video recorder, the Time Machine TV . It allowed recording, pausing and instantly rewinding live TV, as well as a 30 second skip. The unit also had a 30 minute buffer which constantly records the currently watched program. Full integration with Astro’s electronic programme guide enabled easy selection of programmes to be recorded. Additional features included the ability to record all audio tracks and all subtitle tracks on multiple language programming. Copies of programmes recorded would also be transferred to DVD or VHS tape. The system performed these functions using an internal hard drive inside the Astro MAX set top box . Programming was recorded without converting the DVB-S -compliant MPEG2 digital satellite stream,

Lorex PCI Card DVR 4 cameras Surveillance System $699.99 Lorex PCI Card DVR and 4 Wireless Cameras Surveillance System – 4 Channels, H.264 Compression, Internet Remote Viewing

Lorex QLR464 PC DVR Surveillance System $229.99 Lorex QLR464 PC Digital Video Surveillance System – 4 Channels, H.264, 4 Cameras and PCI Card

NUUO SCB-3004 DVR Card – Functions: Video Recording, Video Streaming, Video Processing – PCI Express – NTSC, PAL $359 NUUO DVR is a PC-based analog recording system that supports analog cameras. The H.264 hardware compression cards can increase the CPU efficiency while the Mpeg4 software compression cards will fit nicely into a wide array of projects. Both NTSC and PAL standards are compatible with any NUUO DVR. NUUO DVR can be upgraded into a NDVR hybrid system by adding IP camera license to it. It is a simple one-step process for any DVR owners who are ready to leap into the IP world. Multisite projects or large scale single site projects are both easily accommodated by NUUO DVR/NDVR solutions through the addition of NUUO CMS. NUUO CMS can manage an unlimited number of NUUO servers and cameras including DVR and NDVR hybrid.

NUUO SCB-6008 Digital Video Recorder – Functions: Video Recording, Video Streaming – PCI Express x1 – PAL, NTSC $779 NUUO DVR is a PC-based analog recording system that supports analog cameras. The H.264 hardware compression cards can increase the CPU efficiency while the Mpeg4 software compression cards will fit nicely into a wide array of projects. Both NTSC and PAL standards are compatible with any NUUO DVR.

NV5000 Surveillance Solution $359 AVerMedia AVerDiGi Hybrid NV5000 – DVR card – PCI – 4 channels

Q-SEE Recording PC Based Network DVR PCI-E Card $149.99 Q-SEE QSDT8PCRC Real Time Recording PC Based Network DVR PCI-E Card – 8-CH, H.264 DVR

Q-SEE Recording PC Based Network DVR PCI-E Card $249.99 Q-SEE QSDT8PCRC Real Time Recording PC Based Network DVR PCI-E Card – 8-CH, H.264 DVR

Q-see QSDT4PCRC DVR Video Capturing Device – PCI $148.99 Turn your desktop PC into your own surveillance system with this Q-See PC based security solution. The QSDT4PCRC PCI DVR Card uses software H.264 compression for maximum storage with little loss of quality. This DVR Card stores video directly on your PC hard drive, records real-time video for accurate monitoring, and offers multiple recording options including motion detection.

Q-see QSDT8PCRC Network Video Recorder – PCI $228.99 Turn your desktop PC into your own surveillance system with this Q-See PC based security solution. The PCI DVR Card uses software H.264 compression for maximum storage with little loss of quality. This DVR Card stores video directly on your PC hard drive, records real-time video for accurate monitoring.

Q-see QSDT8PCRC Network Video Recorder – PCI $199.99 Turn your desktop PC into your own surveillance system with this Q-See PC based security solution. The PCI DVR Card uses software H.264 compression for maximum storage with little loss of quality. This DVR Card stores video directly on your PC hard drive, records real-time video for accurate monitoring.

Q-see QSDT8PCRP Network Video Recorder – PCI $599.99 Turn your desktop PC into your own surveillance system with this Q-See PC based security solution. The QSDT8PCRP PCI DVR Card uses H.264 compression for maximum storage with little loss of quality. This DVR Card stores video directly on your PC hard drive, records real-time video for accurate monitoring, and offers multiple recording options including motion detection. Not only can you monitor remotely over the internet via Internet Explorer, but also monitor via cell phones with Windows Mobile Pro, Symbian, iPhones on 3G networks. This system supports up to 8 cameras and has 8 audio inputs.

Sabrent TV Tuner – Functions: TV Tuning, FM Tuning, HDTV Tuning, Video Recording – PCI – ATSC, NTSC $19.99 Watch and record your favorite TV or FM Radio stations on your desktop PC! Just insert into an available PCI Slot to start receiving digital television signals over the air. The Sabrent TV-PCIDG features convenient digital video recording functions, instantly turning your PC into a DVR that saves content to its hard drive. Rewind and fast-forward live TV with Time Shift recording functions. Enjoy high definition resolutions of up to 1080i with high-quality digital AC3 audio output. An electronic program guide helps you channel surf and the included remote control lets you sit back and change channels from across the room. Start watching HDTV on your computer with the Sabrent Digital/Analog PCI Hybrid TV Tuner Adapter.

VideoSecu CCTV 16 Channel PCI Digital Video Audio Recorder DVR Capture Card for Security System 1B4 $72.8 The DVC1612 supplied by VideoSecu is top of line, high definition video audio capture DVR card. This DVR card is a PCI Card installed in a PC that will display and record live video from the cameras connected. It has 16 channels video input, 4 channels audio input. Advanced event search feature is available, search recorded files by year, month, date, hour. Simultaneously record and monitor 16 cameras. This listing is for hardware only. Software is free. Intensive PC and CCTV technical knowledge and experience are required for installation. Installation support is not included. It works with Intel PC with Windows XP and 2000, 98. It does not work with Windows 7 and Vista 64 bit. AMD computer will not work. Please check your PC before making the purchase. We are not responsible for compatibility issues.

VideoSecu CCTV 4 Channel Digital Video Recorder PC PCI DVR Capture Card for Security System C53 $25.99 The DVC403 supplied by VideoSecu is a high-end, high definition video capture DVR card. It can be installed in a PC that will display and record live video from the cameras connected. The advanced MPEG-4 video format gives longer recording time and simultaneously gives a stunning image quality. The video motion detection mode helps this DVR system from storing unnecessary video. It supports AVI file back up, full remote capabilities (PSTN, ISDN & LAN network), remote control (pan, tilt, and zoom control), 3 levels of password protection. This listing is for hardware only. Software is free. Intensive PC and CCTV technical knowledge and experience are required for installation. Installation support is not included. It works with Intel PC with Windows XP and 2000, 98. It does not work with Windows 7 and Vista 64 bit. AMD computer will not work. Please check your PC before making the purchase. We are not responsible for compatibility issues.