[mythtv-users] newbie hardware question

[Sabin Dang]

> I just recently stumbled onto mythTV's website.  I think it's fricken
> awesome and I'm going to build one of these systems.
>
> My big question right now is which tv tuner card to get.  I've seen a 
> lot
> of references to the PVR-350.  Is this the latest and greatest?  Is a 
> new
> and improved card coming out soon?  Should I wait?
>
> The PVR-350 has two coax inputs.  Does that means it is possible to 
> record
> 2 shows at once?  Can you record one show while watching another?  Or 
> does
> this require two cards?
>

I think I speak for all of us when I say welcome!

The PVR-350 (to the best of my knowledge) does NOT support dual 
recording. I believe that the second coax is for tv out.  So if you'll 
be wanting to record two shows you will probably need two tv tuners.

Also the PVR-350 is the latest and greatest, but with being at the 
cutting edge comes the price of stability and ease of setup. I 
personally have a PVR-250 (tv in only, no tv out) and have a geforce 
doing tv out and it was pretty easy to setup using online guides.  
Someone who is actually using a PVR-350 will probably want to comment 
on this, but my understanding is that there are still some bugs with 
the 350.

If you want a dual tuner setup you may want to consider doing a one 350 
and one 250 card. No need to get two 350's since you'll probably only 
need one tv out.

Hope it helps,
Sabin