If you'd like two tuners, check out www.ncix.com for the PVR-500 (now works with MythTV) for $175:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=F25260&vpn=1081&manufactu... Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="------------010302010500050704060308"
--------------010302010500050704060308 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
While it's still on topic, a quick run-down of the Hauppage cards for those unfamiliar with them:
PVR-150 : a basic framegrabber. Requires more CPU cycles to do the MPEG encoding work. Works fine if you have CPU bandwidth to spare. PVR-250 : hardware MPEG encoder. Doesn't require much CPU while recording. (However, it takes *more* CPU time to transcode if you don't happen to like their choice of encoding format!) PVR-350 : hardware MPEG encoder *and* hardware MPEG decoder. Doesn't require much CPU time to record OR play back. Playback can be through the TV-OUT port on the PVR-350. Linux supports using the PVR-350 as a display device for X, but only as an unaccelerated framebuffer. In other words, it's really good for playing back MPEG video (in the same format as it recorded it in the first place) but really, really, REALLY bad for doing anything else like playing XMAME games or really, anything other than MPEG playback. On the other hand, the TV-out generates "perfect" resolution for your TV set, and you can theoretically run a MythTV box without a VGA card at all...
The key point I wanted to make, is that although conventional wisdom says the PVR-150 requires the most CPU horsepower, that's not always the case. With the PVR-150 you can control what encoding format gets used - and you only have to encode once. With a PVR-250, if Hauppage's MPEG4 flavor isn't to your liking, the CPU has to *decode* and then *re-encode* the video in realtime - actually taking more CPU time than if you didn't have the hardware acceleration in the first place.
The other point is that with the PVR-350, you'll get (reportedly) fantastic output quality but that for doing anything OTHER than watching MPEG4 playback, the performance will actually suck - and take lots of CPU time.
-Adam Thompson
Sean A. Walberg wrote:
I was at Staples in Portage Place yesterday, they have the 250 for the same deal.
People looking for the 350 -- it came down in price on Sep 1. We ordered a few direct from Hauppauge, it ended up being $215 each after shipping and taxes.
http://www.1click2computers.com/searches/results.asp?product_search=pvr-350&...
has it for $180.60 Canadian.
Sean
On Wed, 19 Oct 2005, Theodore Baschak wrote:
If you're interesting in setting up mythtv, the pvr 150 is on sale for $99 at futureshop this week ($50 instant savings, *NOT* mail in rebate for once)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10057681&...
I've got this card working with mythtv on fedora core 4, following this guide.
http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/fcmyth.php
Theodore Baschak
Roundtable mailing list Roundtable@muug.mb.ca http://www.muug.mb.ca/mailman/listinfo/roundtable
--------------010302010500050704060308 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> While it's still on topic, a quick run-down of the Hauppage cards for those unfamiliar with them:<br> <br> PVR-150 : a basic framegrabber. Requires more CPU cycles to do the MPEG encoding work. Works fine if you have CPU bandwidth to spare.<br> PVR-250 : hardware MPEG encoder. Doesn't require much CPU while recording. (However, it takes *more* CPU time to transcode if you don't happen to like their choice of encoding format!)<br> PVR-350 : hardware MPEG encoder *and* hardware MPEG decoder. Doesn't require much CPU time to record OR play back. Playback can be through the TV-OUT port on the PVR-350. Linux supports using the PVR-350 as a display device for X, but only as an unaccelerated framebuffer. In other words, it's really good for playing back MPEG video (in the same format as it recorded it in the first place) but really, really, REALLY bad for doing anything else like playing XMAME games or really, anything other than MPEG playback. On the other hand, the TV-out generates "perfect" resolution for your TV set, and you can theoretically run a MythTV box without a VGA card at all...<br> <br> The key point I wanted to make, is that although conventional wisdom says the PVR-150 requires the most CPU horsepower, that's not always the case. With the PVR-150 you can control what encoding format gets used - and you only have to encode once. With a PVR-250, if Hauppage's MPEG4 flavor isn't to your liking, the CPU has to *decode* and then *re-encode* the video in realtime - actually taking more CPU time than if you didn't have the hardware acceleration in the first place.<br> <br> The other point is that with the PVR-350, you'll get (reportedly) fantastic output quality but that for doing anything OTHER than watching MPEG4 playback, the performance will actually suck - and take lots of CPU time.<br> <br> -Adam Thompson<br> <br> <br> <br> Sean A. Walberg wrote: <blockquote cite="midPine.LNX.4.58.0510191113460.2229@sergeant.ertw.com" type="cite"> <pre wrap="">I was at Staples in Portage Place yesterday, they have the 250 for the same deal.
People looking for the 350 -- it came down in price on Sep 1. We ordered a few direct from Hauppauge, it ended up being $215 each after shipping and taxes.
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.1click2computers.com/searches/results.asp?product_search=pvr-350&x=0&y=0">http://www.1click2computers.com/searches/results.asp?product_search=pvr-350&x=0&y=0</a>
has it for $180.60 Canadian.
Sean
On Wed, 19 Oct 2005, Theodore Baschak wrote:
</pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre wrap="">If you're interesting in setting up mythtv, the pvr 150 is on sale for $99 at futureshop this week ($50 instant savings, *NOT* mail in rebate for once)
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10057681&catid=10524&logon=&langid=EN">http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10057681&catid=10524&logon=&langid=EN</a>
I've got this card working with mythtv on fedora core 4, following this guide.
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/fcmyth.php">http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/fcmyth.php</a>
Theodore Baschak
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</pre> </blockquote> <pre wrap=""><!----> </pre> </blockquote> <br> </body> </html>
--------------010302010500050704060308--
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I want my computer to act as a super answering machine, storing messages as sound files indexed by the number of the caller. I tried some Windows software a while back and bought an external modem to work with it, but it didn't work terribly well.
I'm trying Vonage VOIP mainly to get such features (the amount I will save on long distance calls is marginal). The problem is, the temporary number they have assigned me does not allow such features, only outgoing calls. I have to surrender my MTS number to even try it out.
If I give up my MTS number, which I hadn't intended to do before a good trial, I will have only one phone in the house and it will die every time Shaw Cable goes out.
Does anyone out there have experiences to share about VOIP service providers? Is there software +/- hardware that will allow me to use my computer as an answering machine (with call display info) on regular phone lines?
Does anyone out there have experiences to share about VOIP service providers? Is there software +/- hardware that will allow me to use my computer as an answering machine (with call display info) on regular phone lines?
You can do it without VoIP. Just use a regular MTS phone line and the linux software mgetty/vgetty. You'll have to find an old compatible modem (externals are best) on ebay or something. I've used vgetty with a Cardinal 33.6k external for voice for over 4 years. It is caller ID capable though I don't use it (too cheap). It is also a little tricky to get working, but no worse than any other linux package.
You can have vgetty pass voicemails off to scripts to do whatever you want with the message. I convert them to WAV's on the fly and put them in an incoming folder. You could use it to rename the messages to the caller-id.
Speaking as a VoIP provider let me say that you can use our service without giving up your MTS number and that it has all the features you want with the added bonus of being significantly less expensive than MTS.
I'll refrain from further self-promotion on this list but if you would like more information please email me directly.
Dan Martin wrote:
I want my computer to act as a super answering machine, storing messages as sound files indexed by the number of the caller. I tried some Windows software a while back and bought an external modem to work with it, but it didn't work terribly well.
The Open Source software that will do the job is Asterisk. It is more than an answering machine but a PBX so it may be overkill for what you want.
There is a distro called Asterisk@Home which can get you going pretty quickly.
http://asteriskathome.sourceforge.net/
There a Muug SIG for Asterisk. It's mail list:
http://www.muug.mb.ca/mailman/listinfo/asterisk
-- Bill
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Bill Reid -
Dan Martin -
John Lange -
Kevin McGregor -
Trevor Cordes