built my own pc - looking for some direction / suggestions from the community.

opt [1]
- download / run OSFRLoader (read issue w/ this on 7100)
- buy 2 ATI TV Wonder digital cable card tuner (easy)
- get 2 cable cards from Verizon (easy)
- obtain PID (gotta figure where)

opt [2]
- buy + install Hauppauge 2250 (easy)
- get HD set top box from Verizon (easy)

I gave up on the cablecard route. Too expensive and too many headaches dealing with cable co technicians who haven't heard of Tivo let alone Media Center. Ended up with the Hauppauge HD-PVR (1212) w/ DVBLink for HDPVR. Gets me any channel I can tune my STB to in Media Center and my Xbox 360 extenders (full 720p/1080i HD, 5.1 sound & channel changing via FireWire). Also have a Hauppauge 2250 and an Emuzed Angel analog as well. Will likely pick up another HD-PVR around the holidays so I can dual tune my non-local/analog channels.

Not sure it'd work with 64-bit though. I haven't found a benefit yet for using 64-bit for my media center.

-BrianAz

It's hard to beat CableCARD tuners once they are up and running. If they are in your buget and you are okay with setting them up with almost no help from FiOS, I wouldn't hesitate to go that route -- I have CableCARDs with FiOS, they work great.

As for the PID, you can use the one on Engadget, it works fine.
http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/05/12/how-to-install-a-cablecard-tuner-in-your-diy-media-center/

Also, I don't know of any problems with 7100 and OSFRLoader, in fact when I wrote the how-to linked to above, I used a box with 7100 and it has been working great since.

i ran the OCUR BIOS check utility w/o using OSFRLoader just to check my board; COMPLIANCE! it appears as though this motherboard ASUS P6T Deluxe/OC Palm LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard has the proper OCUR table in the BIOS. now, coupled w/ the Dell OEM PID Dan posted, i think i have my direction.

although, i have doubts. i'm not sure why i'm being such a pus. maybe its:
- using a pid that has the possibility of being shutdown
- the nightmare setup i keep reading about
- the resistent wife, watching TV through the 360, she's happy w/ STB
- we only have 1 TV + we don't watch TV on our computers
- OTA HD gets me 90% of what we normally watch
- the cost:
        1 VERIZON FIOS STB @ $12.99 x 2 yrs = $311.76
        2 VERIZON FIOS CC @ $2.99 / x 2 yrs + 2 ATI @ $200 / = $543.52

sorry for the rant, i guess these are things that each one of us wrestles w/ when trying to make a choice.

We have a CableCard setup in my home, and have an XBox 360 hooked up to our main TV. My wife LOVES it. Keep in mind, we came from the very good interface of the TiVo Series 3 - and she much prefers Media Center. That's coming from a house full of Mac users.

Once you have a CableCard setup working, there's no touching, in my opinion. We record movies from our premium channels every day - especially stuff for the kids.

I wouldn't worry about the PID, I've been told by some solid sources that MS doesn't intend to do anything because they are concerned with how the press would respond.

Some setups are simple, so it's hard to say. Mine for example was really simple except that the first DTC I got was defective and overheated.

My wife's only complaint with the 360 is that it takes 45 seconds to turn on and load Media Center. I was able to make this acceptable by assigning a static IP (good for about 10 seconds) and setting the 360 to automatically load to MC. I could just leave the 360 on 24x7, but it costs $90 a year to run it, while if it's only one when we watch TV it only costs $30. Might not be worth it to some, but it is to me.

The one TV is an issue. To me the main advantage to MC vs anything else is the multi-room abilities.

OTA gets me 90% as well, which is why I only have one DCT and with 7, I set it to the lowest priority. This works for us because in addtion to the fact that 90% of our programming comes OTA via 4 other tuners, we don't want much live TV and everything on cable we do watch is on over and over again so there aren't many conflicts.

As for the cost, at the end of the two years the STB is worth 0 because you don't own it, while the DCTs have been out for over 3 years and they still sell for $200 used on eBay. So I'd look at it more like
FiOS crapy 4x3 DVR with no custom channel lineups for 2 years $311.76
MC in every room of your house and it looks good doing it, $143.52 for 2 years.

But even without considering the resale value of the DCT, it will only take you 40 months to break even. Although I'd point out that FiOS charges me $3.99 a month, not $2.99.

I wish Cox - Phoenix would get with the program. They still require a technician visit and always screw something up. If I could do a self install, I'd probably go the cablecard route myself.

That's a good tip on the static IP Ben. I've got my second DCT on the way from some store in CA - only $200 new. Comcast in Denver only charges $1.50 monthly rent for a CableCARD (!). Compare that to the standard moto HD box @ $14.95, making my ROI pretty quick.

To contribute to this thread: I have seen a lot of posts regarding how bad CableCARD setup supposedly is because the techs don't know anything about it. I question what the tech actually needs to know. In my case, the hardest part was getting the tech to remember to bring the card - he brought it on the second try and I got an additional year of promotional prices over the flap...a $500 savings for me, so pretty happy he forgot the first time.

I digress: The only thing the tech has to do is firstly, remember to shower, then secondly, hand you the card. You follow the instructions on screen and at some point the tech calls the C/O. It took about 15 minutes for me to get going.

Yes I had no problems having CableCARDs installed either and I've had like 12 installed over the past few years. The installers are very happy to learn that I already know how to do it.

Another 360 tip is to not have it automatically sign you into Xbox Live, that also takes a little time.

Cablecard is a reliable source unless you archive tv off it then If it crashes and you don't have an absolute latest backup wtih the current drm structure you are sol at ever playing back those recordings again. To me it comes down to force me to us an extender ok but take away native support for DVDs and blurays by not allowing me to stream them to extenders was not okay. Plus after my third rrod 360 I was done

That rant over the cable card tuner did work and reliably so but I also went the legit route

CableCard all the way.  Once it's set up correctly, nothing comes close.

As for those complaining that the cable company techs don't know what they are doing, you really don't have anyone to blame but yourself.  Do your research, understand the technology, and learn what needs to be done yourself.  As another already pointed out, all the tech really has to do is bring the card.

In my case, they didn't even need to do that, as my local provider here let me just stop by their branch office, and pick up the cards myself.  Went home, plugged them in, and called to get them paired.  Quick and painless.

monkeydeathsonic:

That's a good tip on the static IP Ben. I've got my second DCT on the way from some store in CA - only $200 new. Comcast in Denver only charges $1.50 monthly rent for a CableCARD (!). Compare that to the standard moto HD box @ $14.95, making my ROI pretty quick. To contribute to this thread: I have seen a lot of posts regarding how bad CableCARD setup supposedly is because the techs don't know anything about it. I question what the tech actually needs to know. In my case, the hardest part was getting the tech to remember to bring the card - he brought it on the second try and I got an additional year of promotional prices over the flap...a $500 savings for me, so pretty happy he forgot the first time. I digress: The only thing the tech has to do is firstly, remember to shower, then secondly, hand you the card. You follow the instructions on screen and at some point the tech calls the C/O. It took about 15 minutes for me to get going.

Check the fine print, here in Harrisburg, PA, the card is $2.00 for each card after the first, however, there is an $8.95 digital tier fee per card (after the first).  I was majorly pissed when I found this out.  Basically, though they won't admit it at first, there is a equipment fee and a "per line" fee for each HD box, and if you bypass the box and use the card, you have the "card fee" + "per line feed".

It's not the same in all markets, but here it is.  I had to rethink my strategy after buying 3 DCTs as I was racking up an additional $22+ a month.  FIOS here only charges the "per card fee", no additional "per line", but with the freebies I get from Comcast and the need for 2 TVs with no boxes, Comcast is the clear choice right now.

Checked into this and according to comcast they do not charge in the manner you described. We'll see if they're right soon enough.

Like I said, each market is different.  I didn't check, just assumed all were the same.  My mistake.

No worries, better safe than sorry.