WHich HDD do you use?

[andrew]

I have a long history with "silent" PC's and so am interested in making TiVo as quiet as possible. (Given the original's are 5400rpm, performance is not really an issue here so noise is the big one for me).

My view...
Original 20G (and aftermarket 80G) Maxtors sound like a helicopter.
I ordered and sent back a WesternDigital 200G as it was better, but still noticably loud.
Will be using a 120G Seagate Baracudda IV from my old (silent) server and replacing it with a new Seagate 200G 7200.7 (~$220).

So, for me Segate is the right choice... (Samsung also make a really quiet drive).

Heatwise, the slow turning stock TiVo fan is very quiet and easily keeps it's cool.

What you got and why? How's it for noise?

[curto]

Theory says 5400 RPM is more than enough - and it is for general day to day - however it is nearly impossible to buy 5400 drives now.

Also when buying most of the 7200RPM drive you get an option of 8MB or 2MB cache - typically the 8MB have a 3 year warranty - definitely worth the extra $10 or so - as the drive is working 24 x7 and will almost certainly fail within the 3 years

Lastly if you start to do some of the more advanced functions the faster drives are definitely better.

I have two TIVO and have the Sanderton module for TIVO to TIVO transfers using MFS_FTP running.

I can watch a show previously recorded, have another one recording and have a third being loaded across the wire from another TIVO for later viewing - the system definitely starts to slow down at this point and the menus become sluggish - however when i had a 5400 RPM drive in my systems before they were unusable

Craig

[andrew]

Two TiVo's, now that's just greedy!

Actually I was toying with the idea of including a mini-ITX based PC into the TiVO case and having a real internet appliance :) I have one oftheseboards at the moment running as a fanless server (uses laptop style PSU and passive heatsink)... That way I can have a MP3 jukebox, media player, picture viewer, server, internet browsing on the (HD)TV,etc all in one neat little TiVo box :)

So I guess 2 TiVo's is not so greedy after all.

[curto]

Maybe send a message to the OZTIVO mailing list to Darren King - i thin the Power SUpply in the TIVO does not deliver the correct/adequate voltages for a PC style motherboard - i am sure i read about this on Deal Database at some point

I have used Media Centre PCs, messed around with MYth TV and others and have never found anything as easy for the task as TIVO.

If you want all the other functions then look at adding a seperate HTPC.

Also have a look at some interesting Beta software on Deal Database - auto archive/copy content from the TIVO onto a PC and encode into WMV (i.e. MPEG4) - This would let you have a large central HTPC and use TIVO for what it does best - then get anything you want to keep onto the Central server and compressed into MPEG4 - then could be streamed anywhere around the House (other than back to the TIVO of course!!)


Craig

[hlouey]

Craig,

Have you tried a modifed Xbox running XBMC (Xbox Media Center).

I have it running as a media center running streaming TV channels, RSS newsfeeds and have it connected via SAMBA to my PowerBook for all my iTunes, iPhoto files etc

It even has a built in weather application and imdb and CDDB support.

I have heard that you can stream the Tivo files onto the Xbox. I will be testing this feature out as soon as mine arrives

Henry

ps. I am sure we know each other. But that was another time and place ;-)


Maybe send a message to the OZTIVO mailing list to Darren King - i thin the Power SUpply in the TIVO does not deliver the correct/adequate voltages for a PC style motherboard - i am sure i read about this on Deal Database at some point

I have used Media Centre PCs, messed around with MYth TV and others and have never found anything as easy for the task as TIVO.

If you want all the other functions then look at adding a seperate HTPC.

Also have a look at some interesting Beta software on Deal Database - auto archive/copy content from the TIVO onto a PC and encode into WMV (i.e. MPEG4) - This would let you have a large central HTPC and use TIVO for what it does best - then get anything you want to keep onto the Central server and compressed into MPEG4 - then could be streamed anywhere around the House (other than back to the TIVO of course!!)


Craig

[andrew]

Guys,
I was not thinking of replacing the tiVo with a PC, but as you said, augmenting it with a PC all in the one case.

That way the PC could do the things a PC is good at the the TiVo the things it is good at, all in one compact unit...

Space is an issue for me as I already have a number of HiFi components and do not really want a HTPC (as it is traditionally a large, separate box).

I just want a small form factor PC (and perhaps a modded X-Box would do), that can do PC like things, eg. play MP3's, DivX, surf, push info to TiVo etc).

I guess I want the best of both worlds in one neat little package...and there seems to be plenty of space in the TiVo box for it....we'll see.