[maddog808]

So I would be better off getting the 60GB OCZ Agility for $18 more, correct? That way I have plenty of extra space for TRIM, as kurai suggested.

[poofyhairguy]

Oh yeah.

[maddog808]

Cool. So I will get that SSD then. A local IT guy posted a "slightly used" Foxconn nT330i on Craigslist for $200, including 2GB RAM, and 80GB hard drive. He will take $160 if I don't want the HDD. So I could get the SSD for $90 and have my first HTPC for $250.

I use a URC RFS200 remote & rf base now, and the IR codes exist for MCE. The remote isn't pretty or very popular, but IMO the feel and button layout can't be beat (plenty of custom macros, too). The RF base has 100' range, so I can control the components from the backyard. So I will get one of those HP Media Center IR Receivers on Ebay for $14 to control the foxconn.

The only thing I'm stuck on is coming up with a temporary solution for live TV until XBMC has it integrated. I want to cancel DirecTV, and I have a roof antenna with line of sight to the towers for local HD programming. I need to be able to watch the NFL on Sunday. Can I just get a cheap USB tuner for now, and boot into Windows 7 for Media Center? I'm willing to not stream internet content, and learn how to get content through usenet or something like that. I just need live TV for sports!! What should I buy for that purpose for now?

Just wanted you guys to know how thankful I am for this and other forums I have been reading on lately. Sooo much info and support out there. I have seen Poofyhair guy on at least 4 different forums posting REALLY useful info about a lot of different stuff. Kudos to him and everyone else for making this enjoyable for a complete NOOB!

Thanks again,
Matt

[kurai]

Live TV, from a USB tuner, can be handled within XBMC right now - you just won't get the full EPG or recording functions directly inside XBMC.

A recycling of bits of a couple of posts from elsewhere, but it answers a similar question ...

I got an Avermedia A850 DVB-T usb tuner. Very easy to set up. You just stick a firmware file (different tuner chipsets have different variants) in a directory in your Linux setup, and it automatically gets sent to the tuner hardware as the kernel detects it during startup.

[...]

In XBMCFreak's ION-tweaked Dharma build TVHeadend package is already included and source protocol is already integrated into XBMC, so you just select "HTS TV Headend client" from the "Add network location" browse menu, and fill in the IP/host. You then get "htsp://127.0.0.1:9982", for example, added to your list of sources.
That gets treated as a virtual directory, and your detected channels are listed within as individual entries. No need to configure a separate URL for each.

[...]

The PVR & EPG functions are left to the web-based TVHeadend back end.

Bit of a halfway house measure between Dharma and the PVR-testing development branch of XBMC.

[...]

The full EPG and recording integration options are only in the PVR-testing XBMC branch as yet, slated to be rolled into the next XBMC release, Eden (11.0).

From a cursory glance the current state of the PVR-testng branch seems to be perfectly usable - most of the current code from the Dharma beta branch looks to have been merged across to it - just be prepared for some potential breakage of PVR features in intermediate SVN builds as the devs tidy it up and complete features in preparation for merging it back into the main release trunk.

[maddog808]

Thanks for the response kurai. So configured correctly, through XBMC, I could choose to watch live 1080i HDTV; and change channels, etc with my remote control? If so, then I don't think I would have much reason to install Windows 7. I am just now starting to research about RSS feeds, and automatically downloading torrents. The sites people refer to such as ezrss.it and showrss seem like great tools for most shows. I am having trouble finding feeds for my wife and kid's shows such as "Days of Our Lives" and "Sesame Street". Any ideas?

Matt

[Hannes The Hun]

A local IT guy posted a "slightly used" Foxconn nT330i on Craigslist for $200, including 2GB RAM, and 80GB hard drive. He will take $160 if I don't want the HDD.

I dunno, you won't have to pay much more for a brand-new barebone

[kurai]

Thanks for the response kurai. So configured correctly, through XBMC, I could choose to watch live 1080i HDTV; and change channels, etc with my remote control?

Yep - that's exactly what I do with mine now.

I am just now starting to research about RSS feeds, and automatically downloading torrents. The sites people refer to such as ezrss.it and showrss seem like great tools for most shows. I am having trouble finding feeds for my wife and kid's shows such as "Days of Our Lives" and "Sesame Street". Any ideas?

Matt

This is the major reason why I've never bothered going the full EPG/PVR route - a decent set of RSS feeds and a capable torrent client gives me, in effect, a super-flexible & extensible "WorldWide TiVO".
Add that to XBMC happily pulling down metadata/thumbnails/artwork for the auto-downloaded files and you have one beautiful bit of media automation going on.

Reliable torrent/RSS feeds for non-primtetime stuff are rather thin on the ground, but they do exist. They tend to be private and/or highly specialised though and tough to track down/register for.

As an alternative there's a certain "nautical buccanneer harbour" site (mods may frown on plugging a so overtly *ahem* copyright challenged resource directly) that's worth investigating :p

You can create your own server-side RSS feed for given terms, so that your custom feed only contains the show[s] you want - saves having to pull down a huge RSS feed of *everything* that passes through there every day and doing the filtering your side.

You've already discoverd the (IMHO) best feeds for the more commonly torrented TV material.

[maddog808]

I dunno, you won't have to pay much more for a brand-new barebone

Send me a link. I'm always looking for a good deal. The best I could find is $180 with free shipping here. You have to enter coupon code FALL15.

Then if I get a stick of 2GB RAM on newegg for $35-$40, I've spent $220 or so.

I'm on a budget, so if I can save $60 (~25%) and go with something slightly used, I'm all over it.

[maddog808]

Send me a link. I'm always looking for a good deal. The best I could find is $180 with free shipping here. You have to enter coupon code FALL15.

Then if I get a stick of 2GB RAM on newegg for $35-$40, I've spent $220 or so.

I'm on a budget, so if I can save $60 (~25%) and go with something slightly used, I'm all over it.

Nevermind, Hannes. I ended up going with a used Revo 3610 for $250. Just hooked it up earlier today, and so far, so good. All I've done with it is updated Flash, and played some HD videos from Hulu and Youtube. They look fine. I'm excited to get going with XBMC as soon as my SSD arrives!!

[Hannes The Hun]

just don't forget to make yourself familiar with opening up the revo, there's some youtube tutorials available as it really is a bit tricky