|
Posted by maya091283 on May 16, 2005, 2:06 pm
Please log in for more thread options
hi all, i just got a dell inspiron 9300 laptop running windows xp 2005
media center edition, and also got an external usb 2.0 tv tuner along
with it. i've been using the tuner to record live tv, and would like
to make it into a tivo replacement.
one issue i have is that if i want to record something when i'm not at
home, then it seems that i have to leave the laptop turned on and
running all day. i can't imagine this is too healthy for the machine.
is there anything anyone can suggest (that won't be too expensive to
carry out)? for example, is there an easy way to at least shut off
just the laptop screen (or something else that might save resources?)
or is there anything else i can be doing? i do have an extra external
usb hardrive at home with about 30 gigs of space on it - is there any
easy way to connect that to the tuner and have the tuner write stuff
diretly to the external drive without having the laptop turned on (so i
can view it later on)?
also, another issue is that i only have one cable outlet in the living
room. so if i want to watch regular tv in the living room and record
something else on the laptop, i can't use the laptop in the living
room. i think one option might be to buy a splitter for the living
room cable outlet so i can have both my regular tv and my tv tuner
seperately plugged into it. does this sound reasonable? is there
anything i need to know before doing that?
i'd be happy to get any tips and and suggestions and stuff from someone
reading this. thanks!!! :-)
|
|
Posted by James on May 16, 2005, 9:28 pm
Please log in for more thread options
A tivo or DVD recorder would have been a much cheaper alternative for doing
what you want to do. The money you spent for xp media center and the
external usb tuner would have bought either.
hi all, i just got a dell inspiron 9300 laptop running windows xp 2005
media center edition, and also got an external usb 2.0 tv tuner along
with it. i've been using the tuner to record live tv, and would like
to make it into a tivo replacement.
one issue i have is that if i want to record something when i'm not at
home, then it seems that i have to leave the laptop turned on and
running all day. i can't imagine this is too healthy for the machine.
is there anything anyone can suggest (that won't be too expensive to
carry out)? for example, is there an easy way to at least shut off
just the laptop screen (or something else that might save resources?)
or is there anything else i can be doing? i do have an extra external
usb hardrive at home with about 30 gigs of space on it - is there any
easy way to connect that to the tuner and have the tuner write stuff
diretly to the external drive without having the laptop turned on (so i
can view it later on)?
also, another issue is that i only have one cable outlet in the living
room. so if i want to watch regular tv in the living room and record
something else on the laptop, i can't use the laptop in the living
room. i think one option might be to buy a splitter for the living
room cable outlet so i can have both my regular tv and my tv tuner
seperately plugged into it. does this sound reasonable? is there
anything i need to know before doing that?
i'd be happy to get any tips and and suggestions and stuff from someone
reading this. thanks!!! :-)
|
|
Posted by maya091283 on May 16, 2005, 3:26 pm
Please log in for more thread options i would agree if my only reason for buying a laptop and tuner is as a
tivo replacement, but i actually bought the laptop and tuner for other
reasons. i figured that since i have the right gadgetry why not just
use them to replace tivo?
so given that i have the equipment i have, can anyone help me make this
work in the best possible way?
|
|
Posted by John Poutré on May 16, 2005, 8:07 pm
Please log in for more thread options >i would agree if my only reason for buying a laptop and tuner is as a
> tivo replacement, but i actually bought the laptop and tuner for other
> reasons. i figured that since i have the right gadgetry why not just
> use them to replace tivo?
>
> so given that i have the equipment i have, can anyone help me make this
> work in the best possible way?
>
As far as the 1 connections, just get a cable splitter at Radio Shack, that
is simple.
As for the turning the Laptop off, it has to be on. Just shut the cover, so
the monitor won't be on. Leaving it on won't hurt it at all, I have a spare
pc I leave on all day and night and have never had an issue.
John
|
|
Posted by maya091283 on May 16, 2005, 6:01 pm
Please log in for more thread options thanks john!! this is in line with the advice i was looking for. i
suppose that i need to configure my laptop so it stays on even if the
cover is shut, is that correct? i think right now it's set to
hibernate if the cover is shut......
in response to some of the other posts, hopefully it's more clear that
my question really didn't have so much to do with whether buying a good
laptop and a tv tuner as a sole replacement for a tivo is cost
effective (if that's all i'm gonna use them for). of course it's not.
but, it really amounts to whether i can get the added benefits of all
the tivo functionality from my existing set up with little additional
work. if i have the splitter than i can use my laptop from the living
room, record something, and watch tv at the same time. during the day,
i don't really use that laptop, so if there's a way i can leave it on
without doing much damage to it, then i've basically got all the
functionality i need.
|
| Similar Threads | Posted | | TV tuner for Laptop | September 12, 2005, 9:56 pm |
| Best laptop TV USB tuner? | January 4, 2008, 1:42 pm |
| TV Tuner Card for Laptop | May 3, 2005, 10:58 pm |
| Toshiba Laptop 5205s705 tuner problem | December 26, 2005, 3:55 pm |
| PCMCIA laptop TV tuner card question | January 10, 2007, 7:45 am |
| TV Tuner | September 14, 2008, 3:33 pm |
| TV Tuner Card | November 2, 2005, 8:26 pm |
| ATI USB TV Tuner - Do not Upgrade Software | June 11, 2005, 8:15 pm |
| HP Pavillion TV tuner question | February 3, 2006, 4:06 pm |
| Economical Laptops with TV Tuner Built-In | June 19, 2007, 6:16 am |
|
XML Sitemap