Linux compatible SD capture

[dewdude]

Since I'm stuck to my old school ways of flipping through whats on a live TV and what's recorded on my DVR since I never got in to this Hulu or Netflix streaming stuff till recently when I got some major broadband...and I figure I had to take a contract out that included TV service to get this internet, I might as well use it.

So, I have a spare SD box that doesn't get much use and I'd like to somehow capture the S-Video output and stream this over the network to my laptop. I don't need or require DVR like services...I just need something that'll capture the video and audio in a live feed. However, since I'm designing this to be an always-usable-when-i-want-to deal..I want to run the entire operation on Linux. So does anyone of any recommendations of low-cost cards that have Linux support?

[freebird73717]

Get an older hauppage pvr for cheap and make yourself a mythtv system.

[dewdude]

While I appreciate the suggestion of Hauppauge cards, i likely won't go mythtv....myth seems to be more of a thing of converting a PC in to an STB to watch/record video...while it'll probably do the streaming I want..that's just entirely too much. I'm trying to keep the thing as minimal as possible. I don't need any kind of PVR/DVR functions...so I'd really rather not install them just to get video streaming.
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I mean the whole idea is to hook this thing up, use some kind of IR interface so i can take something like VLC, punch in the IP of the lan machine and have it start streaming video while issuing commands over terminal to send remote codes.

I don't care about complexity, i don't need easy...i'm going to be the only one using it.

[freebird73717]

Ok. no problem.

Main reason I suggested the hauppage pvr line of cards is they have great linux support. I'm sure you could use a hauppage card the way you are describing.

[dphirschler]

Reconsider the MythTV approach. You could build a backend-only machine. And then all your recordings are available over your network, even on your PS3 if you have one. It's quite amazing and very easy to setup.


Darryl

[dewdude]

No, I don't have a PS3...I have a Wii...but that's connected to the HDTV which has a STB.

I also don't have any recordings. I'm not really building this to have DVR capabilities...my one HD STB has the Home-Media DVR option...so it already shares recordings with the other STB's in the house...not to mention, I'm not going to go through a lot of hassle building a linux box for this...mostly something that's fast enough to capture and compress the AV stream when needed annd minimal HDD space (possibly booting off say a USBStick)..I already have enough problems keeping up and bothering to use one DVR...let alone two. If there's something I'm going to record....likely it's already on the internet in some streamable or downloadable format from someplace...and that alone has just about replaced all the DVR functions..and when it's not...like I said...I have a DVR from my TV provider.

Despite that, I still watch a lot of TV when TV is on and channel surf....and that's all I'm trying to build this thing for...but software is an entirely other issue...being a hardware thread I didn't really want it to migrate in to the complete package and mostly wanted to know which SD cards had decent Linux support so I could decide from there what to do. I haven't even worked out the logistics of doing remote control.

But, thanks for all the advice. I will consider mythtv, but it's not in the forefront right now.

[freebird73717]

.... mostly wanted to know which SD cards had decent Linux support....

Yep. The older hauppage pvr line 150,250,or 350 all have great linux support. Also being older cards you can usually find them used for good prices. Try craigslist or ebay

Not sure about newer sd cards though.

[dewdude]

Actually....seeing the 150 having an integrated encoder made me wonder if anything out there has an integrated mpeg4/x.264 encoder that would work with linux in a fashion I want.

[dphirschler]

Don't leave out the PVR500: dual tuner/mpeg encoder, with remote.