Build Your Own DVR

Filed in archive PVR on May 1, 2005

There are plenty of tutorials out there about building your own DVR. The problem is most of them use top of the line equipment which can cost you an arm and a leg. Makezine.com has a great step-by-step tutorial that uses hardware and software you may already have. Th tutorial starts by saying:

I started with an old PC (a Dell Dimension 4500) that had unfortunately been destroyed by lightning. After some experimentation, I figured out that the only bad portions of the PC were the motherboard and the modem (which I didn't need anyway). I decided to replace the motherboard and keep the same case and other hardware because I really liked Dell's clamshell case design. I did some research at my local Fry's electronics store and got a motherboard that would allow me to use the same memory, processor, and case. After getting the PC back up and running with this hardware, I had a pretty decent machine with a 1.8 GHz P4 processor, 256MB DDR2100 RAM, and a 20GB HD. Not bad for a resurrected PC.

This is a really good tutorial for those looking to build their first DVR.

Read Free TiVo: Build a Better DVR out of an Old PC