Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks

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7

7. How to Build a Digital

Video Recorder

Cost

Time

Difficulty

$0–200

a weekend

moderate

In 1998, two companies, ReplayTV and TiVo, began shipping a new type

of home video recording device. These new devices, dubbed personal video

recorders or PVRs, combined an embedded computer, modem, hard drive,

and video compression/decompression hardware. The PVR allowed you to

record television programs onto a hard drive and program future record-

ings using an onscreen program guide. The program guide is downloaded

automatically every night from a web site via a built-in modem. Another

interesting feature is live pause,

where a live TV program can be paused and

resumed.

Both of these devices use a paid-access program guide. The software that

runs them, although based on Linux, is not easy to modify or hack and can

cost $300 or more.

I will show you how to build your own quick-and-dirty Linux-based PVR

using parts you probably already have around the house. When you are

done, the system will not only record and play back programs, but the files

produced can be accessed from any other PC on the same network. You can

even take these files and burn VCD (video CD) format disks for archival

purposes. If you have a PDA that can access your home network, you can

use it as a remote control instead of a dedicated IR remote control.

Credits

All photographs and code listings copyright

© 2003 Russell Pavlicek.

What You Need

• An Intel- or AMD-based PC running

at 400+ MHz

• A Brooktree-based video capture

card

• An NTSC video output converter

• An optional IR remote

• Other items listed in

Exhibit A

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