The Server Guy

I have received quite a bit of feedback on the page I posted about my experience building a DVR out of an old computer. Several people have asked for more detailed information and steps on how to build their own DVR, so here it the first part. As I started writing this it became apparent that the write-up was going to be fairly extensive so there will be two or three parts to this article.

Today we will look at the first few steps in building your own DVR. We will look

1. How much can you afford to spend on this project?
Decide how much you can afford (and are willing) to spend on this project. It is difficult to give a suggested price range here because it will cost significantly more if you have to purchase a computer plus the video capture card(s) and software. It’s true that I did it for a couple hundred dollars, but I already had a computer to use and only had to purchase a couple of cards and some software.

In the next two sections we will deal strictly with PC components. We aren’t going to worry about tv tuner cards or media software yet.

2. Find any spare computer parts you would like to use.
Do you have any computer hardware you can use for this project? Do you have an old PC that can be used for the DVR or are you going to be building from scratch? Make a list of any components you have that you may be able to use for this project.

3. List the additional components you will need. (hardware and software)
Since you have already listed the parts you have you should be able to make a list of components that you need. If you are new to building your own computer you can use any of several articles out on the Internet to pick out components all you need to do is search for them. Ars Technica has a guide specifically on small form factor systems here.

The following is a list of basic computer parts you’ll need:

Case - The main shell for the computer

Monitor - Displays output from the computer (your TV will replace this on a DVR)
Motherboard - The main board for the system that everything will plug in to

CPU (processor) - Chip that does all of the processing/calculations for the computer

RAM (memory) - Short term storage for information the computer is using, does not remain between system reboots
Hard Drive - Long term storage for the system, remains between reboots

Video Card - Creates what you see on the monitor (can be integrated in the motherboard)
Sound Card - Processes/creates the sounds you hear on your computer

Keyboard & Mouse - Way to input information into the computer (wireless remote may replace these after setup)

Selecting PC components should be enough to get you started on this project. Be sure to check back for the next section on building your own DVR.