Ok, I've been trying to put pieces together for a super cheap HTPC. I want to base the system off the ION platform and I heard it decodes 1090P nicely, but what happens when you throw a TV Tuner in the picture and want to record a 1080i channel. It has to encode the video but I doubt Windows Media Center (Vista) uses anything related to the ION platform to encode the video. And we all know the processor the ION platform is based off can't encode the HD video, which leaves me with the MPEG-2 encoder on the TV tuner. My question is can the MPEG-2 encoder encode HD video and keep it at 1080i? I always thought the MPEG-2 format was a SD format. Is there a TV tuner out there that can support encoding 1080i?

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Alienware m17x R4
17.3" 1920x1080 -- Intel Core i7-3820QM -- 16GB DDR3 1600MHz -- Intel 520 180GB SSD -- 750GB 7200RPM Data HDD -- Slot BD-ROM -- 2GB AMD 7970m -- Intel Centrino 6250+WiMax -- Mediacom 20 Mbps Internet Connection

Yeah there's HD tuners out there... although recording HD signals that are encrypted can get a little sticky. It depends on the tuner more than the encoding algorithm what you'll be able to do with it. The mpeg-2 spec allows for HD resolutions, but there's a lot of mpeg-2 tuners out there that handle only standard-def video.

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Containment Breach

Do not meddle in the affairs of archers, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

I'm only working with Over the Air signals so I doubt its encrypted, I just want to make sure that before I invest a few hundred dollars that my investment will serve its purpose. If you can direct me to a card (link) that can encode an HD signal, that would be awesome.

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Alienware m17x R4
17.3" 1920x1080 -- Intel Core i7-3820QM -- 16GB DDR3 1600MHz -- Intel 520 180GB SSD -- 750GB 7200RPM Data HDD -- Slot BD-ROM -- 2GB AMD 7970m -- Intel Centrino 6250+WiMax -- Mediacom 20 Mbps Internet Connection

This may be irrelevant to u but i do up HTPCs/SFFs/small footprint everyday rigs all the time and actually 785G/mATX with Regor/Rana is where the lovely el cheapo solutions are hehe With some juicy undervolting either via BIOS or K10Stat, PhenoMSRTweaker, yada yada they run icy cool 24/7 too Example build


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My El Cheapo move to better PC Audio!
http://forums.amd.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=13&threadid=153336&enterthread=y

Edited: 01/16/2010 at 12:14 AM by batuchka