A DVR lets you watch television whenever you want.
Digital video recorders offer the convenience of watching your favorite television programs whenever you want. DVR units are readily available through various retailers, but building your own DVR allows you to customize it to your own needs. The easiest way to build a DVR is to build a computer and install a TV tuner and DVR application. This allows you to add a fully functional desktop as well as a DVR to your home theater system.
Instructions
1. Assemble the components you will need for your computer: computer case, motherboard, processor, memory, hard drive, optical drive and video card. While all components are necessary, the video card, memory and hard drive are the most essential. The video card will do the majority of the work when it comes to rendering and recording video, while the RAM will help this process run smoother. The hard drive size determines how much space you have to store encoded video files. Video file sizes differ according to DVR application, show length and encoding quality, but sizes can range from 500MB to over 2GB.
2. Install an operating system. When building your own DVR, you have a choice between Windows and various Linux distributions. Windows 7 allows you to create a DVR using utilities already included in the operating system, eliminating the need to download extra software, though DVR applications for Windows are also available. Linux installations require extra software to turn them into a DVR but have the advantage of being free.
3. Install a TV tuner card, a specialized video card that allows your computer to receive over-the-air digital signals and a necessary component for a DVR computer. Some TV tuner cards are USB-based, which simplifies installation and setup, though internal models are also available.
4. Install a digital recording application. Windows 7 comes with Windows Media Center preinstalled. Other Windows-only options include BeyondTV, a commercial application that retails for $99 as of January 2011; and GB-PVR, a free, open-source application. SageTV is a commercial DVR application compatible with Windows and Linux. MythTV is a free, open-souce DVR application compatible with various versions of Linux. Configure your DVR application according to your application's documentation.
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