Turning a Laptop into a HD-DVR...

Sorry if this is the wrong forum... wasn't sure where to put this.

Alright, I'm looking to turn my laptop into an HD DVR of sorts... I'm pretty sure this is possible, but I'm not sure (and I'm not sure what all I need in order to do this). Basically, I want to be able to record HD content to my laptop, and then play it back on to an HDTV (through my laptop)

So, I have a laptop (an Acer 5920G) that has an HDMI-out port. My HD service at home is from Dish Network (I don't have a HD DVR... we only have an HD Receiver). I am not sure if the fact that we only have an HD Receiver will complicate things... but that's kinda the reason why I want my laptop to serve as our HD-DVR. I know that you can get HD Tuners that allow you to view/record Over-The-Air HD material... but I'm not sure if they will allow you do record HD material from an HD Receiver (from Dish).

Anyway, let me know if there's anything else I need to provide... and if this is even possible. If it is possible, what all will I need? Thanks in advance.

 

Check out the ATI HD 600 USB

 

Look into MythTV . :-D

 

So how do I plug that into/"connect" it with my Dish HD Receiver? Or do I need to? That's what's confusing me.

 

You'll need a compatible DVB-S card.

 

So if I have the ATI HD 600 USB tuner that txqzr4 suggested along with a DVB-S card, I should be able to do it?

 

You just need a DVB-S card.

 

Ok, so if I have a DVB-S receiver/card, will that automatically just pull from the satellite signal at my house? Or do I need to connect it to something somehow? I mean, I wasn't even sure that this was possible (and I'm still not sure if it is)... but I'd still like to try to see if it'll work.

So with the DVB-S receive attached to my laptop, what else do I need to do in order to get the Dish signal?

 

You plug the satellite dish into the card.

 

Google knows all http://www.google.com/search?q=DVB-S+card