SnapStream's Godzilla DVR: 11 tuners, 1TB storage, $4,000

It looks like this is really just a proof-of-concept to show what the company's Beyond TV DVR software is capable of, but the folks at SnapStream have gone ahead and created what may well be the most powerful DVR known to man or monster. Dubbed the Godzilla, the box houses no fewer than 11 tuners (4 HD/7 standard), four 250GB drives for storing TV shows, and a dual-core Pentium D 840 3.2 GHz processor. SnapStream puts the cost to create this monster at over $4,000. Of course, you'll have to build it yourself, and by the time you're finished doing that, we're not really sure how much time you'll be able to spend watching the 112 hours of HDTV or 424 hours of standard TV you'll be able to store on it.

[Via the PVR Blog]

[Jimmy @ Jan 19th 2006 3:26PM]

A terabyte doesn't impress me..... The Alienware ALX offers 2 terabytes... ofcourse that isn't a DVR, but you could put a tv tuner and media center edition on it and hook it up to your TV and use it as a media center PC....

[AR @ Jan 19th 2006 3:33PM]

i wonder if this thing is as loud as Godzilla.

[khamel @ Jan 19th 2006 3:40PM]

they just used 4 250 sata hds, you could always get 4 500gb sata hds (they exist right?) and there you go, 2 terabyte.

i tried to use snapstream once and found the whole deal more work than it was worth. i got a tivo and haven't looked back since. with the new hdtv tivo that has additional storage options i cant imagine ever going back. i can afford the 13 a month and its the best 13 i spend all month.

[Christopher @ Jan 19th 2006 3:50PM]

My question is... how are you going to convince Cablevision to run 11 strands of RG-6 to your underground lair? And what's that cost?

-C

[BigG @ Jan 19th 2006 4:07PM]

I have had a Beyond TV box at home fora year now. I have been impressed with it. The hardest thing is adding more hard drives to the system as I have it in an Antec Aria case. 0.6 TB 90% full.

[ken fager @ Jan 19th 2006 4:17PM]

Just because you can record all of Ron Popiel's infomercials doesn't mean you should.

[Bionic @ Jan 19th 2006 4:21PM]

Why would they use a dual-core Prescott in there? You might as well add a space heater...
I also don't see the point of running the HDDs in RAID-0, because you're just asking for trouble when one fails

[Tyler McPheeters @ Jan 19th 2006 5:16PM]

Yeah if only they showed the godzilla cooling system needed to keep this guy running...

[mb @ Jan 19th 2006 6:32PM]

what a waste, do people really care about TV this much? :|

[Mike @ Jan 19th 2006 8:36PM]

I have a SageTV machine with 4 tuners in it. I could use another, or 4, especially HD ones. I hope all those hard drives are raided together. Oh, and you don't need 11 cable lines coming in, just on heck of a splitter.

[totalundone @ Jan 19th 2006 8:51PM]

I simply don't understand it...
They're worried about heat but pack the case with 6 hard drives and a pentium ee (d series). they're concerned about noise but pack the case with 6 hard drives and a pentium ee...

�ditch the hard drives and pick up 2 hitachi 500 gig drives and a raptor 36 gig (for the OS, since that's how they want to do it).
�ditch that pentium setup and get a high end centrino setup (it will do very good encoding on the fly and nowhere near as much heat).
�ditch that case (very very nice case, but there are other cases that will cool a cpu better, like that one that has fins designed on the exterior?)
�ditch that dvd burner. this ties in with the case, but get one that fits a notebook burner; more room for air flow and designed to run cooler.

oh, and we run into one *little* problem. does that computer have the bandwidth to record 11 shows at once? i mean, 4 HDTV streams and 7 SDTV streams? All to the hard drives at the same time?

[Prashant @ Jan 19th 2006 10:29PM]

That thing is freakin sweet. That's 11 sources of location free tv. That's 6 rooms, my cellphone, my pda, my wife and kids cell's. $4000's not to bad.

[busted @ Jan 20th 2006 12:03AM]

#6, nice. Ronco all the way. Set it and forget it!

Seriously, 11 tuners? I can see 4 or possibly 5, but that's about it. Proof of concept, I guess.

[Nick @ Jan 20th 2006 10:01AM]

This would be the kind of system to run if you were running a SOphisticated bed & breakfast. Imagine the uniqueness of it...on demand HD to each room while still maintaining that rustic B&B feel...

I sense a venture capital disturbance in the force...

[Lee88 @ Jan 20th 2006 3:07PM]

I still don't understand what the point of 4 ATSC tuners is. Until HD capture via CableCard or satellite is available for media servers like this... why bother?

[mpeng @ Jan 20th 2006 6:54PM]

it just seems like you could fill up those hdds in no time...

[Stoneman @ Jan 20th 2006 8:04PM]

If you buy this and use it.......you have no life. Then again, wtf am I posting here anyway? That's besides the point.

Where's my Big League Chew when I need it?

[Ryan @ Mar 22nd 2006 4:05PM]

My DVR has a pentium 5000 souped up, bored out .40 over, and over-clocked a few ticks. Throw in a few Kentrox 402 units and you got yourself a hot rod. I still haven't even bragged about the 2 512 meg strips or ram running simultaneously, a 9 gig hdd and 1 ntsc tuner. All I need is a set of Cragar mags and I could run a 9 sec quarter mile. yeeeeehawwwwwww