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besson3c · Aug 27, 2008, 06:46 PM

I'm really digging my MythTV box. I'll grant you that it wasn't the easiest to setup, but once things sort of start to click in terms of your understanding of the architecture, it's not so bad. I'm sure I could help somebody setup their box pretty quickly...

In particular, here are some of the features and things about it that I really like:

- I can watch TV on any computer that supports the MythTV client/front-end. Sometimes I watch baseball games on my laptop when I'm in for an extended visit to the bathroom.. tee hee!

- Scheduling of recordings via web interface, as well as the ability to download recorded problems from anywhere (although my upload speeds are very slow since I'm using basic Comcast service)

- Built in DVD player and support for video files so that I don't have to switch interfaces to watch a DVD (the latter is managed via integration with VLC which also supports my remote control)

- Remote control support, the ability to customize my remote layout

- As much recording space as you desire, as you know hard drives are cheap!

- No DRM, of course

Any other MythTV users/lovers/haters here? My next step is to upgrade to HD. I'll need a HD card and new satellite receiver for that.

BLAZE_MkIV · Aug 27, 2008, 08:27 PM

Well when you find an HD card let the world know.

besson3c · Aug 27, 2008, 08:58 PM

Here is a list of supported cards... I'll buy one of the Hauppauge cards one day:

http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/DVB-S_PCI_Cards

CRASH HARDDRIVE · Aug 28, 2008, 01:02 AM

Screw cards. HDHomerun all the way. Dual tuners. All you need is one box on the LAN and every DVR and computer in the house gets HD. It works with pretty much everything, every platform.

blackstar · Aug 28, 2008, 06:47 AM

I use MythTV, but even do I started using it like you are using it now, eventually I used it the same way as an AppleTV. I do not ever record stuff, but just play from my libraries. The initial setup takes a while, but once you've got it running once it is real easy.

besson3c · Aug 28, 2008, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by CRASH HARDDRIVE

Screw cards. HDHomerun all the way. Dual tuners. All you need is one box on the LAN and every DVR and computer in the house gets HD. It works with pretty much everything, every platform.

I might look at the HDHomerun, although the Hauppauge HVR 2250 looks cheaper, and also has dual tuner support.

edit: the 2250 is not yet supported by MythTV:

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php...50&redirect=no

besson3c · Aug 28, 2008, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by blackstar

I use MythTV, but even do I started using it like you are using it now, eventually I used it the same way as an AppleTV. I do not ever record stuff, but just play from my libraries. The initial setup takes a while, but once you've got it running once it is real easy.

What OS did you decide to run it from?

Arkham_c · Aug 28, 2008, 09:47 AM

Unfortunately my local cable provider sucks. Does MythTV support DirecTV yet?

besson3c · 10:32 AM

MythTV supports any input source, as long as your capture card is supported by the OS and Myth.

CRASH HARDDRIVE · Aug 28, 2008, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

I might look at the HDHomerun, although the Hauppauge HVR 2250 looks cheaper, and also has dual tuner support.

What I like about the HDHR that blows away any card, is that it's as if you put tuner cards into every computer in the house. Fire up the Mac and EyeTV- it sees the dual tuners. Fire up Windows and any PVR, it sees the dual tuners. Fire up MythTV, it sees the dual tuners. No drivers and config bullshit with any of them. The expense/mess of doing all that with cards + USB tuners + drivers + cable/antenna hookups at each location, would be far greater.

wallinbl · Aug 28, 2008, 01:19 PM

Too lazy for all that and just let the TivoHD deal with it for me.

besson3c · Aug 28, 2008, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by CRASH HARDDRIVE

What I like about the HDHR that blows away any card, is that it's as if you put tuner cards into every computer in the house. Fire up the Mac and EyeTV- it sees the dual tuners. Fire up Windows and any PVR, it sees the dual tuners. Fire up MythTV, it sees the dual tuners. No drivers and config bullshit with any of them. The expense/mess of doing all that with cards + USB tuners + drivers + cable/antenna hookups at each location, would be far greater.

You wouldn't need to install more than one of these to work with MythTV and have every computer in the house TV ready, if I'm understanding things correctly, you'd simply connect this to the Myth backend. To me the only benefit I'd gain is not having to open up my box to install a PCI card, unless I'm missing something? What else would I gain?

besson3c · Aug 28, 2008, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Too lazy for all that and just let the TivoHD deal with it for me.

Yeah, but what if you want to watch your DVDs and video files (Xvid, DivX, h.264, etc.) on your same TV? You'd have to connect a laptop or something, right, and serve these files over the network... Myth allows you to consolidate all of your TV and video into a single source and single interface.

CRASH HARDDRIVE · Aug 28, 2008, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

You wouldn't need to install more than one of these to work with MythTV and have every computer in the house TV ready, if I'm understanding things correctly, you'd simply connect this to the Myth backend. To me the only benefit I'd gain is not having to open up my box to install a PCI card, unless I'm missing something? What else would I gain?

Well, you ran smack dab into one of the major benefits already- the card you were looking at isn't supported by MythTV for lack of driver support. A lot of the best tuners have sketchy Linux support, if at all. I've been messing with PVR stuff for years and have just come to the point of wanting the best/simplest things that work exceedingly well without messy support issues and are platform independent- the HDHR fits that bill to a T.

The HDHR will work with the backend, or in the complete absence of it. A card is dependent totally on the machine it's located in- that fact can be a major negative.

I tend to rate these things based on 'does it work correctly, every time, with no issues, in the widest range of possible conditions, with 100% WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor). The HDHR- yes. Flawlessly. Other cards/setups I've used, most times, not always, and the last 2 options, not at all.

besson3c · Aug 29, 2008, 12:08 AM

Crash: cool, I'll check it out. I haven't done much research as far as what HD cards work in Myth yet, but I know that the line of analog Hauppauge cards all worked in MythTV/Linux well - I had no problem there. If the same isn't true for the HD cards, I'll definitely look at Home Run. Thanks for this!

CRASH HARDDRIVE · Aug 29, 2008, 12:14 AM

I don't mean to come off like a HDHR fanboy, but I was just amazed at how it simplified my own setup, and now I just swear by the thing.

Certainly though, there are a lot of possible solutions. Best of luck finding what works best for you.

awaspaas · Aug 29, 2008, 03:58 AM

I have two HDHomeruns. It's seriously one of the best inventions ever. I can watch HD via clear QAM on any of my Macs straight from VLC! It was probably the easiest to setup peripheral ever in MythTV land too. I can't say enough good things about it. NO drivers, NO installers! Seriously, don't get a PCI HD tuner card. Even the best ones are flaky in Linux (much different from your analog tuner cards). The HDHomerun is a jillion times better.

Also to note for you DirectTV fans (or similar locked-down format: digital cable, etc). The Hauppague HD-PVR has preliminary MythTV support. The big deal about this box is that it has component inputs and hardware to convert it to mp4. This is right now the only way to capture HD video from satellite or a digital cable box, since CableCARD will pretty much never be supported in Linux. Watch for similar boxes to start appearing from other companies, especially once the cable companies decide to shut off their analog feeds and your beloved analog cable capture cards won't work anymore.

wallinbl · Aug 29, 2008, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Yeah, but what if you want to watch your DVDs and video files (Xvid, DivX, h.264, etc.) on your same TV? You'd have to connect a laptop or something, right, and serve these files over the network... Myth allows you to consolidate all of your TV and video into a single source and single interface.

I don't download music or movies and I don't buy DVDs. I like movies, but I don't understand how someone can sit through the same movie more than once.

blackstar · Aug 29, 2008, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by besson3c

What OS did you decide to run it from?

I started with Fedora, but eventually switched to Ubuntu. Ubuntu has great documentation and that was the reason for the switch. I had trouble getting my remote to work with Fedora. In Ubuntu it was real easy.
If I had to do it again, I would probably use Debian.