[mythtv] Auto-Off Feature

[j sharpe]

Hi,
 
I have been working on a Myth box for a few months. One of the things that bugged me early on is the noise and power consumption associated with running a Myth box. While there are some things which you can do to minimize these problems (I have built a PC enclosure), I still was not satisfied. Ideally I wanted something more like a VCR which is basically dormant until its needed.
 
I started looking into whether it would be possible to shutdown the myth box while not in use. I soon discovered that modern bios support alarm wakeup from cold on x day at y time. With the help of other project (NVRAM-Wakeup) and some bash scripting 
and a small add on module to myth, I have now got a rudementary system with works. The basic logic that I have come up with as follows: The PC will now startup a few minutes before the next program is due to be recorded. Once the show has finished 
recording, it will calculate the next wakeup time, set the CMOS alarm and switch the PC off. (There is also some logic to ensure that you can view shows). Thus setup runs much like the VCR model. 
 
Big fat disclaimer:
The whole system works very well for me and my needs. But, I was totally new to *nix before Myth, and as a result, I bet others would see lots of ways to improve on the solution that I have come up with. 
 
My open question is: 
Does anyone else interested in such a solution?
 
If the answer is yes, then I would appreciate some input from others to harden up the solution.
 
Regards
Julian.


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