[mythtv-users] $500 Myth Box

[Roy Lee]

I went the Mini-ITX route for $500.  I paid more for the small size, 
considering I could have gotten more CPU power, etc. for less money.

For case, I used the Morex Cubid 2699R.  It's about the size of a 12" pizza 
box (much smaller than the VCR that it replaced!), and uses a 50W external 
power supply, which *significantly* cuts down on noise.  My hard drive is the 
biggest contibutor to noise with this setup.  I got my case for about $80 US.

I keep it in my TV cabinet without an attached mouse, keyboard, or monitor. 
Just connected to TV and my LAN, and controlled via remote control.

You can see pics and a review of its older cousin at:
http://www.mini-itx.com/reviews/2688R/

As for the rest, I got:

Motherboard: 
	VIA EPIA M10000 ($150-$160 US) - Has onboard ethernet, 5.1 audio, video,
		and one PCI slot.  Processor is already on it.  Processesor has
		exceptionally low power requirements  (compared to high-end AMD/Intel).
Memory:
	Crucial 512mb DDR (if you do decide on the 2699R case, make sure the RAM
		height is below 34mm or it won't fit - the Crucial fit just fine)
Tuner:
	Hauppauge PVR-350 (less than $200 via pricewatch.com)
	Its included remote works really well under LIRC

DVD:
	Some generic slimline DVD player for $55.
	If you get the 2699R case, you need a slimline which means more $$
	Note that as of current date, MythDVD and MythVideo don't work
		with the PVR-350, so you won't be able to watch DVD's (yet).
	Thus, not much use for a CD/DVD with a PVR-350 except for initial
		OS install.

Hard drive:
	I used a IBM GXP 60gb that I had laying around.  They don't make these
	anymore but if you happen to get your hands on one, I'd 
	recommend NOT using it due to its "famous" failure rate.
	I know I'm playing with fire here but soon I'll plan on swapping it out
	with a Seagate 160gb later on.

For prices, I used http://www.pricewatch.com and picked out where I wanted to 
buy my components, paying attention to additional tax and shipping charges 
with different vendors.

Now the pros and cons of my setup:

Pros:
	Very small, very quiet
	PVR-350 with the Epia M10000 uses only 3% (!!!) CPU utilization during
		playback and record
	Front of case has firewire/usb connections if I need later on
	Even without MythDVD or MythVideo support, it's already better than a
		commercial Tivo because (1) I can record at higher bitrate and resolution,
		and (2) I have direct access to the recorded videos, so that (3) I can
		archive to DivX or DVD...
	Friends say "holy crap you can do all that with that little thing?"

Cons:
	No DVD or file playback yet (hopefully soon though!)
	I couldn't use the already built 0.11 .deb packages since I was using the
		PVR-350.  I ended up compiling both IVTV and MythTV CVS instead.
	Since there's no attached keyboard/mouse/monitor, I need to ssh from
		a different computer on the network, but I actually prefer it this way
	I'm not too sure about future DivX hardware decoding with this setup,
		unless I switch to the Epia's onboard video for video output instead
		of the PVR-350's.

Hope that helps.





> > So, can I do it for $500? I guess my config would have
> > to have the following:
> >
> > Small, quiet case
> > Motherboard (???)
> > Graphics (integrated?)
> > Sound (integrated?)
> > Network (integrated?)
> > CPU (P4-1Ghz?)
> > TV tuner card (encoder/decoder)
> > Hard disk (120Gb?)
> > Memory (512Mb?)
> > Wireless Mouse, Keyboard, Remote
> >
> > Optional:
> > Digital media slots
> > CD/DVD-burner
> > Firewire/iLink/IEEE 1394
> > FM Transmitter
> >