[mythtv-users] No CPU usage, and hello! and questions

[Kyle Rose]

I'm running mythbackend and mythfrontend on a dual Athlon 1800+, and
the back end uses basically no CPU.  The front end uses lots (30% for
the X server) presumably due to all the bit movement to the display,
but I'm surprised at how little CPU the back end is using, even
encoding MPEG-4 at 2200 Kbits/sec.  Perhaps there is something wrong
with my load reporting, or are others also seeing similarly low CPU
usage?

BTW, this software rocks.  I just got it up and running today and am
impressed at how favorably it compares to my TiVo: it's not quite as
polished (e.g., I occasionally get that freezing bug in live TV that
I've seen mentioned here; I get segfaults when I hit "Z" for some
reason; etc.), but overall it seems to have lots more features,
especially with respect to recording and categorizing of playback; and
I can run a mythfrontend on any machine in the house---even on an
ass-slow 802.11b wireless connection---and watch full motion video.
Sweet!

I have a few questions on how to proceed, however.  My home setup is
essentially:

DirecTV RCA receiver (serial adaptor cable on order)
Dual Athlon 1800
Hauppague (sp?) WinTV Bt878
XFX NVidia FX5200 w/S-Video output
SB Live! 5.1
Standard 4:3 TV

So, related to changes:

(0) Can one change channels with the keypad?  I've been unable to get
this to work, or at least, when I hit "M", it always highlights
channel 2.

(1) I'd like to get IR working so I can use a standard remote when
sitting downstairs, instead of using a keyboard.  Does anyone have
recommendations about good USB-based IR receivers that work well with
lirc?

(2) I'm going to get a second DirecTV receiver at some point, and
would like to get another TV card; any suggestions for what I should
get next, given that I apparently don't need one with an on-board
encoder (see note about CPU usage above)?  Has anyone encountered any
issues with dual TV cards/dual sound cards in the same machine?

At some point, I'm going to upgrade my main set to a Plasma HDTV, and
presumably get an HDTV DirecTV receiver.  So, if anyone has any
experience with this:

(3) Are there any possibilities for HDTV cards that can work with a
setup like this?  I'm more worried about play-prevention/signal
crippling schemes that will render home-brewed HDTV PVR's untenable.

Thanks to everyone who's been working on this; I normally only do
development at work, but this thing rocks so much, it's almost got me
to the point where I want to do some hacking at home!

Cheers,
Kyle