[mythtv-users] A few starting-out questions.

[Bryan Brannigan]

> 1) Today, the cable box is a tuner, and must be set to the 
> right channel for the TV to display the show I want to see. 
> Someday, the video signal will go from cable box to mythtv 
> box to TV; even so I'd expect the cable box still needs to be 
> set to the right channel; that is, it's the tuning on the 
> cable box that matters, not the tuning on the mythtv box. If 
> I change the channel on the tuner card, does it magically 
> change the channel on the cable box, too? What if I'm not 
> there--does the cable box have to be set to the right channel 
> ahead of time? That's what I have to do now, with a VCR for example. 
> I don't understand how mythtv can change that. Can it? 

You will need one of two things to control your cable box.  Some cable boxes
support being controled via a serial cable.  Others can be controled by
using an IR blaster.  You'll have to do some research in to your particular
box.

> 3) In shopping for a computer, of course I'd like a small one 
> in a form factor something like what AV-type equipment uses. 
> Or a shuttle would be nice, but they're expensive compared to 
> old Dell GX110's, Compaq Deskpros in the SFF, Evos, etc. The 
> problem is that all these small ones have limited PCI/AGP 
> slots. Generally these small computers have up to 2 slots; 
> either one agp plus one pci, or two pcis. Into those slots I 
> have to fit sound, video-in, and video-out. Hopefully I can 
> use the built-in sound; and if necessary I can use a 
> Hauppauge pvr-350, which gives me video-in and video-out in 
> one card. Is there anything I'm forgetting? 

Possibly networking if it's not onboard.