[mythtv-users] (no subject)

[papenfuss at juneau.me.vt.edu]

> So, I picked up a pvr-250 and got the hardware installed
> and functioning under 'doze last night, and I've got a few
> questions before I go any further.
	Hopefully it's not a weird one that's marginally supported.  I haven't 
been paying too much attention to these threads, but apparently there are a few 
revisions that are troublesome... something to be prepared for.

> 
> The machine is a 1.4 Ghz Athlon, 512 Mb RAM 2x120Gb seagate
> 7200 drives, on-motherboard audio, sb live! pci, geforce2
> with composite out, and a dvd drive. And the PVR-250 of
> course.
	For use with the PVR-250, perfectly fine machine specs.

> We have 2 tv's, primary downstairs, and secondary upstairs.
> In getting the output to both tv's, I've come up with a couple
> of options, but I'm leaning towards running about 50' of rca
> cable to the downstairs receiver. Since I have two soundcards,
> I should be able to dedicate one to myth, and one to pc audio.
> I hope. 
	That should be doable, but will require some tweaking.

Of course I'm worried about the quality of the video
> after such a long run. Would I be better off with svideo
> over such a distance, with an svideo->composite adapter at
> the end?
	The biggest issue with this is whether you are talking baseband or 
modulated video.  IIRC, baseband signal is not AGC'd and has a specified 
output voltage level (0.7 Vrms into 75 Ohms).  That means that on a long run, 
as the voltage drops, the contrast and saturation will decrease.  Fifty feet 
shouldn't be too bad, but will definately cause problems if poor quality cable 
(either lossy or poor matching impedance).  I'm assuming you will send the 
audio over dedicated wires then?
	If you run modulated video, it's another quality loss, but more 
traditional as far as getting signal over longer distances.  As you found out, 
audio is a problem with this solution, as encoding stereo is currently fairly 
expensive.  Mono is *easy*, and that's what you get with the $15 Wal-mart "DVD 
RF Modulator."

> 
> For the tv in the upstairs bedroom, I've got an xbox that's
> pretty much just collecting dust that I can network and
> set up as the frontend. With this setup would the xbox
> be able to watch live tv? Or would I need to run coax in
> for that?
	I have not run linux or mythtv on the x-box, but alegedly it works 
pretty well.  I don't even know that much about them, but my understanding is 
that they've got onboard video/audio (of course), ethernet, and an IR port?  If 
it works as well as some people claim, I would seriously consider running a 
single ethernet cable the 50' distance between the master box and downstairs.  
A frontend is basically half a mythtv box that can play videos (or 
recordings) over the network.  Use the x-box as the frontend... needs nothing 
more than the ethernet cable (and of course the additional complexity of 
getting linux/mythtv on the xbox and setting up a multiple mythtvbox 
frontend/backend).

> 
> I had thought about getting a UHF transmitter like this:
> http://www.accessorywarehouse.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AWI&Product_Code=501015&Category_Code=
> That would allow any tv within 300' to tune in, but I don't
> think it's stereo, don't know how good the reception would
> be, and I don't know if I want my neighbors to be able to
> know my viewing habits. ;) Still, a neat bit of kit.
> 
> Lastly we come to the issue of control.  With the PC
> upstairs, and the output down, I'm wondering if a
> 50' audio extension cable would work to extend the
> length of the IR receiver that was bundled with the
> pvr-250... has anyone ever tried it? I already have
> 2 learning universal remotes that can easily learn
> the hauppage remote. Should I bite the bullet and
> get a remote extender? Would it even work with
> 802.11g, 2 2.4Ghz cordless phones, and a 2.4 Ghz
> baby monitor? Recommendations?
	If you've got IR on the xbox, you won't need an extender.  Also, for 
further note, setting up the IR part of mythtv doesn't require a universal 
remote.  It can be taught to pretty much interpret any remote... map the keys 
however you like.  An old DirecTV or Tivo remote is great for a mythtv PVR.

> 
> I'm trying to keep this as inexpensive as I can, while
> maintaining the relative ease of use. The faster this
> pays for itself, the sooner I can convince the powers
> that be that adding a second tuner, more disk space,
> or other upgrades would be worthwhile.
> 
	Sounds like you've already got all the stuff you need to do it.  The 
xbox in the primary loop means it'll take awhile to get it all going.

-Cory


-- 
*************************************************************************
* The prime directive of Linux:  					*
* 	- learn what you don't know, 					*
* 	- teach what you do.						*
* 						(Just my 20 USm$)	*
*************************************************************************