[mythtv-users] My Tivo just died. Beyond or Myth?

Dewey Smolka dsmolka at gmail.com
Sat Jun 25 15:00:59 UTC 2005


> I need to keep the cost below $500 for both software and hardware (I already
> have a few large hard drives so I will not have to include those in the cost
> of building my new PVR) I also have a copy of Win200 Pro that I can use as
> well.
>

You could probably keep it under $500 either way but Myth is yours, in
that neither the source nor the community are going anywhere. You
could get Beyond, but then in a year or two when you want to update
your hardware you find that Win2k is unsupported, plus you'll need to
upgrade Beyond. All of the sudden that $150 HD card becomes $450, and
you get a whole heap of DRM to go with it.

And then when Beyond is crushed by MSMCE you'll be right back here
where you started.

If you want something that is quick and easy to set up but rather
limited, get Beyond, by all means. If you want to have your system
your way that is capable of doing just about anything, and are willing
to spend time perfecting it, welcome to Myth.

You can definitely keep it under $500 if you've already got storage.
I'd recommend you look for a cheap used box at least P4 1G if you want
live TV. Add as many PVR x50 cards as you want inputs -- the PVR 250
is very well supported and a good one to start with. The 150 is
cheaper, and the 500 is 2x150 on one card.

Pretty much any nvidia gf2 mmx + card with S-video will work. I saw a
gf4 at Microcenter the other day for $30, and bought an fx5200 w/ DVI
for $55.

Sound will work off your mobo, but it's very easy to exand to 5.1 later on.

I'd also recommend using a small HDD (20 G or so) for the OS and live
buffer. This will let you play around with different OSs and even
reformat the whole drive if you want without risking your library.

Start with Knoppmyth -- http://www.mysettopbox.tv/. It's the OS
(koppix-debian) and the complete MythTV package with a straightforward
installer.

Good luck


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