[mythtv-users] Using a Tivo Chassis for Myth

[Gavin Haslett]

I think the FAQ is awfully harsh. Is it possible? Well, probably with
enough work... but quite simply the Tivo relies a lot on custom hardware
to make it work... the actual CPU is dog slow... hell my 4 year old iPaq
has a faster CPU than the Tivo Series 2. As a result, installing
anything like Linux / Myth on the box would be an exercise in pain with
no gain.

Similarly, the idea of using a gutted case has some merit, but at the
end of the day would probably be counter-productive. Even just using the
actual case itself, cramming all the hardware you would want into that
case is going to be tough. Then add all the extra things you've got to
consider like the cooling, power and so forth. Honestly, since it's
going to probably sit in an entertainment center anyway, you'd probably
be better off buying an SFF case of roughly the same dimensions, then
ripping the front of the Tivo S2 and either permanently attach it to the
case or jury-rig some kind of hinge. The results will be about the same
for a lot less heartache.

Although many people don't realize it, a lot more goes into the modeern
case design than just a metal box to hold your components. That was true
even up to about 5 years ago, but these days the case is often an
integral component of a system that's engineered for heat dissipation,
noise dampening etc. 

Sorry, even if someone's already done it, I wouldn't recommend it. I
thought about it too because the S2 case is actually pretty nice. But
when I started turning some of my numbers onto the project and throwing
some engineering calculators at it I figured that I'd end up with
something that looked like... well... a hacked up Series 2 Tivo that
might last 6 months in my living room before an overheat on the CPU,
Video or Capture card killed it or necessitated expensive repairs.

Now... if you wanted to create just a FRONTEND with a hacked Tivo...
that might be possible with the right hardware (though expensive)

Gavin


On Thu, 2006-06-22 at 16:22 -0400, Disconnect wrote:
> Hey look, its a FAQ! 
> http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-23.html#ss23.16
>