[mythtv-users] Linux Backend, MacOS X in a VM, Fox/ABC VOD integration

[Richard Ablewhite]

Heyas,

Recently ive discovered the awesome video on demand services provided
by BBC, Fox and ABC and would love to be able to integrate these into
MythTV. Im the bod who wrote this:

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/BBC_iPlayer

on how to integrate BBC iPlayer into MythTV. Its not a great method
but it works reliably enough. After finding a way to access all the
Fox and ABC services from the UK I now want to integrate them, but aim
hitting the same old problems of the services requiring a Windows/Mac
plugin, in the case of Fox/ABC they all use Move Media Player by Move
Networks. Its a great service, works over just HTTP and provides full
screen HD content with a good selection of programs. As there service
is based on XML menus its easy enough to get all the relevant info to
make an episode guide for myth, just then getting a player for the
vids.

Move Media Player uses evil propriety methods and formats, it splits
video into an index file (extension .qmx) and loads of 200k qss files
containing the video stream.

Eg for Lost:

http://abc.move.l3.cdn.go.com/abcvod/lost_223_1441639/output.qmx
http://abc.move.l3.cdn.go.com/abcvod/lost_223_1441639/D8A03CEB46C49E46A2E17AC63C76312E_0100000001.qss
http://abc.move.l3.cdn.go.com/abcvod/lost_223_1441639/D8A03CEB46C49E46A2E17AC63C76312E_0100000002.qss
http://abc.move.l3.cdn.go.com/abcvod/lost_223_1441639/D8A03CEB46C49E46A2E17AC63C76312E_0100000003.qss
etc.

These are all in a propriety format that can only be played thus far
with there software, with comes in the form of an active x plugin for
IE and a xpi plugin for firefox, available for both Windows and Mac
but no Linux version.

Wine and cxoffice have very jumpy video for me, though there are a few
reports of it working. The vid jumps but seems to be a delay in the
plugin requesting the next vid packet, not CPU or network issues.
Thats for firefox, for Windows the plugin doesnt even seem to install.
Im not hugely experienced with wine so this may be a way to go...

As more and more services offering broadcast quality video are only
available for Mac and Windows Im looking to integrate them into Myth,
so im looking at running Myth backend on linux (for all the dvb
goodness) and then run the frontend in a virtual machine on MacOSX so
I can integrate Fox and ABC services natively.

So the questions,

1) has anyone managed to reliable watch videos from fox.com or abc.com
in wine, cedega or cxoffice in linux? If so problem solved.
2) How does MythTV perform on Mac OSX these days?
3) Has anyone ran Mac OS X in a vm, hows video performance, or hows MythTV run?

If anyone has any suggestions or experience or comments please let me know

Cheers,

Wig