[mythtv-users] remote frontend on a Mac

[Christopher Kerr]

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 11:27 PM, Mike Perkins
<mikep at randomtraveller.org.uk> wrote:
> lee wrote:
>>
>> Lol, who has computers at their TVs? Even with two screens eventually,
>> side by side to use one as TV and the other for the computer? With two
>> graphics cards in the computer, or one that can supply two monitors at
>> a time? Why would anyone want to watch TV while using their computer
>> on a seperate screen?
>>
> Who has computers at their TVs? Most mythtv users do. Mine is a small box
> about the size of a hardback book, it connects to my flat-screen TV by using
> the VGA cable (other cable standards are also available), and I control it
> by using a standard remote control similar to the one my TV uses. There's no
> other monitor. It has no hard disk, but boots over the network from the big
> server in my equipment cupboard upstairs. That also houses my Mythtv server.
> Electrician to run cables? Eh? All my receiving equipment is in the one
> cupboard. If I need to install a new tuner, I just need a new patch cable,
> if that.

Indeed. I'm pretty sure this is the standard use case for MythTV - one
backend in a cupboard somewhere, a frontend on the "family" TV (which
is rarely, if ever, used for any other purpose), and perhaps
additional frontends on other TV's or computers.

There's a hint in this: MythTV is designed for a dedicated frontend.
This often means that this computer is mouseless, keyboardless, and
set up to autologin to a dedicated "MythTV" user. Your normal Unix
conventions needs not apply here, because MythTV is ultimately
designed to be an appliance, not a computer.

I'm still curious about this notion of "having control over your own
recordings". Are you suggesting that we should have a multiple user
architecture where once a scheduling timeslot is allocated, it's
locked to changes from other users? That's not an inherently bad idea,
but it's a bit of a pain if I have to call to ask if they'd mind
reshuffling the priorities to let me record a "Top Gear" special
rather than a repeat of "Red Dwarf".

Do you really mean to imply that, bizarrely, I shouldn't be able to
watch "Doctor Who" because it was scheduled by Jack, and he hasn't
tagged it as shared? Or, conversely, that it's a great hardship to you
if you have to scroll past Jill's episodes of "Father Ted"?

Please outline your suggested use case - but I'm increasingly
beginning to suspect that you simply expect MythTV to be something
entirely different to what it is.

- Chris