[mythtv-users] Bob's Huge List of Questions [Was: 0.22 annoyances]

[Christopher Kerr]

On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 11:05 AM, Bob Cunningham <FlyMyPG at gmail.com> wrote:

> I suppose all I really want is a hardware recipe and a distro selection that
> will give me the best "bang for the buck" FE/BE system with "brainless
> setup" and "great performance" for running MythTV.  Then I could remove
> MythTV from my workstation and actually start using it in my living room!
>
> - What is the best distro for running 0.22?
> - Should I use one of the pre-configured MythTV+distro packages?
>   (Do any of them provide 0.22?)

I use Mythbuntu - it's been through a few upgrades now, so it's not
exactly stock, but it got me up and running in a couple of easy hours
- my only problems were hardware problems (a network card which was
consistently misidentified in Hardy through Jaunty, but is now fixed)
and the slightly braindead LIRC mappings the setup generates.

It includes a version of 0.22, but I recommend using the Avenard
repositories. http://www.avenard.org/media/Ubuntu_Repository/Ubuntu_Repository.html

> - Which video card?  (Is VDPAU the best way to go?)

VDPAU is definately the best way to go. To use the Advanced 2x
deinterlacer on HD material, you'll want a Geforce 9600, or GT220. If
you can live with using Temporal deinterlacing instead of the fancier
Advanced deinterlacing on HD material, you can also consider the 9400,
9500 or GT210. The VDPAU Normal playback profile is set up for these
cards, so it's easy to set up.

If you happen to have one around, some of the Geforce 8xxx series will
work, too - I'm using a fanless 8500.

> - Which HD and SD tuners? (I presently have an HVR-950Q.  I previously went
> through hell with a pair of HD-5000 cards, which I returned.)

I'm going to leave this question alone, I don't know what's available
in your country.

> - Can I really expect to build a fanless HTPC that has great MythTV
> performance?

It's possible, but true fanless systems aren't cheap, since you have
to deal with heatsinking the CPU and powersupply through the case. The
nVidia Ion based systems which are getting popular around here need
only one fan, and will work brilliantly as a frontend, but you'll need
a seperate backend system for your tuners.

See http://www.silentpcreview.com/ for information on low noise
components and fanless systems.

> - Is a ready-to-buy HTPC available with MythTV preloaded and ready to go?

Not as far as I know, but if you have a local know-it-all teenager
with some linux experience, you may find they'll work for reasonable
rates ;) They're not that easy to find, though.

> My experience indicates MythTV is simply way too fragile and complex (too
> big a time sink) to be treated as "just another Linux app" in a dynamic
> environment, meaning I should either consider other DVR software, or try to
> get a pre-configured box from a company that uses MythTV experts.

The trick is to get it right and then leave it alone. It's definitely
easier to get going on a dedicated machine.

> I want to replace my ReplayTV box with a very quiet HTPC that does as much
> of the following as possible:

> - HD/SD DVR (Tivo?  WinMCE?  MythTV?)

If you expect that WinMCE is easier to keep going than Myth, you're
mistaken - I used it for a year, and it had an infuriating ability to
just forget that whole multiplexes existed, and no way to fix it.

> - DVD/CD player

Myth makes a wonderful DVD player, but at the moment, pending
revisions to MythMusic, a terrible CD player.

> - Rip from DVDs, CDs and VCR (I still have a few old tapes...)

First two are easy. (even easier if you just do them from a
workstation environment on the backend). Third is harder, you'll need
an analogue capture card of some variety - just ask on the list, a lot
of USA users seem to use them to capture from a cable box.

> - Future support for Blu-Ray 3D disks and rips (PS3?)

At the moment, there is no legal way to play Blu-Ray on Linux. There
are methods to rip Blu-Ray on windows, and these rips can be played by
MythTV, but we don't discuss specifics on this list.

> - Access my local digital media (pics & vids)

MythGallery and MythVideo - I haven't used MythGallery, but MythVideo
is excellent in 0.22

> - Access Internet streaming media  (Boxee?  XBMC?  MythTV?)

For now, Boxee (which seems to be basically XBMC with a slightly
altered face). There's a plugin in the works for MythTV.

> - Web browsing (news, weather, search)
> - POP/SMTP email (Thunderbird)
> - A wireless keyboard (with integrated trackball or trackpad)

Doing this from a remote is currently tiresome, but obviously if you
don't mind dropping back to a desktop interface with a mouse and
keyboard available, the usual software will do.

Such keyboards exist. There's a few bluetooth models sold for use with
the PS3 which may be ideal.

> - A wireless remote (I have a Sony RM-AX4000 and a PHX01RN)

LIRC provides very robust remote support - learning remotes are even
easier, since you can just feed them the codes for an MCE remote which
is fairly well supported out of the box.

> - Phone integration (so I don't have to manually mute/pause the HTPC when I
> get a call)

Don't think this has been done, but I don't know any of other PVR's
which do it either? It's certainly not impossible, but it'd have to be
a custom setup.

> - The HTPC truly deep-sleeps or shuts down when not in use.

Not sure about this. I think there's some support for it, but it
doesn't make any sense to me - shutting down the frontend is easy, but
shutting down the backend seems like you're just asking for missed
recordings. After all, you don't turn off your ReplayTV box, do you?

- Chris