[mythtv-users] Newbie

[Christian Reynolds]

On Dec 2, 2011, at 2:07 AM, Jarl Friis wrote:

> Dear MythTV users.
> 
> I am new on the list. New to MythTV, and I have plans to create my
> personal Mediacenter using MythTV. I am not new to sotware development
> however.
> 
> So I got some questions (request for recommendation):
> I need a backend. Is that just a plain PC with some of the capture
> equipment mentioned on the wiki?
> I need a front end. Any good recommendation? It is probably going to
> be vissible in the TV room, so it would be nice with a reasonable
> design and low power consumption and low noise here, right?
> 
> How are things supposed to be connected? Is video being transfered
> from backend to frontend over LAN/ethernet or by HDMI or something
> else?
> 
> What about from frontend to TV? Is that going to be LAN as well or HDMI?
> 
> Can someone please get me started?
> 
> Jarl

Hello Jari,

Welcome to the group, and to MythTV.  There are some great people here who have worked hard to
bring television media center experience, and I have found great helpful people if you offer them details, 
and patience.

Your backend computer will be a fairly modern box with hopefully multiple disks / spindles inside.  I have 3 hard 
drives: 2 for recording (1 TB each) and 1 for system and the database.  You want to make sure that the database
is on a different spindle than the recordings.  I am using SATA for my hard disks.  My server backend box is a 
homemade set from TigerDirect featuring an AMD64 at 2.x GHz and a UPS.  I am running Fedora 13 as an OS
and MythTV installed with RPMs.  CPU speed is important for tracking down commercials... not for recordings.

You will also need some tuners.  I use the HD Homerun series out of NewEgg, and have two HD Homerun tuners
offering me 4 video sources for over-the-air recordings.  I do not have cable or dish or anything outside of plain old
digital television.

I have several frontends, all running on Macintosh hardware and OS X.  The main living room has a Mac Mini and with
an optical cable, I can do digital audio to the television.  DisplayPort to HDMI adapter, and HDMI into the LCD 46" TV.  The
other frontends are MacBook computers that we watch in other rooms for a more personal viewing, such as my wife
watching a show on the treadmill, and myself watching NOVA while in the office plinking away doing something else. 
MythTV can run in a "window" on a Mac on a second display if desired.

This all connects up using ethernet on a gigabit network.  I believe the HD Homeruns require about 22 Mbs each.

TV Schedules are provided with a $20 a YEAR subscription to Schedules Direct.  Matter of fact, it is time to renew mine.

Welcome to the MythTV universe, and may your time here be rewarding!  

Christian


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