Difference between revisions of "Using MythTV"

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{{Navigate|User Manual:Detailed configuration Frontend|User Manual:Index|User Manual:Accessory Modules}}
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{{User Manual TOC}}
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This page is up-to-date to MythTV version 0.20, the current release is {{CurrentRelease}}
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'''Using A [[Myth Box]] From Day To Day'''
 
'''Using A [[Myth Box]] From Day To Day'''
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Ah, yes; the part you've all been waiting for.  :-)
 
Ah, yes; the part you've all been waiting for.  :-)
  
This section identifies all the things you can ''do'' with a MythTV unit, and explains how they work and how to control them.  Hopefully, it will also identify things which can be done more than one way, and point out the most effective choice (and why you might want to do it another way anyway).
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This section explains what you can ''do'' with a MythTV unit, how the parts work and how to control them.  Hopefully, it will also identify things which can be done more than one way, and point out the most effective choice (and why you might want to do it another way anyway).
  
MythTV is, as we've said, a very capable, powerful, and most of all ''expandable'' system.  The practical effect of this is that as we go along, we will describe things which can only be done with more than the basic configuration, or which work differently if you have more than the basic configuration.
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MythTV is a capable, powerful, and most of all ''expandable'' system.  We will describe things which can only be done with, or will work differently with, an expanded configuration.
  
  
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Whether your screen will look exactly like the screenshots in this manual will vary depending on the [[theme]] you have chosen.
 
Whether your screen will look exactly like the screenshots in this manual will vary depending on the [[theme]] you have chosen.
 
:If you want to do screenshots of live TV you must turn off XV video acceleration; you can use the following command to run Mythfrontend.
 
 
$ NO_XV=1 mythfrontend
 
 
:This does software rendering of the video stream, so it is slow. To slightly improve speed, make sure you don't have any [[deinterlacing]] turned on.
 
  
 
:Editor's note: The images below are using only one of the several available OSDs. Personally, I prefer some of the other, "prettier", OSDs (no offense to the author of that OSD). Also note that some of the behaviors noted in this document will change with the release of 0.19 (mainly the LiveTV section). --[[User:TylerDrake|TylerDrake]]
 
:Editor's note: The images below are using only one of the several available OSDs. Personally, I prefer some of the other, "prettier", OSDs (no offense to the author of that OSD). Also note that some of the behaviors noted in this document will change with the release of 0.19 (mainly the LiveTV section). --[[User:TylerDrake|TylerDrake]]
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You can find a full list of keyboard keys and functions on the [[keybindings]] page.
 
You can find a full list of keyboard keys and functions on the [[keybindings]] page.
  
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
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{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center" style="border-collapse:collapse; border-color:silver; background:whitesmoke"
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|- style="background: gainsboro"
 
!| Remote Control Name
 
!| Remote Control Name
 
!| Keyboard Key  
 
!| Keyboard Key  
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== Introduction ==
 
== Introduction ==
  
MythTV has been designed to be used via the "ten foot Interface": you should be able to drive its day to day functions from ten feet (3 metres) away sitting comfortably on your sofa.
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MythTV has been designed for the "ten foot Interface": it should be driveable from your sofa ten feet (3 metres) away.
  
In many respects, this is a compromise between functionality and simplicity. This is especially the case given that the average Remote Control only has about 40 to 50 keys (10 of which are numbers). Compare this with MythTV's over 100 keyboard functions.
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This is a compromise between functionality and simplicity--especially since the average Remote Control only has about 40 to 50 keys (10 of which are numbers), while MythTV has over 100 keyboard functions.
  
 
MythTV users will also cite the much needed [[WAF]] or GAF; that is, Wife/Girlfriend Acceptance Factor. The good news is the 80/20 rule applies - you can do 80% of your day to day things with MythTV on about 20 keys on your remote.
 
MythTV users will also cite the much needed [[WAF]] or GAF; that is, Wife/Girlfriend Acceptance Factor. The good news is the 80/20 rule applies - you can do 80% of your day to day things with MythTV on about 20 keys on your remote.
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'''Live TV vs MythTV'''
 
'''Live TV vs MythTV'''
  
MythTV introduces a whole new paradigm shift in the way you watch TV. Traditional TV forced you to watch against the broadcaster's schedule. This meant that you scheduled your time around your favorite programs. This also created the channel-surfing culture, cycling through channels just to see what was on, more often than not there was never anything you liked.
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MythTV will shift your TV paradigm. Once you had to plan your time around your broadcaster's schedule, or sit channel-surfing just to see what was on, more often than not finding nothing you liked.
  
 
MythTV introduces the Electronic Program Guide, or EPG, with its full description of what is currently being broadcast and what will be broadcast in the coming weeks. The guide is stored in a relational database so that you can make queries such as find episodes of "Desperate Housewives".
 
MythTV introduces the Electronic Program Guide, or EPG, with its full description of what is currently being broadcast and what will be broadcast in the coming weeks. The guide is stored in a relational database so that you can make queries such as find episodes of "Desperate Housewives".
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'''Dealing with Commercials'''  
 
'''Dealing with Commercials'''  
  
Whether you like to watch adverts/commercials is a matter of taste. MythTV on the otherhand gives you a choice of skipping over these in your recordings. As such MythTV is often compared to a TiVO. There is much activity in the industry with respect to commercial handling, and forcing users to watch these ie. you cant fastforward or skip these with Personal Video recorder devices or applications, indeed it may even become illegal to do so.
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Some people like commercials. If you don't, MythTV lets you skip these in your recordings. As such MythTV is often compared to a TiVO. There is much activity in the industry with respect to commercial handling, and forcing users to watch these ie. you cant fastforward or skip these with Personal Video recorder devices or applications, indeed it may even become illegal to do so.
  
 
'''Media Consolidation'''
 
'''Media Consolidation'''
  
 
Over the years MythTV has transformed itself into a full blown media hub, able to handle all digital media including photos, music, videos, DVD and CD plus much more. More importanly since the 0.20 release, MythTV is now able to support the new Universal Plug and Play ([[UPnP]]) media server/client and control point standard, so that it can interact with all manner of other media applications and devices.
 
Over the years MythTV has transformed itself into a full blown media hub, able to handle all digital media including photos, music, videos, DVD and CD plus much more. More importanly since the 0.20 release, MythTV is now able to support the new Universal Plug and Play ([[UPnP]]) media server/client and control point standard, so that it can interact with all manner of other media applications and devices.
 
== Menu Outlines ==
 
  
 
You may find it useful while reading the manual to refer to (or even print out) the Menu Maps for  
 
You may find it useful while reading the manual to refer to (or even print out) the Menu Maps for  
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[[User Manual:Outline of mythtv-setup|the backend setup program]].
 
[[User Manual:Outline of mythtv-setup|the backend setup program]].
  
===Starting MythTV===
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==Starting MythTV==
  
 
MythTV consists of two main applications: MythBackend and Mythfrontend. Mythbackend handles all aspects of your TV cards and capturing live TV shows into recordings, and most importantly all the information about these recordings and any media you have such as music and photos. You will always need to start the Mythbackend first. Mythfrontend handles the user interface and the interaction between you, your remote control and the mythbackend server.
 
MythTV consists of two main applications: MythBackend and Mythfrontend. Mythbackend handles all aspects of your TV cards and capturing live TV shows into recordings, and most importantly all the information about these recordings and any media you have such as music and photos. You will always need to start the Mythbackend first. Mythfrontend handles the user interface and the interaction between you, your remote control and the mythbackend server.
  
Ideally mythbackend/mythfrontend should be autostarted when you power on your machine, see the [[user Manual:Detailed configuration Backend]] and [[user Manual:Detailed configuration Frontend]] on how to do this. Many users just leave their machines running all the time so that they can be sure to capture scheduled TV shows to recordings. For those of you that are concerned about electricity usage, then you can have your MythTV machine automatically wakeup just before a show starts, and then shutdown after the show has been recorded. The mythbackend server will automatically shut down when it is idle, ie is not connected to a front end, or is not recording.
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Ideally mythbackend/mythfrontend should be autostarted when you power on your machine, see the [[user Manual:Detailed configuration Backend]] and [[user Manual:Detailed configuration Frontend]] on how to do this. Many users just leave their machines running all the time so that they can be sure to capture scheduled TV shows to recordings. For those of you that are concerned about electricity usage, then you can have your MythTV machine automatically wakeup just before a show starts, and then shutdown after the show has been recorded -- see the mythTV HowTo [[ACPI_Wakeup|"ACPI Wakeup"]]. The mythbackend server will automatically shut down when it is idle, ie is not connected to a front end, or is not recording.
  
 
You can also start Mythbackend from a terminal session with the following command:
 
You can also start Mythbackend from a terminal session with the following command:
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mythfrontend can be run either in full screen mode or inside a window.
 
mythfrontend can be run either in full screen mode or inside a window.
  
 +
===MythTV Front Page===
  
Once MythTV has started you will be presented with the MythTV Front page. Here is one using the Retro Theme.
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Once MythTV has started you will be presented with the MythTV Front Page. Here is one using the Retro Theme.
 +
:You can see a collection of the available themes on the [[Themes]] page.
  
 
[[Image:Frontpage.jpg]]
 
[[Image:Frontpage.jpg]]
  
You can see a collection of Themes available here [http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Category:Themes MythTv Themes].
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The MythTV Front Pageprovides you with the following options:
 +
#[[User Manual:Daily Use#Watching and Recording Live TV|Watch TV]] - Watch and record Live TV.
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#[[User Manual:Daily Use#Watching Recordings|Media Library]] - Watch previously recorded programs.
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#[[User Manual:Daily Use#Managing Recordings|Manage Recordings]] - Manage recording schedules
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#[[User Manual:Daily Use#Information Center|Information Center]] - View MythTV status
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#[[User Manual:Daily Use#Playing DVDs|Optical Discs]] - Watch and Import DVDs
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#[[User Manual:Detailed configuration Frontend|Utilities/Setup]] - Configure MythFrontend and Plugins
  
 
===MythTV Welcome Screen===
 
===MythTV Welcome Screen===
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[[Image:WelcomeScreen.jpg]]
 
[[Image:WelcomeScreen.jpg]]
 
You should set your system to autostart with mythwelcome rather than mythfrontend. Mythwelcome will automatically start mythfrontend in the event that the system is normally powered on. You can change this behaviour by accessing the configuration page. Press [[Image:RemoteInfo.png]]
 
 
[[Image:WelcomeScreen3.jpg]]
 
 
You can also access shutdown and exit options in mythwelcome by pressing [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]]
 
 
[[Image:WelcomeScreen2.jpg]]
 
  
 
You may find it helpful to read the [[Mythwelcome]] configuration page
 
You may find it helpful to read the [[Mythwelcome]] configuration page
  
== Watching Live TV ==
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==Watching and Recording Live TV==
When you select Watch TV from the front page, MythTV will automatically go to the default channel when you setup the mythbackend. You can also have it go directly to to programme guide.
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Live TV can be accessed by selecting '''Watch TV''' from the main menu screen. This feature provides a way to watch TV through channel surfing at the time it is broadcastSince everything is recorded to disc, it is possible to pause programs, replay scenes, and store shows permanently on the system. In addition to channel surfing, it is possible to browse through TV listings using the [[Electronic Program Guide]].   
 
 
'''Changing channels'''
 
 
 
While watching Live TV you can change channels with [[Image:RemoteUp.png]]  [[Image:RemoteDown.png]] .  There is a pause of several seconds while MythTV buffers the new channel. People often find this pause disconcerting as they are typically coming from  a normal TV where they are used to "Channel Surfing", though it's fairly common on digital cable TV service, as well.  The way to overcome this is to put MythTV into Browse Mode, and this will become the default [[as of 0.19]] for precisely this reason.
 
 
 
Browse Mode is enabled under
 
:''TV Settings->Playback->On Screen Display'',
 
check the box "Always use browse mode when changing channels in LiveTV".
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteUp.png]] [[Image:RemoteDown.png]] to browse the program information on the next/previous program with the OSD. Then when you see the program you want, press [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] and MythTV will jump to that channel.  While in Browse mode you can also use [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] [[Image:RemoteRight.png]] to see what shows are coming up next, by scrolling the program guide earlier and later in time.
 
 
 
You can also jump directly to a channel by pressing the number keys. Press 1 and it will jump to the first channel in your channel list, press 12 it will jump to the twelfth channel in your channel list etc. You can organise your channel list with the MythTV-Setup program.
 
 
 
'''Changing Volume'''
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteVolup.png]]/[[Image:RemoteVoldown.png]] to increase/decrease the volume.
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteMute.png]] to toggle the audio mute
 
 
 
[[Image:LivetvVol.jpg]]
 
 
 
:The OSD will show the volume provided you have set MythTV to use its internal volume controls. It is possible to set MythTV to bypass its internal volume controls and send the audio directly to your soundcards SPDIF output. In this case you should program your remote's volume up and volume down keys to control the volume on your AV amplifier.
 
 
 
'''Changing Aspect Ratio'''
 
 
 
You can step through the different screen [[aspect ratio]]s with the [[Image:RemoteZoom.png]] key.
 
 
 
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
 
|4:3
 
|Classic TV Aspect Ratio
 
|-
 
|16:9
 
|True Anamorphic Widescreen
 
|-
 
|4:3 Zoom
 
|Crop top and bottom to fill Wide Screen TV
 
|-
 
|16:9 Zoom
 
|Crop sides to fill 4:3 TV
 
|-
 
|16:9 Stretch
 
|Resize 4:3 picture to fit a Wide Screen TV
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Live TV Capabilities ===
 
 
 
 
 
MythTV offers some of the most sought after features of modern Media Centres.
 
 
 
 
 
====Pause Live TV====
 
 
 
Pausing live TV is great when the phone rings during a show or your little ones need a comfort break during a movie.
 
 
 
By pressing [[Image:RemotePause.png]] on your remote the picture will freeze, and MythTV will start to buffer Live TV to the hard drive. The OSD will appear showing seconds behind realtime TV and (in version .18) how much live TV has been buffered as a percentage of total buffer space.
 
 
 
In .18, if you changed channels or exit from watching Live TV then any buffered TV will be lost. 0.19 changes this by treating live TV as a recording and saving it in your media list. The live tv recording is set to auto expire when the hard drive nears being full.
 
 
 
[[Image:LiveTVPaused.jpg]]
 
 
 
While the picture stream is paused:
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteRight.png]] [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] to move forwards / backwards by 1 frame
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemotePause.png]] a second time to unpause live tv, you will now be watching 'behind' live TV. This is sometimes referred to as Chase TV Playback for obvious reasons.
 
 
 
====Chase TV Playback====
 
 
 
With Chase TV Playback the system can be recording live tv while you are watching the same program behind realtime. It is somtimes referred to as Timeshifting TV.
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteRight.png]] [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] to move forwards/backwards in the stream (default is 5 seconds)
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteFF.png]] [[Image:RemoteREW.png]] to  jump forward/backwards by the configured number of minutes (default is 10). This is great to skip quickly over commercials
 
 
 
If you are coming to MythTV from using a Video Recorder, you might want to enable the "sticky" keys option. This keeps the fast forward or rewind on even after you release the key. Subsequent presses of [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] or [[Image:RemoteRight.png]] will increase the speed of the rewind or playback. When you reach the point you want to watch, press [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] to resume normal playback.
 
 
 
====Time Stretch Playback====
 
 
 
At the 0.17 release of MythTV the concept of Timestretch playback was introduced. Though, it's really 'time-compression'. This allows the user to adjust the playback speed slightly, but keeps the audio at the same pitch. If you're recording a lot of shows, timestretch lets you get through them faster. So now you can watch a 1 hour show in 40 mins without feeling like you are listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks.
 
 
 
During Live TV you can use this feature to play the TV Stream in slow motion, nice for instant reviews of sports events.
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteSlow.png]] to toggle the Time Stretch playback.
 
 
 
[[Image:Timestretch.jpg]]
 
 
 
Press the [[Image:RemoteRight.png]] [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] to set the Time Stretch speed.
 
 
 
====Electronic Program Guide (EPG)====
 
 
 
The [[Electronic Program Guide]] will allow you to get more detailed information on what is being broadcast currently as well as scheduled programs that are coming up.
 
 
 
Since Mythtv 0.20 you can go directly to the Program Guide, by pressing [[Image:Guide.png]]
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteInfo.png]] and the OSD will show information on what you are currently watching. The OSD will stay up for a default of 3 seconds and then fade out. You can set the duration in
 
:''TV settings->Playback Settings->OSD''
 
 
 
[[Image:Livetvinfo.jpg]]
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] and the On Screen Menu will show.
 
 
 
Use [[Image:RemoteUp.png]]/[[Image:RemoteDown.png]] to move up and down the menu. Use [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] to Select.
 
 
 
[[Image:LivetvOSM.jpg]]
 
 
 
Select the Program Guide and the Full EPG will show.
 
 
 
[[Image:LivetvEPG.jpg]]
 
 
 
Use [[Image:RemoteUp.png]] [[Image:RemoteDown.png]], [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] [[Image:RemoteRight.png]]  to move around the EPG
 
 
 
Use [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] to switch to full-screen Live TV on the channel you selected, or just press [[Image:RemoteExit.png]] to go back to watching Live TV on your original channel.
 
 
 
The EPG also allows direct channel jumping by entering a channel number. By default, it is off. You can turn it on in the
 
:''TV -> Guide Settings''.
 
When you press a number key MythTV gives you 2.5 seconds to enter additional digits, (These are displayed on screen as you press), after which it will jump to the closest channel it can find that matches the digits you have pressed.
 
 
 
====Concurrent Channel Watching====
 
 
 
If you have multiple tuner cards you can watch two channels at once using the Picture in Picture (PIP) facility.
 
You can record one programme while you are watching another. Turn on the PIP via the Onscreen Menu by pressing the [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] key while watching Live TV.
 
 
 
[[Image:LivetvPIP.jpg]]
 
 
 
Press the [[Image:RemoteAVInput.png]]key to switch between your various tuner cards.
 
 
 
==Recordings==
 
 
 
===Recording Live TV===
 
 
 
While watching Live TV press the [[Image:RemoteRecord.png]] key, MythTV will start recording the show from the point that you started watching it until the show is finished, according to the Guide scheduleThis might cause some rescheduling of later recordings.
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingRecord.jpg]]
 
 
 
 
 
The Tuner card being used to record from will be locked until the recording has finished or you explicitly cancel the recording.
 
If you have multiple Tuner cards you can now change channels with the [[Image:RemoteUp.png]] [[Image:RemoteDown.png]] keys. MythTV will continue recording the current show and switch to the next available Tuner card. If there are no more available Tuner cards then the [[Image:RemoteUp.png]] [[Image:RemoteDown.png]] keys will just jump back and forth in the recording.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Press the [[Image:RemoteInfo.png]] key, and the OSD will show the position in the recording.
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingInfo.jpg]]
 
 
 
Use the [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]], [[Image:RemoteRight.png]] keys to move backwards and forwards in the recording.
 
 
 
 
 
Press the [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] key, and the On Screen Menu for Recordings will show.
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingOSM.jpg]]
 
 
 
 
 
You can exit the watching recordings with the  [[Image:RemoteExit.png]] key.
 
 
 
If you try watching live TV and all the Tuner cards are busy recording, you will get the following screen. [[Image:RecordingBusyinput.jpg]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.
 
 
 
=== Scheduled Recordings ===
 
The Recording capability of MythTV is its most powerful feature and sets it apart from just about anything else on the market. It allows you to have complete control of even very complex recording scenarios. There are three ways to find the shows that you want to record.
 
 
 
 
 
1. Use the EPG.
 
 
 
 
 
This is good for recordings coming up in the next 24 hours, can be difficult if you want to schedule lots of shows, or don't know where and when they are being transmitted.
 
 
 
 
 
2. Use the Programme Finder
 
 
 
 
 
You can find this under Manage Recordings->Schedule Recordings->Programme Finder
 
 
 
 
 
[[Image:ScheduleRecording1.jpg]]
 
 
 
 
 
This is good for scheduling lots of shows as well as when you want to schedule something that is more than a day away, saves lots of scrolling and searching the EPG.
 
 
 
Use [[Image:RemoteUp.png]] [[Image:RemoteDown.png]], [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] [[Image:RemoteRight.png]]  keys to select your shows to record.
 
 
 
 
 
3. Custom Recordings
 
 
 
 
 
For those of you that want to do really advanced stuff you might find it helpful to read the section on [[Custom Recording]]
 
 
 
 
 
If you have multiple tuner cards, MythTV will try and resolve schedule conflicts by searching for repeat broadcasts of the same show as well as trying to handle non broadcasts due to changes in schedules. For recording of multiple episodes of a show, MythTV will look at the episode information to identify unique episodes.
 
 
 
You can change Recording priorities in Setup->TV Settings->Recording Priorities
 
 
 
Select the show that you want to record and press the
 
[[Image:RemoteRecord.png]] key repeatedly to cycle through the record options. A record icon on the guide will show which option you have selected.
 
 
 
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG1.jpg]] 
 
|<tt>Not Recording</tt>
 
|-
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG2.jpg]]
 
| <tt>Record only this Programme at this specific time and this station. This is the best way to be sure that a certain showing is recorded. However, if the TV listings change and the show is not broadcast at that time, the show will not be recorded but will be marked as Not Listed to let you know that you should investigate.</tt>
 
|-
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG3.jpg]] 
 
|<tt>Record a title once from any of the times that appear in the TV listings. This is useful for recording a movie or special that has multiple showings because it allows the scheduler to choose one that doesn't conflict. It is not a good choice for recording a single episode of a series because it records the first available showing of the title without regard to the episode information.</tt>
 
|-
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG4.jpg]] 
 
|<tt>Record a show whenever the title is listed on the same channel, weekday and time. Note that if the TV station changes the schedule for a special episode, it would not be recorded. However, you can add a single record for the special episode.</tt>
 
|-
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG5.jpg]] 
 
|<tt>Record a title once per week from any of the times that appear in the TV listings beginning from the time of the showing that was selected when the rule was set. This is useful for news, current events or other programs where the same episode is shown several times each week but the listings may not include descriptive information. This may not be a good choice if there are different episodes shown during the week.</tt>
 
|-
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG6.jpg]] 
 
|<tt>Records a show whenever the title is listed for the time and station on any day of the week. Here again, a show will not be recorded if the time was altered by the station.</tt>
 
|-
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG7.jpg]] 
 
|<tt>Record a title once per day from any of the times that appear in the TV listings beginning from the time of the showing that was selected when the rule was set. This is useful for news, current events or other shows where the same episode is shown several times each day but the listings may not include descriptive information. This may not be a good choice if there are different episodes shown during the day.</tt>
 
|-
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG8.jpg]]
 
|<tt>Records a show anytime the title is listed on this station. This is perhaps the most common rule to use for most shows.</tt>
 
|-
 
|[[Image:RecordingEPG9.jpg]]  
 
|<tt>Record this title on any station at any time. This can be useful if a station has sister stations where shows are rebroadcast allowing the scheduler to record rebroadcasts on the other station when the original airing cannot be recorded.</tt>
 
|}
 
 
 
===Common recording scenarios===
 
: ''Note: This is intended to be a use-case or best practices section for setting up different types of recordings.''
 
  
'''New episode each week. Single showing per week.'''
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Detailed information on watching live TV can be found in the '''[[User_Manual:Watch_TV|Watch TV]]''' sub chapter of this manual.
  
: This will be the most common recording type.  Channel record.
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[[Image:Watch_tv.jpg]]
  
'''New episode each week. Multiple showings per week.'''
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==Watching Recordings==
 +
Shows that have already been recorded can be accessed by selecting '''Watch Recordings''' from the ''Media Library'' screen.
  
: Locate the timeslot that is the first airing of the new episode for the week.  Setup as a find weekly.
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Detailed information about watching recordings can be found in the '''[[User Manual:Watch Recordings|Watch Recordings]]''' sub chapter of this manual.
  
'''New episode each (week?) day. Single showing per day.'''
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[[Image:Watch_recordings.jpg]]
  
: Channel record.
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==Managing Recordings==
  
'''New episode each (week?) day. Multiple showings per day.'''
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The '''Manage Recordings''' page allows the creation of new schedules, the viewing of upcoming recordings, and the deletion of old recordings.
  
: Locate the timeslot that is the first airing of the new episode for the day. Setup as a find daily.
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Detailed information on scheduling recordings can be found in the [[User Manual:Manage Recordings|Manage Recordings]] sub chapter of this manual.
 
 
'''Any showing of a single episode.'''
 
 
 
: ''--Todo--''
 
  
 
===How MythTV Records===
 
===How MythTV Records===
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Live TV recordings that have not been transitioned appear in the Default Recordings group.
 
Live TV recordings that have not been transitioned appear in the Default Recordings group.
  
'''Expirations of Recordings'''
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'''Expiration of Recordings'''
  
If your machines starts to run low in disc space it will start to expire (delete) recordings to make room. The default behaviour is to delete oldest shows first, and is checked every 10 mins. You can mark Recordings as permanent in the Recording Browser. Select the recording you want and press [[Image:RemoteInfo.png]] and select "Don't Auto Expire".
+
If your machine starts to run low on disc space it will start to expire (delete) recordings to make room. The default behaviour is to delete oldest shows first, but there are other policies you can choose. A check for recordings that should be expired is made every 10 mins. The disc space threshold at which recordings start to be deleted is configurable. You can control most aspects of how recordings are expired in:
  
You can change the default beviour in TV settings->General settings-> Global Auto Expire Settings
+
* 0.27: Frontend Setup -> Video -> General -> General (Auto-Expire)
 +
* Older: Setup->TV settings->General settings-> Global Auto Expire Settings.
  
'''Commercial Flagging'''
+
If you want to keep a recording around, you can mark it as permanent in the Recording Browser. Select the recording you want and press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] and select "Storage Options" and then "Disable Auto Expire".
  
MythTV recordings are automatically flagged for commercials, ie there are markers put in the database that tell the system where it believes commercials start and end. This allows you to jump over commercials when playing back recordings. You can also use this information to delete the commercials when you export the recordings.
 
  
You can change the default behaviour in TV settings->General settings->Job Queue
 
  
You might find it useful to have a look at [[Commercial Flagging|Commercial Flagging]] which explains how it works.
+
'''Commercial Detection'''
  
===Watching Recordings===
+
MythTV recordings are automatically flagged for commercials, ie there are markers put in the database that tell the system where it believes commercials start and end. This allows you to jump over commercials when playing back recordings. You can also use this information to delete the commercials when you export the recordings.
  
MythTV by default holds all its recordings the /mnt/store directory
+
You can change the default behaviour in Setup->TV settings->General settings->Job Queue
  
You can browse these recordings in Main Screen-> Media Library-> Watch Recordings from Mythfrontend.
+
You might find it useful to have a look at [[Commercial Detection|Commercial Detection]] which explains how it works.
  
MythTV will show a preview of your recordings if this has been enabled under TV Settings->Playback->View Recordings.
+
Normally, commercials are just detected so you can skip them, but not actually removed from a recording. If you're interested in permanently removing them, please refer to [[Removing Commercials]].
  
[[Image:RecordingsBrowse.jpg]]
+
===Editing, Transcoding, Removing Commercials===
 +
Detailed information on editing and transcoding can be found in the [[Removing Commercials]] page.
  
 +
==Archiving Recordings==
 +
:''Note: Should this section, and the following section "Exporting Recordings", be moved to its own page, such as [[User Manual:Archiving Recordings|Archiving and Exporting Recordings]]?''
  
'''Play Recording Groups'''
+
At some point you will want to archive your TV recordings for safe keeping. There are however some complications with this, due to the way Digital TV content is held on your hard drive. MythTV stores its recordings in the "/mnt/video" directory by default. You will find files in here with a .nuv or .mpg file extension and a long complicated name based on the recording schedule. These files are either in [[NuppelVideo]] format or [[MPEG-2]] (Program or Transport Stream) format. To archive these files to DVD they will need to be either be transcoded if NuppelVideo format, or remultiplexed to specially formatted [[MPEG-2]] files suitable for burning to DVD.
  
You can play a collection of recordings for example all episodes of a particular series.
+
MythTV [[Release_Notes_-_0.20|0.20]] plug-ins now includes [[MythArchive]] for archiving your recordings. What follows is for users of MythTV [[Release_Notes_-_0.19|0.19]] or earlier.
+
A separate detailed guide exists for SUSE users at http://acaciaclose.co.uk/28654/124502.html.
The recordings are organised into Recording Groups on the left of the screen. The Group "All Programmes" contains all recordings. Use the [[Image:RemoteUp.png]] [[Image:RemoteDown.png]] keys to select the recording group. Press the [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] key to play that group of recordings
 
  
'''Play Individual Recordings'''
+
The process to archive recordings to DVD before version [[Release_Notes_-_0.20|0.20]] involves the use of several external tools in the following steps:
  
Indivdual recordings from each recording group are on the right of the screen. Use the [[Image:RemoteRight.png]]  [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] keys to move between the Recording Groups and recordings. Once you are in the recordings pane, use the [[Image:RemoteUp.png]]  [[Image:RemoteDown.png]]  keys to move between recordings. Press the [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] key to play that recording.
+
'''Split DVB File with [http://www.lucike.info ProjectX]'''
  
===Recording Playlists===
+
Project X takes a collection of DVB stream files and  concatenates them into one big project. You can trim the files here also. It will then create synchronization marks between the audio and video. You can use the default settings.
 
 
MythTV allows you to create Playlists of recordings. You can select complete recording groups to add to the playlist, or individual recordings. This is useful if you need to keep the kids entertained for more than a few hours.
 
 
 
 
 
'''Adding Recording Groups To The Playlist'''
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] to bring up the Recording List Menu
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingsListMenu.jpg]]
 
 
 
Select "Add this Category/Group to Playlist" with [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]]
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteExit.png]] to go back to the recordings browser.
 
 
 
 
 
'''Adding Individual Recordings To The Playlist'''
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteInfo.png]] to bring up the Recording Information popup.
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingsBrowse2.jpg]]
 
 
 
Select "Add to Playlist" with [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]]
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteExit.png]] to go back to the recordings browser.
 
 
 
 
 
'''Playing Recordings In The Playlist'''
 
 
 
You can see what recordings are in the recording playlist by selecting the "All Programs" group. Selected recordings are highlighted in yellow.
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingsPlaylist.jpg]]
 
 
 
'''''Note: Once you exit the watch recordings page, your playlist will be lost.'''''
 
 
 
While you are in the Recording Browser press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] and select "Playlist Options". You can now choose to play the playlist sequentially or in shuffle mode.
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingPlaylistOptions.jpg]]
 
 
 
===Managing Recordings===
 
 
 
'''Upcoming recordings'''
 
 
 
The MythTV master backend is responsible for managing the schedule for all TV tuner cards on the master and any slave. Its job is to search the TV listing for the shows you have requested and assign recordings to the TV tuner cards. If none of the shows that you've chosen overlap, it simply records all of the shows. However, if there are shows where the beginning and end times overlap, the scheduler follows rules that you've specified or makes logical decisions about what would be best if you haven't expressed any preference.
 
 
 
If you have a lot of recordings scheduled, you can check to see what they are, as well as resolve any conflicts that the system can't handle, with the upcoming recordings browser. Main Screen->Manage Recordings->Upcoming Recordings.
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingsUpcoming.jpg]]
 
 
 
There are two 'views' available.
 
 
 
1.Press [[Image:130.png]] to include all of the items that match record rules even if they do not need to be recorded.
 
   
 
2.Press [[Image:230.png]] to focus on just the things that will record and items that may need your attention.
 
 
 
'''Conflicts Reminder'''
 
 
 
This tells you if there are any conflicts that would prevent one or more shows from being recorded.
 
 
 
'''Highlight Colour'''
 
 
 
The items in the list are colored in the record color for things that will record, white for things that may need attention, gray for those that do not need to record and yellow when there is a time conflict. Items at the top of the list may also be highlighted in red indicating that the recording is in progress.
 
 
 
'''Tuner Number and Status Code'''
 
 
 
Numbers indicate which card number has been assigned to record the show. Letters are used to indicate the reason that something will not be recorded. You can see what the letter means in the "Record Mode" Below.
 
 
 
'''Record Mode'''
 
 
 
This is a short status message for the highlighted item that indicates the type of record rule that was matched, the "total priority" for this showing and a one or two word explanation of the status code.
 
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] to see more information about the Recording and to make changes to its status.
 
 
 
 
 
[[Image:RecrodingRecordOptions.jpg]]
 
 
 
===Editing Recordings===
 
 
 
The Editor allows you to remove any commercials that the may not have been detected by the system during recording. You might also want to remove the lead in prior to a show or the overrun at the end of a show. The process of editing is often referred to as creating a Cut List. This is because MythTV does not actually cut the Recording. Instead it creates a collection of in and out points in the database that is associated with that recording.
 
 
 
To Edit a Recording press [[Image:remoteMenu.png]] to bring up the On Screen Menu. Select Edit Recording.
 
 
 
Hit Z to load the current commercial cutlist, if the commercial flagging job had already been run.
 
 
 
[[Image:EditMenu.jpg]]
 
 
 
The Timeline Editor will now appear. If it's barely visible, you might want to switch the OSD theme to retro, which has a colorful timeline. OSD themes are set separately from the MythTV theme in the Frontend "Playback" setup.
 
 
 
[[Image:EditTimeline.jpg]]
 
 
 
You can now move along the time line with [[Image:remoteLeft.png]] [[Image:remoteRight.png]] by the amount indicated at the bottom right of the screen Default is 1 Sec
 
 
 
Use [[Image:remoteUp.png]] [[Image:remoteDown.png]] to change the amount to move. This varies between 0.5 Secs to 10Mins. You also have the option of 1 frame at a time, 1 keyframe at a time and finally a cutpoint at a time (jumps from cutpoint to cutpoint).
 
 
 
To insert a cutpoint press [[Image:remoteSelect.png]]. The Cutpoint menu will appear
 
 
 
[[Image:EditCutpoint.jpg]]
 
 
 
Use [[Image:remoteSelect.png]] to choose between Delete before this point or after this point. Just add the cutpoints that you need. The system will remember these the next time that you bring the recording up. Red areas along the Timeline will be deleted (Skipped). Green areas will be played.
 
 
 
If you now transcode this recording the system will take the Cutlist and produce an edited Recording ready to be exported.
 
 
 
===Transcoding Recordings ===
 
 
 
The transcoder re-encodes files from one MythTV format to another. There are two reasons to transcode
 
 
 
# Allow users to create [[MPEG-4]] streams to save space.
 
# Physically cut the commercials or video segments from the recordings.
 
 
 
'''Note''' this is not used for creating MPEGs for burning to DVD as you will get audio video sync issues, especially with DVB recordings. You need to use [[MythArchive]] for this or manually with Project X and DVD Author.
 
 
 
Use the Recordings Profiles to change how the system transcodes your recordings
 
  
''mythfrontend -> utilities/setup -> TV Settings --> recording Profiles -> Transcoders.''
+
'''Create DVD [[MPEG-2]] stream'''
 
 
now select either RTjpeg or [[MPEG-4]] (selecting any of the hardware encoders will result in the transcoder not working). set the other parameters as you'd like. For best performance, you should match the audio to the 'Default' profile. If you plan to only use the manual transcoder, you can choose to set the video to be the same as the default profile too (as long as it is [[MPEG-4]] or RTjpeg)
 
 
 
The transcoder can be used in two ways:
 
 
 
# Automatically re-encode every file once it has completed recording.
 
# After marking commercials, the transcoder can be run manually to delete the commercials from the file (thus further saving space).
 
 
 
The two methods are independent. The first is an automatic process that can be enabled/disabled through the setup program; the second is a manual method which must be invoked on each recording individually.
 
 
 
You can transcode a recording that has already been transcoded, for example to cut a further section with no loss in quality provided you are going from and to the same format.
 
 
 
To enable automatic transcoding, do the following: start the setup program under the host-specific settings: set the Transcoder Auto-run checkbox, or in newer versions of the program, you may select automatic transcoding from any of the recording profiles you have set up.
 
 
 
Everything should now be setup properly. If you elected to use the Auto-Run feature, the transcoder will automatically launch after each recording is complete. The transcoder thread runs at a low priority, so it should not impact any critical tasks or other recordings.
 
 
 
If you want to manually transcode a program, simply press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] while watching a recording  and select Transcode (you should have already finished marking all commercials and creating your Cut List with the Recording editor).
 
 
 
[[Image:RecordingTranscode.jpg]]
 
 
 
If you change your mind press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] and select Stop Transcoding.
 
 
 
Once the transcode is complete, mythbackend will replace the old file with the new as soon as it is no longer in use.
 
 
 
===Archiving Recordings===
 
At some point you will want to archive your TV recordings for safe keeping. There are however some complications with this, due to the way Digital TV content is held on your hard drive. MythTV stores its recordings in the "/mnt/video" directory by default. You will find files in here with a .nuv file extension and a long complicated name based on the recording schedule. These files are in [[NuppelVideo]] format.They are effectively [[MPEG-2]] files with special markings to help digital TV cope with any dropped information during broadcast. To archive these files to DVD they will need to be converted into normal [[MPEG-2]] files that are compliant with the DVD standard.
 
 
 
MythTV [[Release_Notes_-_0.20|0.20]] plug-ins now includes [[MythArchive]] for archiving your recordings. What follows is for users of MythTV [[Release_Notes_-_0.19|0.19]] or earlier.
 
A separate detailed guide exists for SUSE users at http://acaciaclose.co.uk/28654/124502.html. There are also prebuilt scripts to do all of the steps below automagically called [[MythBurnInstallation | MythBurn]].
 
 
 
The process to archive recordings to DVD before version [[Release_Notes_-_0.20|0.20]] involves the use of several external tools in the following steps:
 
====Split DVB File with [http://www.lucike.info ProjectX]====
 
Project X takes a collection of DVB stream files and  concatenates them into one big project. You can trim the files here also. It will then create synchronization marks between the audio and video. You can use the default settings.
 
  
====Create DVD [[MPEG-2]] stream====
 
 
We now can convert the above output video (m2v) and audio stream (mp2) generated by projectX to a DVD compatible stream. We use the mplex command, which is part of mjpegtools. You will then have a .mpg file with combined audio and video all nicely synchronized.
 
We now can convert the above output video (m2v) and audio stream (mp2) generated by projectX to a DVD compatible stream. We use the mplex command, which is part of mjpegtools. You will then have a .mpg file with combined audio and video all nicely synchronized.
 
   
 
   
 
  > mplex -f 8 -o 1.mpg 1.m2v 1.mp2
 
  > mplex -f 8 -o 1.mpg 1.m2v 1.mp2
  
====Create a DVD Image with [http://pingwing.xs4all.nl/view.php/page/DVDAuthor KDE_DVDAuthor]====
+
'''Create a DVD Image with [http://pingwing.xs4all.nl/view.php/page/DVDAuthor KDE_DVDAuthor]'''
 +
 
 
KDE DVD Author will allow you to create very nice DVD's complete with animated menus. You do not need to compile it. Just download and click on the installer.kmdr icon and KDE will install it. KDE DVDAuthor is a KDE Kommander application.
 
KDE DVD Author will allow you to create very nice DVD's complete with animated menus. You do not need to compile it. Just download and click on the installer.kmdr icon and KDE will install it. KDE DVDAuthor is a KDE Kommander application.
  
Line 666: Line 286:
 
[[Image:dvdauthor.jpg]]
 
[[Image:dvdauthor.jpg]]
  
====Burn DVD image using [http://k3b.plainblack.com/ K3b]====
+
'''Burn DVD image using [http://k3b.plainblack.com/ K3b]'''
 +
 
 
K3b includes a wizard to burn DVD ISO images. You will find it under the Tools pull down.
 
K3b includes a wizard to burn DVD ISO images. You will find it under the Tools pull down.
 
''Tools -> Burn DVD ISO image''. Just load up the ISO image from step 3, and you are done.
 
''Tools -> Burn DVD ISO image''. Just load up the ISO image from step 3, and you are done.
  
===Exporting Recordings===
+
==Exporting Recordings==
  
MythTV recordings can be exported into multiple different formats such as iPod or PSP compatible [[MPEG-4]] files, [[DivX]] and [[Xvid]] files, or files to burn to VCD, SVCD or DVD with the use of an external program such as nuvexport, which can be downloaded from [https://svn.forevermore.net/nuvexport/ https://svn.forevermore.net/nuvexport/].
+
MythTV recordings can be exported into multiple different formats such as iPod or PSP compatible [[MPEG-4]] files, [[DivX]] and [[Xvid]] files, or files to burn to VCD, SVCD or DVD with the use of [[Nuvexport]], which as of 0.21 is included in MythTV.  It can also be downloaded from [https://svn.forevermore.net/nuvexport/ https://svn.forevermore.net/nuvexport/].
  
 
[[Nuvexport]] is a command line program that can be used to create a copy of your recording in the following formats: [[Xvid]], SVCD, VCD, DVCD, DVD, [[DivX]], ASF, MP3, PSP, iPod, and [[MPEG-2]] (though the iPod and PSP export options are currently unavailable). It does not alter the original file in any way, just gives you a new one in a folder of your choosing.
 
[[Nuvexport]] is a command line program that can be used to create a copy of your recording in the following formats: [[Xvid]], SVCD, VCD, DVCD, DVD, [[DivX]], ASF, MP3, PSP, iPod, and [[MPEG-2]] (though the iPod and PSP export options are currently unavailable). It does not alter the original file in any way, just gives you a new one in a folder of your choosing.
Line 680: Line 301:
 
There is also a specialized script that allows you to transcode your files and subscribe to them on your iPod available at http://myth2ipod.com/.  This utility uses nuvexport, and then does special post-processing with MP4Box to create an iPod-ready video.  It will even generate an RSS feed for your shows, which you can subscribe to in iTunes.  Currently (6/22/06) transcoding HD shows doesn't appear to work - you get rolling colors and disjointed sound.  This is apparently a bug in nuvexport.  SD shows work fine though.
 
There is also a specialized script that allows you to transcode your files and subscribe to them on your iPod available at http://myth2ipod.com/.  This utility uses nuvexport, and then does special post-processing with MP4Box to create an iPod-ready video.  It will even generate an RSS feed for your shows, which you can subscribe to in iTunes.  Currently (6/22/06) transcoding HD shows doesn't appear to work - you get rolling colors and disjointed sound.  This is apparently a bug in nuvexport.  SD shows work fine though.
  
====Exporting to Flash====
+
http://www.gentoo-wiki.com/TIP_MythTV_to_iPod is an alternative to http://myth2ipod.com/.  While this how to is aimed at Gentoo users, it can be applied to any distro. Features include tagging files correctly (so they show up in TV shows instead of movies by default) and user job integration instructions.
You may find it useful to read the section on exporting to your recordings to flash file format. This will allow you to easily watch recordings using a web browser.
 
 
 
[[Stream mythtv recordings from mythweb using flash video]]
 
  
 
==Playing DVDs==
 
==Playing DVDs==
  
As of 0.20 there are two ways to play DVD Discs on your Myth Box
+
To play a DVD with the MythTV media player, simply click on ''Optical Disks >> Play DVD'' from the front page.
  
# Use the internal DVD player. It has complete menu and subtitle support. It will also bypass all of the clag such as anti-pirate and FBI warnings and go straight to the main movie.
+
The MythTV [[Internal player|media player]] has complete menu and subtitle support, as well as remote control behaviour and menus which are consistent with the those used when watching recordings.
 
 
# Use an external player such as Xine or Mplayer. Xine offers DVD Menu support, but you will need to do some work to map your keys on your remote control so that they match those for MythTV to make sure that there is no confusion what keys do what. As this is an external player you also need to make sure that the audio options are set up within xine and MPlayer as needed. You may find it useful to read the [[Configuring Xine]] page.
 
  
 
[[Image:DVDMenu.jpg]]
 
[[Image:DVDMenu.jpg]]
  
With the internal player you have full DVD menu support, as well as consistent remote control and menu settings.
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] to bring up the DVD On Screen menu options.
 
Press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] to bring up the DVD On Screen menu options.
  
 
[[Image:DVDOSM.jpg]]
 
[[Image:DVDOSM.jpg]]
 
==Importing DVDs==
 
[[Category:HOWTO]]
 
You might find it useful to have a look at the [[MythDVD#DVD Ripping|Ripping Guide]] to set up your system.
 
 
The MythTV DVD Plugin offers the capability to Rip your DVD's to the hard drive and then compress the movie from its normal 5-9GB file size to 700MB-2GB depending on the final quality that you want. When transcoding the system will use the settings defined in the frontend configuration. The default is to use the [[Xvid]] codec.
 
 
Select the Import option on the ''Myth Frontpage -> Optical Disks -> Import DVD''
 
 
Use the [[Image:RemoteLeft.png]] [[Image:RemoteRight.png]] to select the Title to rip.
 
Use the [[Image:RemoteUp.png]] [[Image:RemoteDown.png]] to move between the lines.
 
 
Press the "Space" key to select the options on each line.
 
 
press the [[Image:030.png]]key to start the RIP.
 
 
 
[[Image:ImportOptions.jpg]]
 
 
 
'''Rip/Transcode Options'''
 
 
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
 
| Select
 
| Select this Video file for transcoding. A DVD will typically include multiple video files, eg trailers, directors commentary etc.
 
|-
 
| Name
 
| The title of the DVD RIP
 
|-
 
| Quality
 
| Options available are dependant on the DVD inserted
 
* '''Perfect :'''  Available for all Discs. Makes an exact copy of the MPEG file
 
* '''Excellent :''' 4:3 and 16:9 non-letterboxed Only. Transcode the MPEG file at a high bitrate. Resultant files size is approx 2GB
 
* '''Good :'''  All Other . Transcode the MPEG file at average bitrate. Resultant file size is approx 800MB
 
|-
 
| Audio Track
 
| Select which of the Audio tracks available on the DVD you want encoded with the video
 
|-
 
| AC3 Audio
 
|Encode the AC3 Dolby digital surround audio track
 
|-
 
| Subtitles
 
| Encode the Subtitiles with the video
 
|-
 
| View
 
| Preview the Movie during Transcode
 
|}
 
 
 
[[Image:ImportTime.jpg]]
 
 
 
Import takes several steps:
 
 
* Copy the VOB video and Auido files to a temporary file (apprx 30Min). For "Pefect" it stops here.
 
* First Pass Transcode of the Video and audio files (approx 1hour per hour of movie)
 
* Second Pass Transcode to reduce the file size even further (approx 1 hour per hour of movie)
 
 
If you have specified the quality to be "good", it will call transcode to do the .vob -> .avi with [[Xvid]] or [[DivX]].
 
 
The transcode time will depend on the speed of your processor (numbers given using AMD XP2800).
 
 
Once Transcode has finished you should find the new compressed movie in your Videos directory, which is visible via the Myth Video manger.
 
 
''Main Screen -> Utilities/Setup -> Video Manager''
 
 
==Managing Videos==
 
 
The Default location for MythTV to hold all your Videos is at /share/Movies/DVD
 
 
The Defult location for MythTV to hold all your DVD cover art (Movie Posters) is at ~/.mythtv/MythVideo
 
 
Once you have either ripped DVDs or copied video files to the Video directory you will want to add both movie information as well as DVD cover art. You can do this via the Video Manager.
 
 
''Main Screen->Utilities /Setup -> Video Manager''
 
 
[[Image:VideoManagerBrowser.jpg]]
 
 
Press "i" and Myth TV will allow you to go the the Internet Movie database and retrieve information on your movie as well as matching Album Cover art. It does this by matching the name of the Movie. If it does not find an exact match it will offer you a list of options. In the event that it is not able to find any match at all, then you can enter the information manually to bring up the OSM. Select "Search IMDB".
 
 
 
[[Image:VideoManagerOSM.jpg]]
 
 
Myth TV will now go the the Internet Movie database and retrieve information on your movie as well as matching Album Cover art. It does this by matching the name of the Movie. If does not find an exact match it will offer you a list of options. In the Event that it is not able to find any match at all, then you can enter the information manually.
 
 
Once it has finished it will return back to the browser and show you all of the detailed information
 
 
[[Image:VideoManagerIMDB.jpg]]
 
 
Press [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] to get detailed information as well as to make changes
 
 
[[Image:VideoManagerMovieinfo.jpg]]
 
 
press [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]]  at the Cover Art Option to check the Cover art
 
 
 
[[Image:VideoManagerMovieart.jpg]]
 
 
==Playing Videos==
 
 
You may find it helpful to read the [[MythVideo]] page
 
 
you can browse your video collection using
 
 
''Myth Mainpage->Media Library->Watch Videos''
 
 
press [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]]
 
 
The default view is the Folder View
 
 
[[Image:VideoBrowser.jpg]]
 
 
 
Changing the view mode
 
 
press [[Image:RemoteMenu.png]] to bring up the On Screen Menu
 
 
[[Image:VideoView.jpg]]
 
 
Video Browse View
 
 
[[Image:VideoBrowseview.jpg]]
 
 
video List View
 
 
[[Image:VideoListview.jpg]]
 
 
press [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] to select the Video you want to watch. The system will then present you with detailed information on that Video
 
 
[[Image:VideoSelect.jpg]]
 
 
press [[Image:RemoteSelect.png]] to play the Video
 
  
 
==Managing Media==
 
==Managing Media==
 +
===Videos===
 +
The [[MythVideo]] plugin provides the ability to manage and play videos of various formats with the help of external players.
  
 
===Photos===
 
===Photos===
The [[MythGallery]] plug-in allows you to view all your photos as well as short movies from your digital camera.  It will show your photos as they are organised in your file system and generate thumbnails of both folders as well as individual photos.
+
The [[MythGallery]] plugin allows you to view all your photos as well as short movies from your digital camera.  It will show your photos as they are organised in your file system and generate thumbnails of both folders as well as individual photos.
  
 
===Music===
 
===Music===
See the section on [[MythMusic]]
+
MythTV allows you to play music in various ways
 +
 
 +
*The [[MythMusic]] plugin adds the ability to manage and play music files on the frontend.
 +
*Play CDs direct from your CD/DVD Drive
 +
*Access your music files on your Mythbox from the internet using MythWeb
 +
*Access your music files from a UPnP Client by using your MythBox as a DLNA UPnP Server
  
 
==Information Center==
 
==Information Center==
===Browsing the Web===
+
The information center contains system status information and access to plugins like [[MythBrowser]].
  
you might find it useful to look at the [[MythBrowser]]
+
A detailed description about the information center can be found in the [[User Manual:Information Center|Information Center]] sub chapter of this manual.
  
 
==Advanced Features==
 
==Advanced Features==
Line 849: Line 339:
 
===Job Queues===
 
===Job Queues===
 
===Advanced Search===
 
===Advanced Search===
===[[Telnet socket|Controlling the mythfrontend via telnet]] (0.19)===
+
===Controlling the mythfrontend via netcat (0.19)===
 +
For detailed information see the [[Frontend control socket]] article.
  
{{Navigate|User Manual:Detailed configuration Frontend|User Manual:Index|User Manual:Accessory Modules}}
+
==Fixing Problems==
 +
See [[User_Manual:Diagnosing_Problems]]

Revision as of 17:45, 25 February 2014


This page is up-to-date to MythTV version 0.20, the current release is 34.0


Using A Myth Box From Day To Day

Ah, yes; the part you've all been waiting for.  :-)

This section explains what you can do with a MythTV unit, how the parts work and how to control them. Hopefully, it will also identify things which can be done more than one way, and point out the most effective choice (and why you might want to do it another way anyway).

MythTV is a capable, powerful, and most of all expandable system. We will describe things which can only be done with, or will work differently with, an expanded configuration.


Conventions and notes

Whether your screen will look exactly like the screenshots in this manual will vary depending on the theme you have chosen.

Editor's note: The images below are using only one of the several available OSDs. Personally, I prefer some of the other, "prettier", OSDs (no offense to the author of that OSD). Also note that some of the behaviors noted in this document will change with the release of 0.19 (mainly the LiveTV section). --TylerDrake
Editor's note: Please keep configuration related items as well as deep technical explanations to a minimum in editing this section. This section of the manual is for end-users; technical topics should be covered in the setup and config sections --Mikec 06:06, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

Remote Control Buttons

The remote button icons represent common names for remote control keys. In reality, how these map to physical keyboard keys will depend on how your particular machine was configured. You will need to setup your Remote Control to suit.

You can find a full list of keyboard keys and functions on the keybindings page.

Remote Control Name Keyboard Key Remote Control Name Keyboard Key Remote Control Name Keyboard Key
RemotePause.png Pause p RemoteExit.png Exit ESC RemoteREW.png Rewind Page Up
RemoteLeft.png Left Cursor Left Arrow RemoteVoldown.png Vol Down [ or F10 RemoteFF.png Fast Forward Page Down
RemoteRight.png Right Cursor Right Arrow RemoteVolup.png Vol Up ] or F11 RemoteZoom.png Zoom, Size w
RemoteUp.png Up Cursor Up Arrow RemoteStart.png Start Home or Q RemoteProgup.png Prog +
RemoteDown.png Down Cursor Down Arrow RemoteEnd.png End End or Z RemoteProgdown.png Prog -
RemoteSelect.png Select CR RemoteRecord.png Record CR RemoteMute.png Mute F9
RemoteInfo.pngInfo i RemotePower.png Power User RemoteSlow.png Slow Motion A
RemoteMenu.png Menu m RemoteStop.png Stop User RemoteAVInput.png AV input C
130.png 1 1 230.png 2 2 330.png 3 3
430.png 4 4 530.png 5 5 630.png 6 6
730.png 7 7 830.png 8 8 930.png 9 9
030.png 0 0 Guide.png s

Introduction

MythTV has been designed for the "ten foot Interface": it should be driveable from your sofa ten feet (3 metres) away.

This is a compromise between functionality and simplicity--especially since the average Remote Control only has about 40 to 50 keys (10 of which are numbers), while MythTV has over 100 keyboard functions.

MythTV users will also cite the much needed WAF or GAF; that is, Wife/Girlfriend Acceptance Factor. The good news is the 80/20 rule applies - you can do 80% of your day to day things with MythTV on about 20 keys on your remote.

Live TV vs MythTV

MythTV will shift your TV paradigm. Once you had to plan your time around your broadcaster's schedule, or sit channel-surfing just to see what was on, more often than not finding nothing you liked.

MythTV introduces the Electronic Program Guide, or EPG, with its full description of what is currently being broadcast and what will be broadcast in the coming weeks. The guide is stored in a relational database so that you can make queries such as find episodes of "Desperate Housewives".

MythTV watching is more like the way you would watch your DVD collection. You browse what is in your collection and watch what you want, when you want. However instead of going out and buying DVD's, you harvest your favourite programs as they are broadcast, record them to your hard drive and watch them as you want.

MythTV has plugins that actually allow you to just look for broadcasts of your favourite films and, as soon as they are broadcast, record them to your hard drive to add to your collection! You can even have the system make recommendations and record them against the kind of shows that you like.

Many long-term MythTV users will say that they have stopped watching live TV and are instead spending time each week scheduling the system to record the kind of shows they like and just browsing through their collection of shows and movies and watching what they like at their leisure.

Dealing with Commercials

Some people like commercials. If you don't, MythTV lets you skip these in your recordings. As such MythTV is often compared to a TiVO. There is much activity in the industry with respect to commercial handling, and forcing users to watch these ie. you cant fastforward or skip these with Personal Video recorder devices or applications, indeed it may even become illegal to do so.

Media Consolidation

Over the years MythTV has transformed itself into a full blown media hub, able to handle all digital media including photos, music, videos, DVD and CD plus much more. More importanly since the 0.20 release, MythTV is now able to support the new Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) media server/client and control point standard, so that it can interact with all manner of other media applications and devices.

You may find it useful while reading the manual to refer to (or even print out) the Menu Maps for the front end and the backend setup program.

Starting MythTV

MythTV consists of two main applications: MythBackend and Mythfrontend. Mythbackend handles all aspects of your TV cards and capturing live TV shows into recordings, and most importantly all the information about these recordings and any media you have such as music and photos. You will always need to start the Mythbackend first. Mythfrontend handles the user interface and the interaction between you, your remote control and the mythbackend server.

Ideally mythbackend/mythfrontend should be autostarted when you power on your machine, see the user Manual:Detailed configuration Backend and user Manual:Detailed configuration Frontend on how to do this. Many users just leave their machines running all the time so that they can be sure to capture scheduled TV shows to recordings. For those of you that are concerned about electricity usage, then you can have your MythTV machine automatically wakeup just before a show starts, and then shutdown after the show has been recorded -- see the mythTV HowTo "ACPI Wakeup". The mythbackend server will automatically shut down when it is idle, ie is not connected to a front end, or is not recording.

You can also start Mythbackend from a terminal session with the following command:

> /usr/bin/mythbackend


And the MythTV Frontend with the following command:

> /usr/bin/mythfrontend

mythfrontend can be run either in full screen mode or inside a window.

MythTV Front Page

Once MythTV has started you will be presented with the MythTV Front Page. Here is one using the Retro Theme.

You can see a collection of the available themes on the Themes page.

Frontpage.jpg

The MythTV Front Pageprovides you with the following options:

  1. Watch TV - Watch and record Live TV.
  2. Media Library - Watch previously recorded programs.
  3. Manage Recordings - Manage recording schedules
  4. Information Center - View MythTV status
  5. Optical Discs - Watch and Import DVDs
  6. Utilities/Setup - Configure MythFrontend and Plugins

MythTV Welcome Screen

0.19 introduced the concept of a "welcome screen" so that the frontend could be started with a press of the remote control. This has been introduced for those people that want to use scheduled wakeup and shutdown to record scheduled shows to save on power consumption. Prior to this the Frontend would always start up which in turn meant that the backend would never shutdown when the recording had finished, thus defeating the whole purpose.

The welcome screen will show the status of the backend and wait for you to manually start the frontend with your remote

WelcomeScreen.jpg

You may find it helpful to read the Mythwelcome configuration page

Watching and Recording Live TV

Live TV can be accessed by selecting Watch TV from the main menu screen. This feature provides a way to watch TV through channel surfing at the time it is broadcast. Since everything is recorded to disc, it is possible to pause programs, replay scenes, and store shows permanently on the system. In addition to channel surfing, it is possible to browse through TV listings using the Electronic Program Guide.

Detailed information on watching live TV can be found in the Watch TV sub chapter of this manual.

Watch tv.jpg

Watching Recordings

Shows that have already been recorded can be accessed by selecting Watch Recordings from the Media Library screen.

Detailed information about watching recordings can be found in the Watch Recordings sub chapter of this manual.

Watch recordings.jpg

Managing Recordings

The Manage Recordings page allows the creation of new schedules, the viewing of upcoming recordings, and the deletion of old recordings.

Detailed information on scheduling recordings can be found in the Manage Recordings sub chapter of this manual.

How MythTV Records

Ringbuffer and Recordings

Prior to the 0.19 release MythTV treated timeshifting ie chase play and recording a programme differently. There was a Ringbuffer that handled the timeshifting element, whereas Recordings were saved into their own file. This had some negative side effects.

1. If you were watching a live show and 15 minutes into it you decided that you wanted to record it, pressing the record key only recorded the show at that point. You lost 15 mins worth even though those 15mins were in the ringbuffer.

2. Changing channels was unnecessarily slow because the system had to mess around with the ringbuffer each time.

With 0.19 Timeshifting and recording are one and the same. Now if you press the record button 10 mins into the show, all MythTV does is make a change in the database to indicate that this is a Recording and by magic it appears in your recordings collection.

Live TV recordings that have not been transitioned appear in the Default Recordings group.

Expiration of Recordings

If your machine starts to run low on disc space it will start to expire (delete) recordings to make room. The default behaviour is to delete oldest shows first, but there are other policies you can choose. A check for recordings that should be expired is made every 10 mins. The disc space threshold at which recordings start to be deleted is configurable. You can control most aspects of how recordings are expired in:

  • 0.27: Frontend Setup -> Video -> General -> General (Auto-Expire)
  • Older: Setup->TV settings->General settings-> Global Auto Expire Settings.

If you want to keep a recording around, you can mark it as permanent in the Recording Browser. Select the recording you want and press RemoteMenu.png and select "Storage Options" and then "Disable Auto Expire".


Commercial Detection

MythTV recordings are automatically flagged for commercials, ie there are markers put in the database that tell the system where it believes commercials start and end. This allows you to jump over commercials when playing back recordings. You can also use this information to delete the commercials when you export the recordings.

You can change the default behaviour in Setup->TV settings->General settings->Job Queue

You might find it useful to have a look at Commercial Detection which explains how it works.

Normally, commercials are just detected so you can skip them, but not actually removed from a recording. If you're interested in permanently removing them, please refer to Removing Commercials.

Editing, Transcoding, Removing Commercials

Detailed information on editing and transcoding can be found in the Removing Commercials page.

Archiving Recordings

Note: Should this section, and the following section "Exporting Recordings", be moved to its own page, such as Archiving and Exporting Recordings?

At some point you will want to archive your TV recordings for safe keeping. There are however some complications with this, due to the way Digital TV content is held on your hard drive. MythTV stores its recordings in the "/mnt/video" directory by default. You will find files in here with a .nuv or .mpg file extension and a long complicated name based on the recording schedule. These files are either in NuppelVideo format or MPEG-2 (Program or Transport Stream) format. To archive these files to DVD they will need to be either be transcoded if NuppelVideo format, or remultiplexed to specially formatted MPEG-2 files suitable for burning to DVD.

MythTV 0.20 plug-ins now includes MythArchive for archiving your recordings. What follows is for users of MythTV 0.19 or earlier. A separate detailed guide exists for SUSE users at http://acaciaclose.co.uk/28654/124502.html.

The process to archive recordings to DVD before version 0.20 involves the use of several external tools in the following steps:

Split DVB File with ProjectX

Project X takes a collection of DVB stream files and concatenates them into one big project. You can trim the files here also. It will then create synchronization marks between the audio and video. You can use the default settings.

Create DVD MPEG-2 stream

We now can convert the above output video (m2v) and audio stream (mp2) generated by projectX to a DVD compatible stream. We use the mplex command, which is part of mjpegtools. You will then have a .mpg file with combined audio and video all nicely synchronized.

> mplex -f 8 -o 1.mpg 1.m2v 1.mp2

Create a DVD Image with KDE_DVDAuthor

KDE DVD Author will allow you to create very nice DVD's complete with animated menus. You do not need to compile it. Just download and click on the installer.kmdr icon and KDE will install it. KDE DVDAuthor is a KDE Kommander application.

Required packages:

  • DVD Author
  • ffmpeg
  • lsdvd
  • normalize

Just follow the steps in the wizard, adding in the video , audio and images files that it asks for. It wil then generate a DVD ISO image once it completes.

Dvdauthor.jpg

Burn DVD image using K3b

K3b includes a wizard to burn DVD ISO images. You will find it under the Tools pull down. Tools -> Burn DVD ISO image. Just load up the ISO image from step 3, and you are done.

Exporting Recordings

MythTV recordings can be exported into multiple different formats such as iPod or PSP compatible MPEG-4 files, DivX and Xvid files, or files to burn to VCD, SVCD or DVD with the use of Nuvexport, which as of 0.21 is included in MythTV. It can also be downloaded from https://svn.forevermore.net/nuvexport/.

Nuvexport is a command line program that can be used to create a copy of your recording in the following formats: Xvid, SVCD, VCD, DVCD, DVD, DivX, ASF, MP3, PSP, iPod, and MPEG-2 (though the iPod and PSP export options are currently unavailable). It does not alter the original file in any way, just gives you a new one in a folder of your choosing.

When run, it will use information from the MythTV database to give you a list of all your recordings to choose from, and allow various options such as resizing the video, cutting out sections marked with MythTV's edit cut list, altering the bitrate, and various other things. A work in progress manual for nuvexport can be found at http://www.inaudible.co.uk/nuvexport.

There is also a specialized script that allows you to transcode your files and subscribe to them on your iPod available at http://myth2ipod.com/. This utility uses nuvexport, and then does special post-processing with MP4Box to create an iPod-ready video. It will even generate an RSS feed for your shows, which you can subscribe to in iTunes. Currently (6/22/06) transcoding HD shows doesn't appear to work - you get rolling colors and disjointed sound. This is apparently a bug in nuvexport. SD shows work fine though.

http://www.gentoo-wiki.com/TIP_MythTV_to_iPod is an alternative to http://myth2ipod.com/. While this how to is aimed at Gentoo users, it can be applied to any distro. Features include tagging files correctly (so they show up in TV shows instead of movies by default) and user job integration instructions.

Playing DVDs

To play a DVD with the MythTV media player, simply click on Optical Disks >> Play DVD from the front page.

The MythTV media player has complete menu and subtitle support, as well as remote control behaviour and menus which are consistent with the those used when watching recordings.

DVDMenu.jpg

Press RemoteMenu.png to bring up the DVD On Screen menu options.

DVDOSM.jpg

Managing Media

Videos

The MythVideo plugin provides the ability to manage and play videos of various formats with the help of external players.

Photos

The MythGallery plugin allows you to view all your photos as well as short movies from your digital camera. It will show your photos as they are organised in your file system and generate thumbnails of both folders as well as individual photos.

Music

MythTV allows you to play music in various ways

  • The MythMusic plugin adds the ability to manage and play music files on the frontend.
  • Play CDs direct from your CD/DVD Drive
  • Access your music files on your Mythbox from the internet using MythWeb
  • Access your music files from a UPnP Client by using your MythBox as a DLNA UPnP Server

Information Center

The information center contains system status information and access to plugins like MythBrowser.

A detailed description about the information center can be found in the Information Center sub chapter of this manual.

Advanced Features

Job Queues

Advanced Search

Controlling the mythfrontend via netcat (0.19)

For detailed information see the Frontend control socket article.

Fixing Problems

See User_Manual:Diagnosing_Problems