Configuring Frontend

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Software-update-available.png This page is up-to-date as of MythTV version 29, the current release is 34.0

Contents

Introduction

Once the software has been installed and the backend is running, you can continue the setup by configuring the frontend. The backend setup need not be complete, all that is necessary is that the backend is running and the database is accessible.

The following sections describe the detailed configuration through the frontend setup screens.

Starting the Frontend

If your frontend has previously been used with another MythTV backend, please remove or rename the ~/.mythtv directory.

Start by launching the frontend, either using the launch icon in the desktop menu or by running mythfrontend. This can be run on the same system as the backend or on another machine that has a network connection to the backend (remote frontend). As long as the backend is running the frontend will find it.

If you see a screen which asks for your Country and Language, then the frontend has failed to find the backend. This could be because your backend is not running, or the backend is on a separate network from the frontend. Also there could be a firewall preventing communication.

If these are correct, you can select your country and language, then proceed to the next screen where you set up database details, after which the frontend will be able to connect to the database and find the backend.

If you see a message that the master backend is not running (but you know it is running), then it is likely that the backend setup has the wrong master backend ip address specified in the General section of setup. If you are using remote frontends, the ip address and master ip address must not be specified as 127.0.0.1, but as the actual external ip address.

Alternatively, if your frontend is not on the same system as the backend, then the mysql database on the backend may not be listening for incoming requests from the network. You will need to change the bind-address. For *buntu 20.04 this is in /etc/mysql/conf.d/mythtv.cnf. Check that you have the lines:

[mysqld]
bind-address=::

Then reboot or restart mysql. If the file is missing then search through the files in the include directories in /etc/mysql/mysql.cnf to find the bind address.

Setup Wizard

Perform basic configuration tasks
(Setup->Setup Wizard)

MythTV Configuration Wizard

(Setup->Setup Wizard)

Use the buttons to submit your hardware profile to MythTV. This provides the developers with statistics on the types of hardware being used, and guides future development towards the most popular platforms.

Audio Configuration

(Setup->Setup Wizard)

This page is an alternative to using Audio to set up the audio device.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Audio Device ALSA:default Select from one of the audio devices detected on your system. When satisfied, you can test audio before moving on. If you fail to configure audio, video playback may fail as well. There could be a great number of options available, depending on the type of audio devices available.
My Audio subsystem supports Dolby Digital unchecked Select this checkbox if your receiver is capable of playing AC-3 (Dolby Digital). This is only enabled if an Audio device that could support it is selected above.
My Audio subsystem supports DTS unchecked Select this checkbox if your receiver is capable of playing DTS. This is only enabled if an Audio device that could support it is selected above.
My Audio subsystem supports E-AC-3 unchecked Select this checkbox if your receiver is capable of playing E-AC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus). This is only enabled if an Audio device that could support it is selected above.
My Audio subsystem supports TrueHD unchecked Select this checkbox if your receiver is capable of playing TrueHD. This is only enabled if an Audio device that could support it is selected above.
My Audio subsystem supports DTS-HD unchecked Select this checkbox if your receiver is capable of playing DTS-HD. This is only enabled if an Audio device that could support it is selected above.
Number of Speakers Stereo Select the number of speakers you have. Options are Stereo, 5.1 Channel, 7.1 Channel
Test Speakers Pushbutton Test your audio settings by playing noise through each speaker.

Video Configuration

(Setup->Setup Wizard)

This page is an alternative to using Playback Profiles to set up the playback profile.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Video Playback Profile Normal Select from one of the preconfigured playback profiles. When satisfied, you can test Standard Definition and High Definition playback with the selected profile before moving on. You can further customize the playback profile using Playback Profiles
Test Standard Definition Pushbutton Test your playback settings with Standard Definition content. (480p) This will download a clip and play it.
Test High Definition Pushbutton Test your playback settings with High Definition content (1080p). This will download a clip and play it.

At the end of this, when you click "Finish", your audio settings and playback profile will be saved.

General

Core MythTV behavior and system settings
(Setup->General)

Most settings are contained within a database. The first 2 tables (below) configure where that database is located and how to access it. Hence these settings are stored in a separate configuration file (config.xml) - refer to Config.xml for further details. This selection also appears if MythWelcome or MythFrontend are unable to communicate with the database.

Database Configuration 1/2

(Setup->General)

This page will automatically be set up the first time you start the frontend. See the description above #Starting the Frontend. In the event that this does not work you may have to manually enter the information here.

The information entered here is stored in Config.xml.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Hostname localhost The hostname or IP address of the machine hosting the database. This information is required. In most cases the system will populate this automatically the first time the backend starts. If you are running a single combined backend and frontend, then leave this at its default value of localhost. If you have multiple frontends connecting to this backend enter the ip address or host name of the database server. If you enter a host name it must be resolved using DNS or the hosts file.
Ping test server? Checked Test basic host connectivity using the ping command. Turn off if your host or network don't support ping (ICMP ECHO) packets Leave this checked in all except unusual circumstances.
Port 3306 The port number the database is running on. Leave blank if using the default port (3306). Leave the default in all except unusual circumstances.
Database mythconverg The name of the database. This information is required. In most cases the system will populate this automatically the first time the backend starts. This is the name of the database the MythTV backend uses to store information. Normally you should not need to change this. However, you may choose to have different databases for different reasons, for example, a test database so you can check out configurations, and then put this back to mythconverg later, or a different database depending on user so each user can set an independent look and feel.
User mythtv The user name to use while connecting to the database. This information is required. In most cases the system will populate this automatically the first time the backend starts. You should not have to change this from its default.
Password mythtv The password to use while connecting to the database. This information is required. In most cases the system will populate this automatically the first time the backend starts. Change this to suit your system.

Database Configuration 2/2

(Setup->General)

The information entered here is stored in Config.xml.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Use custom identifier for frontend preference Not Checked If this frontend's hostname changes often, check this box and provide a network-unique name to identify it. If unchecked, the frontend machine's local hostname will be used to save preferences in the database. The frontend preferences are stored in the database under this name. If you want those preferences to move to another machine or you change your machine hostname, Check this and enter the old hostname below.
Custom identifier my-unique-identifier-goes-here An identifier to use while saving the settings for this frontend. If you selected the above check box, enter a unique name or your old host name here.
Enable Database Server Wakeup Not Checked If checked, the frontend will use database wakeup parameters to reconnect to the database server (Mythbackend) If checked, the front end will use ACPI to wake the database server if the database server is not running at that time. This way you can save power by not having your database server running all the time. You need to enable ACPI wakeup on the database server for this to work.
The following additional options are only displayed if the previous option is checked.
Reconnect time 0 The time in seconds to wait for the server to wake up. Enter a reasonable value for number of seconds to wait between wake up attempts.
Retry attempts 5 The number of retries to wake the server before the frontend gives up. Number of wake up attempts.
Wake command echo 'WOLsqlServerCommand not set' The command executed on this frontend to wake up the database server (eg. sudo /etc/init.d/mysql restart). You can use this command:

wakeonlan xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
where xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx is the MAC address of the database server.

Settings Access

(Setup->General)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Setup Pin Code blank This PIN is used to control access to the setup menus. If you want to use this feature, then setting the value to all numbers will make your life much easier. Set it to blank to disable. If enabled, you will not be able to return to this screen and reset the Setup PIN without first entering the current PIN. Tell the system what the security PIN is here. Don't forget to write it down somewhere so you don't forget. Or back up your database before you set the PIN so you can restore in case you forget.

General

(Setup->General)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Use line edit virtual keyboards Checked If enabled, you can use a virtual keyboard in MythTV's line edit boxes. To use, hit SELECT (Enter or Space) while a line edit is in focus. Leave this checked to allow typing of names with a remote control device.
Screen shot path /tmp/ Path to screenshot storage location. Should be writable by the frontend Change this if you want to take screen shots from TV shows and store in a different location.
Remove Prefixes when Sorting Checked If enabled, all sorting will remove the common prefixes (The, A, An) from a string prior to sorting. For example, this would sort the titles "Earth 2", "The Flash", and "Kings" in that order. If disabled, they would sort as "Earth 2", "Kings" and "The Flash".

Media Monitor

(Setup->General)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Ignore devices Blank If there are any devices that you do not want to be monitored, list them here with commas in-between. The plugins will ignore them. Requires restart. If you have multiple DVD drives you could cause some to be ignored this way.

Shutdown/Reboot Settings

(Setup->General)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Customize exit menu options Default By default, only remote frontends are shown the shutdown option on the exit menu. Here you can force specific shutdown and reboot options to be displayed. Options are: Default, Show quit, Show quit and shutdown, Show quit, reboot and shutdown, Show shutdown, Show reboot, Show reboot and shutdown
Confirm before suspending/shutting down Checked If enabled (the default) then the user will always be asked to confirm before the system is shutdown, suspended or rebooted.
Halt command Blank Optional. Script to run if you select the shutdown option from the exit menu, if the option is displayed. You must configure an exit key to display the exit menu.
Reboot command Blank Optional. Script to run if you select the reboot option from the exit menu, if the option is displayed. You must configure an exit key to display the exit menu.
Suspend command Blank Optional. Script to run if you select the suspend option from the exit menu, if the option is displayed. It is possible that a system supports suspend without using this setting.
Idle time before entering standby mode (minutes) 90 Number of minutes to wait when the frontend is idle before entering standby mode. Standby mode allows the backend to power down if configured to do so. Any remote or mouse input will cause the countdown to start again and/or exit idle mode. Video playback suspends the countdown. A value of zero prevents the frontend automatically entering standby.

Remote Control

(Setup->General)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
LIRC daemon socket /var/run/lirc/lircd UNIX socket or IP address[:port] to connect in order to communicate with the LIRC Daemon. See LIRC for more information.
Enable Network Remote Control interface Not Checked This enables support for controlling MythFrontend over the network. Using this you can use, for example, the android phone app mythmote as a remote control while watching TV.
Network Remote Control Port 6546 This specifies what port the Network Remote Control interface will listen on for new connections.
UDP notify port 6948 MythTV will listen for connections from the "mythutil" program on this port.
Enable CEC Control Interface Checked This enables controlling mythfrontend from a TV remote or powering the TV on and off from a MythTV remote if you have compatible hardware. A Raspberry PI does have this built-in but an NVIDIA card does not. There are devices that can be connected between the HDMI output of the video card and the TV that can handle CEC commands via an additional USB interface.

Airplay Settings

Note that changes in iOS software have rendered inoperable the hack that MythTV formerly used. Myth can no longer receive connections from iOS devices via AirPlay after iOS 9.

(Setup->General)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Enable AirPlay Checked AirPlay lets you wirelessly view content on your TV from your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or iTunes on your computer. See AirTunes/AirPlay for details.
AirPlay full screen playback Not Checked During music playback, displays album cover and various media information in full screen mode See AirTunes/AirPlay for details.
Only support AirTunes (no video) Not Checked Only stream audio from your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or iTunes on your computer See AirTunes/AirPlay for details.
Require password Not Checked 0000 Require a password to use AirPlay. Your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or iTunes on your computer will prompt you when required See AirTunes/AirPlay for details.

Appearance

Pick the menu layout, font, size, and locale
(Setup->Appearance)

Theme / Screen Settings

(Setup->Appearance)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Menu Theme Default You can choose between different menu layouts. Options are Classic, Default, DVR, Media Center Menu Theme and MythAeonNox. You can also create your own customized menu theme. See Menu theme development guide.
Use full range RGB output Checked Enable (recommended) to supply full range RGB output to your display device. Disable to supply limited range RGB output. This setting appies to both the GUI and media playback. Ideally the value of this setting should match a similar setting on your TV or monitor.
Display On Screen Run on the specified screen or spanning all screens. If there is only one screen then that is the default and only choice.
Screen aspect ratio Auto Most modern displays have square pixels and the aspect ratio of the screen can be computed from the resolution (default). The aspect ratio can also be automatically detected from the connected display, although this may be slightly less accurate. If automatic detection fails, the correct aspect ratio can be specified here. Some values (e.g 32:10) are primarily intended for multiscreen setups.
Force Full Screen for GUI and TV playback Auto Use Full Screen for GUI and TV playback independent of the settings for the GUI dimensions. This does not change the values of the GUI dimensions so it is easy to switch from window mode to full screen and back. Available since version 34.
GUI Dimensions

The GUI width/height/X-offset/Y-offset can be modified when this item is selected. The current values are displayed at the right.

GUI width (pixels) 0 The width of the GUI. Do not make the GUI wider than your actual screen resolution. Set to 0 to automatically scale to fullscreen. If you are watching on a TV screen you may see the edges of the GUI display are missing. If it is a modern digital TV there may be a setting in the TV itself to fix this (i.e. eliminate overscan). If the TV setting cannot fix it or if you are using an analog TV you can adjust the size of the GUI here so that you can see all of it. The best way is by trial and error. Start by putting your screen resolution in the width and height. Arrow down to "Next", and press enter until it shows "Finish" and once more. You will see the result of your adjustment. Go into Setup->Appearance again and make further adjustments.
GUI height (pixels) 0 The height of the GUI. Do not make the GUI taller than your actual screen resolution. Set to 0 to automatically scale to fullscreen.
GUI X offset 0 The horizontal offset where the GUI will be displayed. May only work if run in a window.
GUI Y offset 0 The vertical offset where the GUI will be displayed.
Use GUI size for TV playback Checked If enabled, use the above size for TV, otherwise use full screen. If you have set GUI sizes or offsets above, this will shrink the playback picture as well as the GUI.
Hide Mouse Cursor in MythTV Not Checked Toggles mouse cursor visibility for touchscreens. By default MythTV will auto-hide the cursor if the mouse doesn't move for a period, this setting disables the cursor entirely.
Use window border Not Checked Toggles between windowed and borderless operation.
Use fixed window size Checked If disabled, the video playback window can be resized This feature is not present anymore in version 32.
Always On Top Not Checked If enabled, MythTV will always be on top
Smooth Transitions Checked Enable smooth transitions with fade-in and fade-out of menu pages and enable GUI animations. Disabling this can make the GUI respond faster especially on low-powered machines. Since version 34.
Startup Screen Delay 2 The Startup Screen will show the progress of starting the frontend if frontend startup takes longer than this number of seconds. Selecting a value of 0 seconds can have unexpected results on some screens. A value of at least 1 second is recommended.
GUI Text Zoom Percentage 100 Adjust the font size defined by the theme by this percentage. Restart mythfrontend for this to take effect.
AirPlay full screen playback Not Checked During music playback, displays album cover and various media information in full screen mode This is the same setting that can be set using #Airplay Settings above.

Localization

(Setup->Appearance)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Language English (United States) Select the language for the user interface.

The translation of MythTV for the language of your choice might be incomplete; each string is individually translated and if there is no translation available then the original English string is shown.
In MythTV version 34 and earlier this selection is also used for the audio stream when there are audio streams for different languages available; in later versions there is a separate selection for the default audio stream language.

A list of languages available for the user interface:
  • Български
  • català; valencià
  • čeština
  • Dansk
  • Deutsch
  • Ελληνικά, Σύγχρονα
  • English (Canada)
  • English (United Kingdom)
  • English (United States)
  • Español; Castellano (España)
  • Español; Castellano
  • Eesti
  • suomi
  • Français
  • עברית
  • Hrvatski
  • magyar
  • Íslenska
  • Italiano
  • 日本語
  • Norsk, bokmål
  • Nederlands
  • polski
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Português
  • русский
  • slovenščina
  • Svenska
  • Türkçe
  • 漢語 (中國)
  • 漢語 (Hong Kong, 香港)
Audio Language Setting for Language Select the preferred language for the audio stream.

This is used to select the audio stream when there are audio streams for different languages available. The default value is the language selected for the user interface.

The list of languages is the same as for the user interface.

This selection is available since MythTV version 35.

Guide Language #1 English Your #1 preferred language for Program Guide Data and captions. This is a larger list than above. The applicability depends on how the guide and captions are provided.
Guide Language #2 English Your #2 preferred language for Program Guide Data and captions. This is a larger list than above. The applicability depends on how the guide and captions are provided.
Date format Tue Aug 18 2015 Your preferred date format. Samples are shown using today's date. There is a large range of choices, all displayed by formatting today's date in various ways
Short Date format 8/18 Your preferred short date format. Samples are shown using today's date. There is a large range of choices, all displayed by formatting today's date in various ways
Time format 6:56 AM Your preferred time format. You must choose a format with "AM" or "PM" in it, otherwise your time display will be 24-hour or "military" time. There is a large range of choices, all displayed by formatting current time in various ways

LCD device display

(Setup->Appearance)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Enable LCD device Not Checked Use an LCD display to view MythTV status information. See LCD for information on setting up LCD devices for MythTV.
Display Time Checked Display current time on idle LCD display. Need to restart mythfrontend to (de)activate it.
Display Menus Checked Display selected menu on LCD display. Need to restart mythfrontend to (de)activate it.
Display Music Artist and Title Checked Display playing artist and song title in MythMusic. Need to restart mythfrontend to (de)activate it.
Items Artist - Title Which items to show when playing music. Available items:
  • Artist - Title
  • Artist [Album] Title
Display Channel Information Checked Display tuned channel information. Need to restart mythfrontend to (de)activate it.
Display Recording Status Not Checked Display current recordings information on LCD display.
Display Volume Information Checked Display volume level information. Need to restart mythfrontend to (de)activate it.
Display Generic Information Checked Display generic information. Need to restart mythfrontend to (de)activate it.
Backlight Always On Checked Turn on backlight permanently. Need to restart mythfrontend to (de)activate it.
Heartbeat Always On Not Checked Turn on the LCD heartbeat.
Display Large Clock Not Checked On multiline displays try and display the time as large as possible.
LCD Key order ABCDEF Enter the 6 Keypad Return Codes for your LCD keypad in the order in which you want the functions up/down/left/right/yes/no to operate. (See lcdproc/server/drivers/hd44780.c/keyMapMatrix[] or the matrix for your display)
Menu Pop-up Time 5 How many seconds the menu will remain visible after navigation.

Video Mode Settings

(Setup->Appearance)
These settings are not present anymore in MythTV version 32.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Separate video modes for GUI and TV playback Not Checked Switch X Window video modes for TV. Requires "xrandr" support. The following additional options are only displayed if this box is checked.
GUI 640x480 Resolution of screen when not watching a video.
Video Output 640x480 Default screen resolution when watching a video.
Rate Any Default refresh rate when watching a video. Leave at "Any" to automatically use the best available.
Aspect Default Aspect ratio when watching a video. Leave at "Default" to use ratio reported by the monitor. Set to 16:9 or 4:3 to force a specific aspect ratio.
Overrides for Specific Video Sizes

Following are repeated three times for up to 3 overrides.

In X 0 Horizontal resolution of video which needs a special output resolution.
In Y 0 Vertical resolution of video which needs a special output resolution.
Output 640x480 Screen resolution when watching a video at a specific resolution.
Rate Any Refresh rate when watching a video at a specific resolution. Leave at "Any" to automatically use the best available.
Aspect Default Aspect ratio when watching a video at a specific resolution. Leave at "Default" to use ratio reported by the monitor. Set to 16:9 or 4:3 to forca a specific aspect ratio.

Theme Chooser

Choose a local theme or download new ones
(Setup->Theme Chooser)

The look and feel of the MythTV GUI is controlled by the theme that is currently active. This page displays a list of downloadable themes from which to choose. The default theme is Terra and that will be active if you do not select anything here. This is an optional setting, you can ignore it and continue to use the Terra theme. Note that the theme is stored in your local home directory under the ~/.mythtv directory. For some examples of themes see Theme.

If the downloadable themes do not show, or to refresh the list of downloadable themes, press M and select the option to refresh downloadable themes.

Audio

Configure audio playback
(Setup->Audio)

Audio System

(Setup->Audio)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Audio output device ALSA:default (Displays a description of the device selected from the list, as well as how many channels are supported by it.) Here you can choose between things like digital output to a surround sound system, digital output via HDMI to a TV or analog output to speakers attached you a sound card. You may find some devices listed multiple times. The best way to get the right setting is by trying different selections and using the Test button below. You can also type a value into here if you know the correct syntax.
Rescan (button) Rescan for available audio devices. Current entry will be checked and capability entries populated. If you have added an audio device on the fly, or plugged in an HDMI cable, etc. this can detect the changes.
Digital Audio Capabilities

This only displays if a Digital output device has been selected.

Dolby Digital Not Checked Enable if your amplifier or sound decoder supports AC-3/Dolby Digital. You must use a digital connection. Uncheck if using an analog connection. Check the capabilities of your TV or Surround sound system.
DTS Not Checked Enable if your amplifier or sound decoder supports DTS. You must use a digital connection. Uncheck if using an analog connection< Check the capabilities of your TV or Surround sound system.
E-AC-3 Not Checked Enable if your amplifier or sound decoder supports E-AC-3 (DD+). You must use a HDMI connection. Check the capabilities of your TV or Surround sound system.
TrueHD Not Checked Enable if your amplifier or sound decoder supports Dolby TrueHD. You must use a HDMI connection. Check the capabilities of your TV or Surround sound system.
DTS-HD Not Checked Enable if your amplifier or sound decoder supports DTS-HD. You must use a HDMI connection. Check the capabilities of your TV or Surround sound system.
Speaker configuration Stereo Select the maximum number of audio channels supported by your receiver and speakers. Options are Stereo, 5.1 or 7.1. Only shows the options that are available to the selected device.
Upconvert stereo to 5.1 surround Checked If enabled, MythTV will upconvert stereo to 5.1 audio. You can enable or disable the upconversion during playback at any time. Uncheck this if your surround sound system supports Dolby Pro Logic.
Upmix Quality Best Set the audio surround-upconversion quality. Options are Passive, Hall, Good, Best.
Test (button) Will play a test pattern on all configured speakers This opens the Audio Configuration Testing Page (see below).
Advanced Audio Settings (button) Enable extra audio settings. Under most usage all options should be left alone This opens a page with advanced settings (see below).

Audio Configuration Testing

(Setup->Audio->Test)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
(Channel Buttons) (button) Buttons are displayed according to the number of channels selected. Buttons include Front Left, Center, Front Right, Surround Left, LFE, Surround Right, Rear Left, Rear Right. Click each button to hear a test sound.
Test All (button) Start all channels test Will play a sound through each channel shown, in sequence.
use Highest Quality Mode (button) Use the highest audio quality settings supported by your audio card. This will be a good place to start troubleshooting potential errors Recommend leaving this unchecked. The test sound will be a hiss noise, which will serve to tell you if a signal is getting to your speakers.

Advanced Audio Settings

(Setup->Audio->Advanced Audio Settings)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Override SRC quality Not Checked Enable to override audio sample rate conversion quality.
Sample rate conversion Good Set the quality of audio sample-rate conversion. "Good" (default) provides the best compromise between CPU usage and quality. "Disabled" lets the audio device handle sample-rate conversion. Options: Disabled, Fastest, Good, Best
Force audio device output to 48kHz Not Checked Force audio sample rate to 48kHz. Some audio devices will report various rates, but they ultimately crash
SPDIF 48kHz rate override Not Checked ALSA only. By default, let ALSA determine the passthrough sampling rate. If checked set the sampling rate to 48kHz for passthrough. (default is not checked)
Separate digital output device Not Checked Use a distinct digital output device from default. (default is not checked)
Digital output device Default Audio output device to use for digital audio. This value is currently only used with ALSA and DirectX sound output. List contains ALSA digital output devices
HBR passthrough support Checked HBR support is required for TrueHD and DTS-HD passthrough. If unchecked, Myth will limit the passthrough bitrate to 6.144Mbit/s. This will disable True-HD passthrough, however will allow DTS-HD content to be sent as DTS-HD Hi-Res. (default is checked)

Audio Mixer

(Setup->Audio)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Use internal volume controls Checked If enabled, MythTV will control the PCM and master mixer volume. Disable this option if you prefer to control the volume externally (for example, using your amplifier) or if you use an external mixer program. This allows controlling the volume using the MythTV keystrokes, by default [ and ].

Note that digital output volume can only be controlled by the volume control on your TV or sound system, or by setting up a special configuration in your Linux box.

The following options are only displayed if the above option is checked. If you do not see them, turn off the above setting and turn it on again.

Mixer Device ALSA:default Setting the mixer device to "software" lets MythTV control the volume of all audio at the expense of a slight quality loss. Options are ALSA:default and software. Do not use software when using digital output.
Mixer Controls PCM Changing the volume adjusts the selected mixer. Options are PCM and Master.
Master mixer volume 70 Initial volume for the Master mixer. This affects all sound created by the audio device. Note: Do not set this too low.
PCM mixer volume 70 Initial volume for PCM output. Using the volume keys in MythTV will adjust this parameter.

Video

Configure video recording and playback
(Setup->Video)

This section has a number of sub-menus for configuring TV and Video recording and playback.

General

General video and recording preferences
(Setup->Video->General)

General (Basic)

(Setup->Video->General)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Channel Ordering channel number channel number Possible values are:
  • channel number
  • callsign
Channel Format number callsign Your preferred channel format. Possible values are:
  • number callsign
  • number name
  • callsign
  • name
  • number
Long Channel Format number name Your preferred long channel format. Possible values are:
  • number name
  • callsign
  • name
  • number
  • number callsign
  • number name

General (Auto-Expire)

(Setup->Video->General)

Settings on this page affect the backend and therefore affect all frontends.

For information on storage usage and auto expire, see Setup Storage Directories#Storage Usage and User Manual:Daily Use#Storage Usage.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Auto-Expire Method Lowest priority first Method used to determine which recorded shows to delete first. Live TV recordings will always expire before normal recordings. Possible values:
  • Lowest Priority First
  • Weighted Time/Priority Combination
  • Oldest Show First
Re-record Watched Not Checked If enabled, programs that have been marked as watched and are Auto-Expired will be re-recorded if they are shown again.
Watched before unwatched Not Checked If enabled, programs that have been marked as watched will be expired before programs that have not been watched.
Live TV max age (days) 1 Auto-Expire will force expiration of Live TV recordings when they are this many days old. Live TV recordings may also be expired early if necessary to free up disk space.
Priority weight 3 The number of days bonus a program gets for each priority point. This is only used when the Weighted time/priority Auto-Expire Method is selected.
Extra disk space (GB) 1 Extra disk space (in gigabytes) beyond what MythTV requires that you want to keep free on the recording file systems. You should set this equal to enough space to record 15 minutes with all tuners running at once. For example set it as 4 GB if you have 2 HD tuners (8 GB per hour times 2 divided by 4).
Time to retain deleted recordings (days) 0 Determines the maximum number of days before undeleting a recording will become impossible. A value of zero means the recording will be permanently deleted between 5 and 20 minutes later. A value of minus one means recordings will be retained until space is required. A deleted recording will always be removed before this time if the space is needed for a new recording.

General (Jobs)

(Setup->Video->General)

Settings on this page affect the backend and therefor affect all front ends.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Commercial Detection Method All Available Methods This determines the method used by MythTV to detect when commercials start and end. Possible values are:
  • All Available Methods
  • Blank Frame Detection
  • Blank Frame + Scene Change Detection
  • Scene Change Detection
  • Logo Detection
  • Experimental: Blank Frame + Logo Detection
  • Pre & Post Roll: Blank Frame + Scene Change
Enable experimental speedup of commercial detection Not Checked If enabled, experimental commercial detection speedups will be enabled.
Strict Commercial Detection Checked Enable stricter commercial detection code. Disable if some commercials are not being detected.
Deferral days for auto transcode jobs 0 If non-zero, automatic transcode jobs will be scheduled to run this many days after a recording completes instead of immediately afterwards.

General (Advanced)

(Setup->Video->General)

Settings on this page affect the backend and therefor affect all front ends.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Time to record before start of show (secs) 0 This global setting allows the recorder to start before the scheduled start time. It does not affect the scheduler. It is ignored when two shows have been scheduled without enough time in between.
Time to record past end of show (secs) 0 This global setting allows the recorder to record beyond the scheduled end time. It does not affect the scheduler. It is ignored when two shows have been scheduled without enough time in-between.
Category record over-time
Category of shows to be extended (blank) For a special category (e.g. "Sports event"), request that shows be autoextended. Only works if a show's category can be determined.
Record past end of show (mins) 30 For the specified category, an attempt will be made to extend the recording by the specified time. It is ignored when two shows have been scheduled without enough time in-between. You can alternatively set extra recording time in schedules for particular shows.

General (Channel Groups)

(Setup->Video->General)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Remember last channel group Not Checked If enabled, the EPG will initially display only the channels from the last channel group selected. Pressing "4" will toggle channel group.
Default channel group All Channels Default channel group to be shown in the EPG. Pressing GUIDE key will toggle channel group. Possible values are:
  • All Channels
  • Favorites
Browse/Change channels from Channel Group Not Checked If enabled, Live TV will browse or change channels from the selected channel group. "All Channels" channel group may be selected to browse all channels.

Program Guide

Guide appearance and behavior
(Setup->Video->Program Guide)

Program Guide 1/2

(Setup->Video->Program Guide)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Guide starts at channel 3 The program guide starts on this channel if it is run from outside of Live TV mode. Leave blank to enable Live TV automatic start channel.
Record Threshold 16 Pressing SELECT on a show that is at least this many minutes into the future will schedule a recording. Otherwise it will open Live TV on that channel.

Playback

Settings for viewing and playing video content
(Setup->Video->Playback)

General Playback

(Setup->Video->Playback)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Enable realtime priority threads Checked When running mythfrontend with root privileges, some threads can be given enhanced priority. Disable this if mythfrontend freezes during video playback. Realtime requires special privileges. Without the special privileges, checked or unchecked will make no difference.
Extra audio buffering Checked Enable this setting if MythTV is playing "crackly" audio and you are using hardware encoding. This setting affects digital tuners (QAM/DVB/ATSC) and hardware encoders. It will have no effect on MPEG-4 or RTjpeg video. MythTV will keep extra audio data in its internal buffers to work around this bug.
Jump to Program OSD Checked Set the choice between viewing the current recording group in the OSD, or showing the "Watch Recording" screen when "Jump to Program" is activated. If set, the recordings are shown in the OSD.
Clear bookmark on playback Checked Automatically clear the bookmark on a recording when the recording is played back. If disabled, you can mark the beginning with rewind then save position.
Alternate clear and save bookmark Checked During playback the Select key (Enter or Space) will alternate between "Bookmark Saved" and "Bookmark Cleared". If disabled, the Select key will save the current position for each keypress.
Automatically mark a recording as watched Not Checked If set, when you exit near the end of a recording it will be marked as watched. The automatic detection is not foolproof, so do not enable this setting if you don't want an unwatched recording to be marked for expiration.
Continue Playback When Embedded Not Checked This option continues TV playback when the TV window is embedded in the upcoming program list or recorded list. The default is to pause the recorded show when embedded.
Live TV idle timeout 0 Exit LiveTV automatically if left idle for the specified number of minutes. 0 disables the timeout. This is useful if people walk away and leave the TV running or turn off the TV and leave MythTV running. Eventually it will stop and then can shut down if you have an idle timeout also set.
Vertical scaling 0 Adjust this if the image does not fill your screen vertically. Range -100% to 100%.
Scan displacement (Y) 0 Adjust this to move the image vertically.
Horizontal scaling 0 Adjust this if the image does not fill your screen horizontally. Range -100% to 100%.
Scan displacement (X) 0 Adjust this to move the image horizontally.
Video Aspect Override Off When enabled, these will override the aspect ratio specified by any broadcaster for all video streams Possible values are:
  • Off
  • 4:3
  • 16:9
  • 14:9
  • 2.35:1
Zoom Off When enabled, these will apply a predefined zoom to all video playback in MythTV. Possible values are:
  • Off
  • Half
  • Full
  • H.Stretch
  • V.Stretch
  • H.Fill
  • V.Fill
  • Auto Detect (Default Off)
  • Auto Detect (Default Half)
Letterboxing Color Black By default MythTV uses black letterboxing to match broadcaster letterboxing, but those with plasma screens may prefer gray to minimize burn-in. Currently only works with XVideo video cards. Possible values are:
  • Black
  • Gray
PIP Video Location Top Left Location of PIP Video Window PIP=Picture In Picture

Possible values are:

  • Top Left
  • Bottom Left
  • Top Right
  • Bottom Right
Action on playback exit Just exit If set to prompt, a menu will be displayed when you exit playback mode. The options available will allow you to save your position, delete the recording, or continue watching. Possible values are:
  • Just exit
  • Save position and exit
  • Always prompt (excluding Live TV)
  • Always prompt (including Live TV)
  • Prompt for Live TV only
Prompt at end of recording Not Checked If set, a menu will be displayed allowing you to delete the recording when it has finished playing.

Current Video Playback Profile

(Setup->Video->Playback)

This page allows you to customize how video is rendered. It is recommended to use the best setting available for your hardware. MythTV does not automatically determine compatibility. It will accept what you select and try to use it. If it is not supported you will not see any video played, or it will select a default that is not optimal.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Current Video Playback Profile Normal (none) Selection of any of the possible profiles, will display a list of the rules associated with that profile. Once one is selected, press right arrow to edit it. See details below.

Possible values are:

  • High Quality
  • Normal
  • Slim
  • VDA High Quality
  • VDA Normal
  • VDA Slim
  • OpenGL High Quality
  • OpenGL Normal
  • OpenGL Slim
  • OpenMAX Normal
  • VAAPI Normal
  • VDPAU High Quality
  • VDPAU Normal
  • VDPAU Slim
  • Any other profiles that you may have added using the Add New button.

VDA methods only apply to Apple Hardware with Mac OS.

VDPAU requires compatible NVIDIA display hardware and drivers. VAAPI and OpenGL require compatible display hardware and drivers.

Add a new Playback Profile (button) Add a new profile to the list.
Edit Current Video Playback Profile

(Setup->Video->Playback->Current Video Playback Profile->(right arrow))

Within a Playback Profile are any number of entries. Based on criteria you supply here, a method for playing video will be selected. You can chooses different methods for different types of video. When starting playback, the system scans the list from top to bottom and selects the first entry that matches the video being played. All criteria specified must match for an entry to be selected. For a sensible setup, place more specific entries first and a generic catch-all last. You can have entries with no conditions that will be always selected. Such an entry should be last because anything after it would not be used.

If no entry matches the video, or the selected methods fail because of lack of support (for example if a hardware acceleration is selected but your system does not have the correct hardware), the system will select a playback method. It may not select the best option, so one should always choose entries that will match.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Mark for deletion (checkbox) Delete the selected profile from the list. Note that you can delete one of the predefined profiles. The deletion will only apply to that frontend. Other frontends can still see it. If you delete all profiles for a particular category (for example all VDPAU profiles), they will be added back with default values the next time you invoke Setup->Video->Playback. This can be useful if you have made changes and you want to restore the default vales for a Playback Profile.
Add New Entry (button) Create a new rule for the current profile.
if rez >= (cols) (rows) formats framerate -> aaaa & bbbb There could be multiple of these entries, depending on the profile selected. This allows the selected profile to apply different settings to different resolution videos, different video formats and frame rates. Higher resolutions requires more CPU power so you may need to set lower quality options for them.

You can right arrow to edit a profile entry.

Rather than changing one of the default profile, you may want to create a new profile if you want to use different settings, so that the defaults are still available unchanged.

You can delete an entry by pressing D or pressing M (menu) and selecting Delete.

You can re-order entries by selecting M (menu) and moving them up or down. Order is important. When deciding which rule to use, the rules are scanned from top to bottom and the first one that matches the video is used.

Edit Playback Profile Entry

(Setup->Video->Playback->Current Video Playback Profile->entry)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Match criteria Optional setting to restrict this profile to a selected picture size range. If both match criteria are used then both must be satisfied for the entry to be selected. Here you set up the video resolution that will drive one method of playback. You can select a boolean condition (<,<=,==,>=,>) and give a screen width and height. There are two conditions available. Typically you may specify, for example, > 640x480 in the first line and <= 1280x720 in the second line to create a condition to match 720p content.

If the condition is ">" then it will be considered matched if either height or width exceeds the given values. For all other conditions, both height and width must satisfy the condition for a match.

Video Formats Optional setting to restrict this profile to a video format or formats. You can also type in a format or several formats separated by space. To find the format for a video use ffprobe and look at the word after "Video:". Also you can get a complete list of available formats with ffmpeg -codecs. If anything is selected or filled in here, this entry will only be used if the video format matches one of the selected values.
Frame Rate Range Optional setting to restrict this profile to a range of frame rates. Valid formats for the setting are [nn.nnn - nn.nnn], [> nn.nnn], [>= nn.nnn], [< nn.nnn], [<= nn.nnn]. Also [nn.nnn] for an exact match. If anything is selected or filled in here, this entry will only be used if the video frame rate is in the selected range.
Decoder Standard Processing method used to decode video.

(explanation of selected entry)

Each entry has a corresponding explanation. Possible values with their explanations are:
  • Standard - Standard will use ffmpeg library.
  • NVidia VDPAU acceleration - VDPAU will attempt to use the graphics hardware to accelerate video decoding and playback.
  • Mac hardware acceleration - Mac hardware will try to use the graphics processor - this may hang or crash your Mac!
  • VAAPI acceleration - VAAPI will attempt to use the graphics hardware to accelerate video decoding. REQUIRES OPENGL PAINTER.
  • Windows hardware acceleration - DXVA2 will use the graphics hardware to accelerate video decoding and playback (requires Windows Vista or later).
  • Mac VDA hardware acceleration - VDA will attempt to use the graphics hardware to accelerate video decoding. (H264 only, requires Mac OS 10.6.3)
  • crystalhd

Standard will always work but will use high amounts of CPU. The others require special hardware or software but will give better results, especially on low powered equipment.

Max CPUs 1 Maximum number of CPU cores used for video decoding and filtering. When using "Standard" decoder, increasing this to match the number of CPU cores in your system will improve playback if you have an underpowered CPU.
Deblocking filter Checked When unchecked the deblocking loopfilter will be disabled

Disabling will significantly reduce the load on the CPU when watching HD H.264 but may significantly reduce video quality.

Video Renderer vdpau (explanation of selected entry) Each entry has a corresponding explanation. Possible values with their explanations are:
  • vdpau - This is the only video renderer for NVidia VDPAU decoding.
  • openglvaapi - This video renderer uses VAAPI for video decoding and OpenGL for scaling and color conversion.
  • xlib - Use X11 pixel copy to render video. This is not recommended if any other option is available. The video will not be scaled to fit the screen. This will work with all X11 servers, local and remote.
  • xshm - Use X11 shared memory pixel transfer to render video. This is only recommended over the X11 pixel copy renderer. The video will not be scaled to fit the screen. This works with most local X11 servers.
  • xv-blit - This is the standard video renderer for X11 systems. It uses XVideo hardware assist for scaling, color conversion. If the hardware offers picture controls the renderer supports them.
  • opengl - This video renderer uses OpenGL for scaling and color conversion with full picture controls. The GPU can be used for deinterlacing. This requires a faster GPU than XVideo.
  • opengl-lite - This video renderer uses OpenGL for scaling and color conversion. It uses faster OpenGL functionality when available but at the expense of picture controls and GPU based deinterlacing.

xv-blit will work in most cases but will use high amounts of CPU. The others require special hardware or software but will give better results, especially on low powered equipment.

OSD Renderer (Depends on selected Video Renderer) (explanation of selected entry) This selects how the On-Screen Display messages are displayed over the video picture. Each entry has a corresponding explanation. In almost every case the setting is dictated by the selected Video renderer, giving no choice here.
OSD fade Checked When unchecked the OSD will not fade away but instead will disappear abruptly.

Uncheck this if the video stutters while the OSD is fading away.

If the On Screen Display messages are causing problems try unchecking this. Unchecking this may reduce CPU usage in same cases.
Primary deinterlacer None Main deinterlacing method. (explanation of selected entry) The Deinterlacing options depend on the video renderer selected on the prior screen.

See Deinterlacing for information on the deinterlacers.

Options common to all renderers:

  • None - Perform no deinterlacing. Use this with an interlaced display whose resolution exactly matches the video size. This is incompatible with MythTV zoom modes.

VDPAU Options:

  • One Field (1x, HW) - Shows only one of the two fields in the frame. This looks good when displaying a high motion 1080i video on a 720p display.
  • Bob (2x, HW) - Shows one field of the frame followed by the other field displaced vertically. This deinterlacer requires the display to be capable of twice the frame rate as the source video. (Hardware Accelerated)
  • Temporal (1x, HW) - This deinterlacer uses several fields to reduce motion blur. (Hardware Accelerated)
  • Advanced (1x, HW) - This deinterlacer uses multiple fields to reduce motion blur and smooth edges. (Hardware Accelerated)
  • Temporal (2x, HW) - This deinterlacer uses several fields to reduce motion blur. This deinterlacer requires the display to be capable of twice the frame rate as the source video. (Hardware Accelerated)
  • Advanced (2x, HW) - This deinterlacer uses multiple fields to reduce motion blur and smooth edges. This deinterlacer requires the display to be capable of twice the frame rate as the source video. (Hardware Accelerated)

xlib, xshm, xv-blit, opengl, opengl-lite Options:

  • One field - Shows only one of the two fields in the frame. This looks good when displaying a high motion 1080i video on a 720p display.
  • Linear blend - Blends the odd and even fields linearly into one frame.
  • Kernel - This filter disables deinterlacing when the two fields are similar, and performs linear deinterlacing otherwise.
  • Kernel (2x) - This filter disables deinterlacing when the two fields are similar, and performs linear deinterlacing otherwise. This deinterlacer requires the display to be capable of twice the frame rate as the source video.
  • Greedy HighMotion - This deinterlacer uses several fields to reduce motion blur. It has increased CPU requirements.
  • Greedy HighMotion (2x) - This deinterlacer uses several fields to reduce motion blur. It has increased CPU requirements. This deinterlacer requires the display to be capable of twice the frame rate as the source video.
  • Yadif - This deinterlacer uses several fields to reduce motion blur. It has increased CPU requirements.
  • Yadif (2x) - This deinterlacer uses several fields to reduce motion blur. It has increased CPU requirements. This deinterlacer requires the display to be capable of twice the frame rate as the source video.
  • Interlaced (2x) - This deinterlacer attempts to synchronize with interlaced displays whose size and refresh rate exactly match the video source. It has low CPU requirements. This deinterlacer requires the display to be capable of twice the frame rate as the source video.

openglvaapi Options

  • One Field (1x, HW) - Shows only one of the two fields in the frame. This looks good when displaying a high motion 1080i video on a 720p display.
  • Bob (2x, HW) - Shows one field of the frame followed by the other field displaced vertically. This deinterlacer requires the display to be capable of twice the frame rate as the source video. (Hardware Accelerated)
Fallback deinterlacer None Fallback deinterlacing method. (explanation of selected entry) The Fallback deinterlacer is used if you selected one of the (2x) deinterlacers above and it turns out that your display is not capable of refresh at twice the frame rate. The available options are as listed above under Primary deinterlacer, with the exception of the 2X methods that are not available here.
Custom filters Blank Example custom filter list: 'ivtc,denoise3d' For details on Playback Filters see Using playback filters. VDPAU specific filters are described in Vdpau#Filters.

View Recordings

(Setup->Video->Playback)

This page determines how your list of recordings is displayed

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Episode sort orderings Sort all sub-titles/multi-titles Descending Selects how to sort show episodes. Sub-titles refers to the episodes listed under a specific show title. Multi-title refers to sections (e.g. "All Programs") which list multiple titles. Sections in parentheses are not affected.s to sections (e.g. "All Programs") which list multiple titles. Possible values are:
  • Sort all sub-titles/multi-titles Descending
  • Sort sub-titles Descending, multi-titles Ascending
  • Sort sub-titles Ascending, multi-titles Descending
  • Sort all sub-titles/multi-titles Ascending
Sort Episodes Record date Selects how to sort a shows episodes. Available Options:
  • Record date
  • Season/Episode
  • Original Air date
  • Program ID
Start in group list Checked If enables, the focus will start on the group list, otherwise the focus will default to the recordings.

Recording Groups

(Setup->Video->Playback)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Default group filter to apply All Programs Default group filter to apply on the View Recordings screen. Possible values are:
  • All Programs
  • Default
  • Any other recording groups you may have set up
Always prompt for initial group filter Not Checked If enabled, always prompt the user for the initial filter to apply when entering the Watch Recordings screen.
Save current group filter when changed Checked If enabled, remember the last selected filter instead of displaying the default filter whenever you enter the playback screen.

View Recordings

(Setup->Video->Playback)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Sort Titles Alphabetically Sets the Title sorting order when the view is set to Titles only. Possible values are:
  • Alphabetically
  • By Recording Priority
Include the "Watch List" group Checked The "Watch List" is an abbreviated list of recordings sorted to highlight series and shows that need attention in order to keep up to date. The following menu items are only displayed when this box is checked.
Start from the Watch List view Not Checked If enabled, the "Watch List" will be the initial view each time you enter the Watch Recordings screen.
Exclude recordings not set for Auto-Expire Not Checked Set this if you turn off auto-expire only for recordings that you've seen and intend to keep. This option will exclude these recordings from the "Watch List".
Maximum days counted in the score 60 The "Watch List" scores are based on 1 point equals one day since recording. This option limits the maximum score due to age and affect other weighting factors.
Days to exclude weekly episodes after delete 2 When an episode is deleted or marked as watched, other episodes of the series are excluded from the "Watch List" for this interval of time. Daily shows also have a smaller interval based exclude time.

Seeking

(Setup->Video->Playback)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Smart Fast Forwarding Not Checked If enabled, then immediately after rewinding, only skip forward the same amount as skipping backwards.
Fast forward/rewind reposition amount 100 When exiting sticky keys fast forward/rewind mode, reposition this many 1/100th seconds before resuming normal playback. This compensates for the reaction time between seeing where to resume playback and actually exiting seeking.
Reverse direction in fast forward/rewind Checked If enabled, pressing the sticky rewind key in fast forward mode switches to rewind mode, and vice versa. If disabled, it will decrease the current speed or switch to play mode if the speed can't be decreased further.

Commercial Skip

(Setup->Video->Playback)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Automatically Skip Commercials Off Automatically skip commercial breaks that have been flagged during automatic commercial detection or by the mythcommflag program, or just notify that a commercial has been detected. Possible values:
  • Off
  • Notify,but do not skip
  • Automatically skip
Commercial skip automatic rewind amount (secs) 0 MythTV will automatically rewind this many seconds after performing a commercial skip.
Commercial skip notify amount (secs) 0 MythTV will act like a commercial begins this many seconds early. This can be useful when commercial notification is used in place of automatic skipping.
Maximum commercial skip (secs) 3600 MythTV will discourage long manual commercial skips. Skips which are longer than this will require the user to hit the SKIP key twice. Automatic commercial skipping is not affected by this limit.
Merge short commercial breaks (secs) 0 Treat consecutive commercial breaks shorter than this as one break when skipping forward. Useful if you have to skip a few times during breaks. Applies to automatic skipping as well. Set to 0 to disable.

Playback OSD

Settings for the On Screen Display
(Setup->Video->Playback OSD)

On-screen Display
(Setup->Video->Playback OSD)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Enable interactive TV Not Checked If enabled, interactive TV applications (MHEG) will be activated. This is used for teletext and logos for radio and channels that are currently off-air.
Enable network access for interactive TV Not Checked If enabled, interactive TV applications (MHEG) will be able to access interactive content over the Internet. This is used for BBC iPlayer.
Always use browse mode in Live TV Checked If enabled, browse mode will automatically be activated whenever you use channel up/down while watching Live TV.
Browse all channels Not Checked If enabled, browse mode will show channels on all available recording devices, instead of showing channels on just the current recorder.
Always display closed captioning or subtitles Not Checked If enabled, captions will be displayed when playing back recordings or watching Live TV. Closed Captioning can be turned on or off by pressing "T" during playback.
Subtitle Codec UTF-8 Lists all text encodings available on the current system. Select the character encoding used in external subtitles (.srt files).

Playback Groups

Adjust settings for different playback styles
(Setup->Video->Playback Groups)

You can create playback groups and set a playback group on recording rules or existing recorded programs. This way you can have different settings for playback of different programs. Changes you make here are global across all front ends.

There is always a Default group that is used if no other group is specified.

  • Select the appropriate playback group (usually Default) to see the following menu.
  • Select the (Create new group) to generate a new group.
  • Press "D" when over an existing group to bring up the "Delete Menu".

(group name) Group
(Setup->Video->Playback Groups)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Title match (regex) (blank) Automatically set new recording rules to use this group if the title matches this regular expression. For example, "(News¦CNN)" would match any title in which "News" or "CNN" appears.
Skip ahead (seconds) 30 How many seconds to skip forward on a fast forward. Press the "Right" key to cause this action.
Skip back (seconds) 5 How many seconds to skip backward on a rewind. Press the "Left" key to cause this action.
Jump amount (in minutes) (default) How many minutes to jump forward or backward when the jump keys are pressed. The "default" value is usually 10 minutes. Press "Down" to jump forward, and "Up" to jump backward.
Time stretch (speed x 100) 100 Initial playback speed with adjusted audio. Use 100 for normal speed, 50 for half speed and 200 for double speed.

Channel Groups

Group your favorite channels together
(Setup->Video->Channel Groups)

To create a special grouping of channels, select "(Create new group)", name the new group and continue. The initial page for this group may be blank, so exit back to the "TV Settings" menu, then re-enter the Channel Groups menu. Enter into your new group, and select the channels that you want to use.

Press "D" when over an existing group to bring up the "Delete Menu".

There is by default a Favorites group.

If you select a group for editing you will see a list of your channels with check boxes next to each channel. Select the channels you want included in that group.

Recording Priorities

Global recording priority and scheduling
(Setup->Video->Recording Priorities)

This is an optional, advanced feature. There are several screens of settings here that can be used to change recording priorities globally across the system. Recording priorities are only relevant if you are set to record a show, and that episode is showing more than one time or on more than one channel withing the range of days for which you have listings. The system will try to record the instance of an episode that has the highest priority. If a showing of an episode is on the schedule for tonight and again next week, and the next week showing is a higher priority it will record the next week showing. The selection of which showing to record also takes into account the number of tuners you have and whether other shows that are scheduled will be using the tuners. If they are it will choose the show with the highest priority to record first.

Set Recording Priorities

Settings to prioritize some shows over others
(Setup->Video->Recording Priorities->Set Recording Priorities)

Scheduler Options

(Setup->Video->Recording Priorities->Set Recording Priorities)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Avoid back to back recordings Never Selects the situations where the scheduler will avoid assigning shows to the same card if their end time and start time match. This will be allowed when necessary in order to resolve conflicts. Available Options:
  • Never
  • Different Channels
  • Always
Preferred Input Priority 2 Additional priority when a showing matches the preferred input selected in the 'Scheduling Options' section of the recording rule.
HDTV Recording Priority 0 Additional priority when a showing is marked as an HDTV broadcast in the TV listings.
Widescreen Recording Priority 0 Additional priority when a showing is marked as widescreen in the TV listings.

Accessibility Options

(Setup->Video->Recording Priorities->Set Recording Priorities)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Sign Language Recording Priority 0 Additional priority when a showing is marked as having in-vision sign language.
In-vision Subtitles Recording Priority 0 Additional priority when a showing is marked as having in-vision subtitles.
Subtitles/CC Recording Priority 0 Additional priority when a showing is marked as having subtitles or closed captioning (CC) available.
Hard of Hearing Priority 0 Additional priority when a showing is marked as having support for viewers with impaired hearing.
Audio Described Priority 0 Additional priority when a showing is marked as being Audio Described.

Set Channel Recording Priorities

Prioritize some channels over others
(Setup->Video->Recording Priorities->Set Channel Recording Priorities)

This displays a list of all channels on all sources. By default all channels have a priority of 0. To prefer some channels over others in case the same show is on two or more channels, increase their priority.

To change the priority of a channel, scroll down to the channel using up/down arrows, then change the priority using left/right arrows.

Channel priorities can also be changed from a browser using MythWeb.

Custom Priority

Prioritize some recordings over others
(Setup->Video->Recording Priorities->Custom Priority)

Here you can use SQL statements to change the priority based on attributes of the program, channel, hardware, etc. This is an advanced use and requires an understanding of SQL and the MythTV database. There are examples that you can select, but these are examples only, you will need to modify them to make them useful.

The mechanism of setting up a rule is as follows

  1. Give the rule a name.
  2. Specify it's Priority Change.
  3. Add one or more clauses to actually specify the rule. The clauses must follow SQL rules and be separated by AND or OR, and can use parentheses.
  4. Use the test button to check the SQL syntax.
  5. Install the rule.
  6. Go to "Upcoming Recordings" to see if your rule is doing what you expect.

Media Settings

Configure music, video, and other media plugins
(Setup->Media Settings)

Music Settings

Configure playback and CD ripping
(Setup->Media Settings->Music Settings)

This is only visible if the mythmusic plugin is installed.

Music Tools

Select, import, or play music
(Setup->Media Settings->Music Tools)

This is only visible if the mythmusic plugin is installed.

Videos Settings

Configure playback and metadata
(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings)

General Settings

File Paths and general options
(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings->General Settings)

General Settings (1/4)

(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings->General Settings)

Videos can be played from the videos storage group on the backend or from local storage on the frontend. If you are storing videos on the backend you need not fill this in, you can leave the defaults.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Directories that hold videos (blank) This directory must exist, and the user running the frontend needs to have read/write permission to the directory. You can specify multiple directories separated by colons (:). The directory does not need to exist.
Directory that holds movie trailers /home/(your id)/.mythtv/Video/Trailers This directory must exist, and the user running the fontend needs to have read/write permission to the directory. The directory does not need to exist if you are using videos served from the backend.
Directory that holds movie posters /home/(your id)/.mythtv/Video/CoverArt This directory must exist, and the user running the fontend needs to have read/write permission to this directory. The directory does not need to exist if you are using videos served from the backend.
Directory that holds movie screenshots /home/(your id)/.mythtv/Video/Screenshots This directory must exist, and the user running the fontend needs to have read/write permission to this directory. The directory does not need to exist if you are using videos served from the backend.
Directory that holds movie/TV Banners /home/(your id)/.mythtv/Video/Banners This directory must exist, and the user running the fontend needs to have read/write permission to this directory. The directory does not need to exist if you are using videos served from the backend.
Directory that holds movie fanart /home/(your id)/.mythtv/Video/Fanart This directory must exist, and the user running the fontend needs to have read/write permission to this directory. The directory does not need to exist if you are using videos served from the backend.
General Settings (2/4)

(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings->General Settings)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
On DVD insertion Display MythDVD menu Media Monitoring should be turned on to allow this feature (Setup -> General -> CD/DVD Monitor). This will be on by default unless you add the device to the list in Setup->General->Media Monitor

Options are:

  • Display MythDVD menu
  • Do nothing
  • Play DVD
Video Tree remembers last selected position Not Checked If set, the current position in the Video Tree is persistent.
General Settings (3/4)

(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings->General Settings)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Parental Control Settings
Starting Parental Level 4 - Highest This is the 'level' that MythVideo starts at. Any videos with a level at or below this will be shown in the list or while browsing by default. The Parental PIN should be set to limit changing of these control values. Possible values are:
  • 1 - Lowest
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4 - Highest
Parental Level 4 PIN (blank) This PIN is used to enter Parental Control Level 4 as well as the Video Manager. Setting this value to all numbers will make your life much easier.
Parental Level 3 PIN (blank) This PIN is used to enter Parental Control Level 3. Setting this value to all numbers will make your life much easier.
Parental Level 2 PIN (blank) This PIN is used to enter Parental Control Level 2. Setting this value to all numbers will make your life much easier.
Aggressive Parental Control Not Checked If set, you will not be able to return to this screen and reset the Parental PIN without first entering the current PIN. You have been warned.
General Settings (3/4)

(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings->General Settings)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Enable automatic Parental Level from rating Not Checked If enabled, searches will automatically set the Parental Level to the one matching the rating below. The following menu items only appear if this box is checked.
Level 1 G Ratings containing these strings (separated by :) will be assigned to Parental Level 1.
Level 2 PG Ratings containing these strings (separated by :) will be assigned to Parental Level 2.
Level 3 PG-13 Ratings containing these strings (separated by :) will be assigned to Parental Level 3.
Level 4 R:NC-17 Ratings containing these strings (separated by :) will be assigned to Parental Level 4.

Player Settings

Player Applications and Optical Drives
(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings->Player Settings)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Default Player Internal This is the command that is used for any file whose extension is not specifically defined. You may also enter the name of one of the playback plugins such as 'Internal'. Possible values:
  • mplayer -fs -zoom -quiet -vo xv %s
DVD Player Internal This can be any command to launch a DVD player. Internal is the default. For other players, %d will be substituted for the DVD device (e.g. /dev/dvd).
DVD Drive default This device must exist, and the user playing the DVD needs to have read permission on the device. 'default' will let the MediaMonitor choose a device.
Blu-ray Mount /media/cdrom This path is the location your operating system mounts Blu-ray discs.
Blu-ray Region No Region Some Blu-ray discs require that a player region be explicitly set. Only change the value from 'No Region' if you encounter a disc which fails to play citing a region mismatch. Available values:
  • No Region
  • Region A: The Americas, Southeast Asia, Japan
  • Region B: Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania
  • Region C: Eastern Europe, Central and South Asia
Enable Alternate Player Not Checked The following item only appears if this box is checked.
Alternate Player Internal If for some reason the default player doesn't play a video, you can play it in an alternate player by selecting 'Play in Alternate Player'.

Metadata Settings

Grabber Setup and display preferences
(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings->Metadata Settings)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Perform metadata update after video scan Checked If set, every time a scan for new videos is performed, a mass metadata update of the collection will also occur.
Display unknown file types Not Checked If set, all files below the MythVideo directory will be displayed unless their extension is explicitly set to be ignored.
Enable metadata in file browse mode Checked If set along with Browse Files, this will cause the Video List to load any known video metadata from the database. Turning this off can greatly speed up how long it takes to load the Video List tree.
Enable Random Trailer Playback Not Checked If set, this will enable a button called "Watch With Trailers" which will play a user-specified number of trailers before the movie.
(Unlabeled) Number of Trailers 0 Number of trailers to play before a film. Only displays if above checkbox is checked.

File Types

Associate new file extensions
(Setup->Media Settings->Videos Settings->File Types)

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Extension Select a file extension from this list to modify or delete its settings. Currently known extensions are:

3gp, asf, avi, divx, evo, f4v, flv, img, iso, log, m2ts, m4v, mkv, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpg, mxf, nut, nuv, ogg, ogm, ogv, qt, rm, swf, ts, txt, vob, wmv,

Command Internal The command to use when playing this kind of file. To use MythTV's Internal player, use "Internal" as the player. For all other players, you can use %s to substitute the filename.
Use default player (Checked for some) When checked, this will cause the global player settings to override this one.
Ignore (Checked for some) When checked, this will cause the file extension to be ignored in scans of your library.
New (button) Create a new file extension. Create settings for a file extension not yet in the list.
Delete (button) Delete this file extension. Delete settings for a file extension in the list.
Done (button) Save and exit this screen.


Images Settings

Configure display of image gallery
(Setup->Media Settings->Images Settings)

This is only visible if the mythgallery plugin is installed.

Game Settings

Configure playback of games
(Setup->Media Settings->Game Settings)

This is only visible if the mythgame plugin is installed.

Archive Files Settings

Configure how to archive video to DVD
(Setup->Media Settings->Archive Files Settings)

This is only visible if the mytharchive plugin is installed.

MythStream Settings


(Setup->Media Settings->MythStream Settings)

This is only visible if the mythstream plugin is installed.

System Event Handlers

Configure System Event handler commands
(Setup->System Event Handlers)

This is the same setup page that is available in the MythTV backend setup. For a description see MythTV System Events.

Edit Keys

Change MythTV key bindings
(Setup->Edit Keys)

Here you can dynamically change the key combinations used for controlling the frontend. Changes made here apply to this frontend only and are effective immediately. If you have a remote control that emulates a keyboard and some buttons do not work correctly you can reassign them here. See Keybindings for a list of keys and their default assignments.

Artwork and Data Sources

Configure sources of artwork and metadata
(Setup->Artwork and Data Sources)

Most of the values are are already set and cannot be changed. Only 1 check box is available for changing.

Setting Default Value Settings Page's Description Additional Comments
Movie Metadata Source TheMovieDB.org V3 Movie Select a source to use when searching for information and artwork about movies. There are no other selections available. You cannot change the value.
Television Metadata Source TheTVDB.com Select a source to use when searching for information and artwork about television. TheTVDB.com is changing to a new API and a subscription model in March 2021. It will no longer function in MythTV. Select either "TheMovieDB.org V3 Movie" or "TVmaze.com". You can decide which suits you better by trying those sites to see which has better information on the shows you watch.
Game Metadata Source (blank) Select a source to use when searching for information and artwork about video games. There are no selections available. You cannot set a value.
Perform daily updates of recording artwork Not Checked If set, the backend will attempt to perform artwork updates for recordings daily. When new seasons begin to record, this will attempt to provide you with fresh, relevant artwork while preserving the artwork assigned to old recordings.

Screen Setup Wizards

Compensate for TVs with overscan
(Setup->Screen Setup Wizards)

This provides a dynamic and visible way of moving and sizing the screen layout so that it is all visible. This should only be necessary for analog televisions. Digital televisions typically have a setting in the TV set to eliminate overscan if required.

This page provides a visible method for adjusting the GUI size and offset. These can also be set in #Theme / Screen Settings under Setup->Appearance.

This wizard does not work well, and I recommend that you use #Theme / Screen Settings.