Difference between revisions of "User Manual:Introduction"

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Sometime back in 2002 (before May 15th, which is his first website news posting), Isaac Richards decided he wanted something more from his television.
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{{User Manual TOC}}
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{{UpToDate 0.27}}
 +
 
 +
==History of MythTV==
 +
Early in 2002 Isaac Richards wanted more from his television and thought it might be fun to try to build a replacement for his AT&T broadband cable box.
  
 
He says:
 
He says:
  
:I got tired of the rather low quality cable box that AT&T Broadband provides with their digital cable service. It's slow to change channels, ridden with ads, and the program guide is a joke. So, I figured it'd be fun to try and build a replacement. Yes, I could have just bought a [http://www.tivo.com TiVo], but I wanted to have more than just a PVR -- I want a webbrowser built in, a mail client, maybe some games. Basically, I want the mythical convergence box that's been talked about for a few years now.
+
:I could have just bought a [http://www.tivo.com TiVo], but I wanted to have more than just a PVR -- I want a webbrowser built in, a mail client, maybe some games. Basically, I want the mythical convergence box that's been talked about for a few years now.
 +
 
 +
In late April 2002, he started tinkering, installing a cheap Best Buy TV tuner card in his (P3-550) desktop box. He settled on the [[NuppelVideo]] video encoder on a quality/CPU load basis.  It's based on a modified [[RTjpeg]] codec.
 +
 
 +
Because the P3-550 couldn't encode and decode simultaneously, he bought an Athlon XP 1800+ and an Abit NV7-133R motherboard, and put it into a nice black case.  And the rest is history!
 +
 
 +
:See the news [http://www.mythtv.org/news MythTV News Archive] for what's happened since.
 +
 
 +
==What is MythTV?==
 +
 
 +
MythTV is a collection of software that provides digital video recording functions (PVR or DVR--personal, or digital, video recorder) — a computerized VCR, similar to a TiVo or a Replay.  It runs under the [http://www.linux.org Linux] operating system.  Since it's [http://www.opensource.org open source software], if you don't like the way it does something, you can always change it — that's how much of its current functionality came about in the first place.
 +
 
 +
With MythTV, recordings can be scheduled from a listing service to record all episodes of a program, or they can be manually scheduled based on day and time. MythTV keeps track of previously recorded episodes, so that it can catch up on missed episodes without re-recoding ones already seen.
 +
 
 +
MythTV allows watching of live TV together with the ability to pause, rewind, fast forward.
 +
 
 +
MythTV also has built in the ability to play videos from the file system, from a server, or DVDs. It can also play video DVDs. Most types of video are supported, but not DRM protected content. Encrypted DVDs can be played if you install libdvdread4 (available separately).
 +
 
 +
In addition to the basic PVR functions of recording and playing back scheduled programs and allowing you to schedule recordings automatically in advance, MythTV has a plugin system that permits it to be extended by other programmers. Plugins currently exist for viewing photos, listening to music files, using your TV and a web camera as a video-telephone over the Internet, browsing the web, retrieving current local weather, and many other functions.
 +
 
 +
There are two types of plugin for MythTV, [[:Category:Plugins|official]], and [[Unofficial Plugins]].
 +
 
 +
==Current Version==
  
:So, in late April 2002, I started tinkering with stuff. I bought a cheap TV tuner card from [[Best Buy]], and threw it into my desktop box (P3-550). I started playing around with different video encoders, and eventually decided that [[Nuppel Video]] provided the best quality video for the amount of CPU it took up. It's based on a modified RTjpeg codec, and it looks rather nice, in my opinion.
+
As of March 2014, MythTV is in release version. The current release is {{CurrentRelease}}. Features planned for an upcoming release, or are currently available in the unstable/development version are listed at [[Under Development]]. New features in the current release can be found at [[Release Notes]]
  
:Unfortunately, the poor P3-550 really couldn't encode and decode video at the same time. So, I took the plunge and bought a better machine -- an Athlon XP 1800+. I based the machine off of an Abit NV7-133R motherboard, and put it into a nice black case.
+
==I Want My MythTV!==
  
:See the news [http://www.mythtv.org updates/archives] for what's happened since.
+
MythTV isn't (yet) for everyone; it's still somewhat high-maintenance.  While some companies sell pre-configured MythTV [[Commercial MythTV System|boxes]] that are probably stable enough to toss on the living room shelf and hand the remote to your kids, if you're building one yourself (or having someone build one for you), the process may be more complicated — this is the price you pay for power and flexibility.
  
As we expand this manual, some of the more technical bits in that explanation will likely turn into hotlinks, but in the meantime, read on, Mac Duff.
+
If you want to build yourself a MythTV box (there isn't really a great way to use MythTV unambiguously as a noun; that's my compromise), you can build it from your scrap box, or buy new components.
  
== What is MythTV? ==
+
Which of those two choices you'll make depends a lot on how much money (and what parts) you've got lying around and on how much work you want to do. If you choose each part specifically for the task you will likely spend a little more money and have a lot less hassle.
  
MythTV is a collection of software which runs under the [http://www.linux.org Linux] operating system, and provides the functions commonly known as a PVR or DVR (personal, or digital, video recorder) -- essentially, it's a computerized VCR, similar to a TiVo or a Replay... but since it's open source [http://www.opensource.org software], if you don't like the way it does something, you can always change it -- that's how much of it's current functionality came about in the first place.
+
If you are unsure about committing to MythTV you can start off slowly and build up from there. Even with outdated or low end equipment, with most broadcasts being digital these days, MythTV is feasible.
  
In addition to the basic PVR functions of recording and playing back scheduled programs and allowing you to schedule recordings automatically in advance, MythTV has a plugin system which permits it to be extended by other programmers; plugins currently exist for playing external video, viewing photos and listening to music files, using your TV and a web camera as a videotelephone over the Internet, browsing the web, retrieving current local weather, and many other functions.
+
== MythTV Configurations ==
  
== Current Version ==
+
A MythTV system can be configured in many ways--limited only by your imagination and your credit rating.
  
As of late 2005, MythTV is in release version [[0.18]]; this is probably a late-beta to gamma quality release despite it's low version number (a common characteristic of [[Open Source Software]] projects).  Features planned for an upcoming release, and available in the current CVS for the brave, are listed at [[Under Development]]. New features in the current release can be found at [[Whats New]]
+
There are two main logical elements in a MythTV system:
 +
* The backend contains the TV capture cards, and stores the recorded video. A typical system will contain at least one backend
 +
* The frontend is connected to your TV screen and lets you watch LiveTV and recorded shows. It gets its data from the backend. Of course you can just as easily watch on a computer monitor and speakers, or a laptop computer.
  
= I Want My MythTV! =
+
The simplest configuration, puts both frontend and backend in the same physical box.
  
MythTV isn't (yet) for everyoneWhile it's likely that at some point, you'll be able to treat it as an appliance, requiring no special care or maintenance, that day hasn't entirely arrived yet.  There are companies selling pre-configured MythTV [http://www.vyond.com boxes], and those units likely are stable enough to toss on the living room shelf and hand the remote to your kids, but if you're building one yourself (or having someone build one for you), then things may be just a touch more complicated -- this is the price you pay for power and flexibility.
+
An advanced setup might separate backend and frontend hardwareFor example, a high power backend system might employ multiple TV capture cards, detect commercials, run transcode jobs, etc., and hide in a closet, while one or several frontends can run on low power diskless and silent systems in each room where you want to watch TV. Nice, eh? You can deploy as many backends and frontends as you need, so let your imagination run free and tell us about your setups in this Wiki.
  
If you want to build yourself a MythTV box (there isn't really a great way to use MythTV unambiguously as a noun; that's my compromise), then there are two approaches you can take:
+
Some people take the opposite approach and actually install MythTV backends on very low power systems such as [[Myth_On_NSLU2|Linksys NSLU2]] units, which are appropriate to record IPTV, for example, as long as they are connected to large disks for video storage.
  
* Build it out of all those pieces you've got laying around.
+
In any case, the key points for each element are:
* Buy all the pieces from scratch.
 
  
Which of those two choices you'll make depends a lot on how much money (and what parts) you've got laying around, and on how much work you want to do -- if you choose each part specifically for the task, you will likely spend a little more money, and have a lot less hassle.
+
* Backend: large disk capacity, big horsepower if you want to run transcode jobs or commercial detection
 +
* Frontend: good graphics card, compatible with the screen you want to use, and just fast enough to display the most demanding type of video you're planning to use.
  
[http://baylink.pitas.com I] built a [[Myth Box]] for my [http://www.bakulanews.com sister], and since she is the ultimate couch potato (the machine's name is, actually, 'potato' :-), and she's a hardcore taper (want a copy of a TV episode from 1989?  She might have the entire series), the machine has to be a production-quality unit.
+
A combined backend/frontend system can run with good performance on low end equipment.
  
For us, this indicated "buy all the parts new", and, since she was planning to have more than one tuner card (between 3 and 5, actually), it indicated "use hardware-MPEG tuners" as well.  We'll get into those discussions in an appendix, since this manual is mostly aimed at the person with an operational [[Myth Box]] in front of them; if you haven't built one yet; check that section out -- I'll be including links to useful information for making that decision.
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===Basic Configuration===
  
= Basic Configuration =
+
A Basic Configuration for a [[Myth Box]] is this:
  
In the course of this manual, we will often have reason to refer to a Basic Configuration... mostly to point out something that can't be done unless you have more than that. :-)
+
*A [[Linux Distros|Linux]] Distribution
 +
*A VGA card supported by Linux.
 +
*512MB (preferably 1GB) or more of RAM
 +
*A CPU that meets your needs:
 +
**Almost any CPU made since 2005 will suffice if you are recording digital TV or using hardware assisted encoding.
 +
*One [[tuner card]] (also known as a "video capture card") of some flavor appropriate to the TV services you have available at your location, supported by Linux or MythTV
 +
*At least 60GB of hard disk space, most of which can be used for storing recordings.
  
My idea of a Basic Configuration for a [[Myth Box]] is this:
+
With one tuner you can record and watch recordings at the same time, or watch live TV with that ability to pause live TV
  
* First you need a [[Linux Distros|Linux]] Distribution
+
===Expanded Configuration===
* A VGA card supporting with optional TV-out
 
* 256MB (preferably 512) or more of RAM,
 
* At least a 1500MHz CPU (for non-hardware-MPEG [[[[Tuner Card]]]]s) or,
 
* At least a 800MHz CPU (for hardware-MPEG [[[[Tuner Card]]]]s),
 
* One [[Tuner Card]] of some flavor appropriate to the TV services you have available at your location,
 
* At least 60GB of hard disk space, most of which can be used for storing recordings.
 
  
This is a basic system, which will let you do [[Scheduled Recording]] and [[Watch Live]], though not at the same time.
+
With money and motivation, you can expand your system:
  
= Expanded Configuration =
+
*Add more [[video capture card]] inputs.
 +
*Add more storage. Hard disk prices are coming down all the time.
 +
*Add additional [[Mythfrontend|Front End]] machines to serve more TVs.
 +
*Add additional [[User_Manual:Detailed_configuration_Backend|Back End]] machines to add even more [[video capture card]]s or storage and to offload the processes of [[Commercial Detection]] and [[Transcoding]] from the machines doing the recording.
 +
*There is growing list of [[Unofficial Plugins]] to expand the capability of your MythBox.
  
As you have money and motivation, you can expand your system in many ways.
+
For more information on hardware configurations refer to [[:Category:Hardware Setup | Hardware Setup]].
  
* You can add more [[Tuner Card]] inputs.
+
[[Category:Introduction|1300]]
* You can add more storage (some people, like our esteemed Wikimaster [[David Greaves]], have a terabyte of spinning storage).
 
* You can add more [[Front End]] machines, to serve additional television sets.
 
* You can add additional [[Back End]] machines, to add even more [[Tuner Cards]] or storage, and to unload the processes of [[Commercial Recognition]] and [[Trans Coding]] from the machines doing the recording.
 

Revision as of 16:59, 21 September 2015

Software-update-available.png This page is up-to-date as of MythTV version 0.27.6, the current release is 34.0

History of MythTV

Early in 2002 Isaac Richards wanted more from his television and thought it might be fun to try to build a replacement for his AT&T broadband cable box.

He says:

I could have just bought a TiVo, but I wanted to have more than just a PVR -- I want a webbrowser built in, a mail client, maybe some games. Basically, I want the mythical convergence box that's been talked about for a few years now.

In late April 2002, he started tinkering, installing a cheap Best Buy TV tuner card in his (P3-550) desktop box. He settled on the NuppelVideo video encoder on a quality/CPU load basis. It's based on a modified RTjpeg codec.

Because the P3-550 couldn't encode and decode simultaneously, he bought an Athlon XP 1800+ and an Abit NV7-133R motherboard, and put it into a nice black case. And the rest is history!

See the news MythTV News Archive for what's happened since.

What is MythTV?

MythTV is a collection of software that provides digital video recording functions (PVR or DVR--personal, or digital, video recorder) — a computerized VCR, similar to a TiVo or a Replay. It runs under the Linux operating system. Since it's open source software, if you don't like the way it does something, you can always change it — that's how much of its current functionality came about in the first place.

With MythTV, recordings can be scheduled from a listing service to record all episodes of a program, or they can be manually scheduled based on day and time. MythTV keeps track of previously recorded episodes, so that it can catch up on missed episodes without re-recoding ones already seen.

MythTV allows watching of live TV together with the ability to pause, rewind, fast forward.

MythTV also has built in the ability to play videos from the file system, from a server, or DVDs. It can also play video DVDs. Most types of video are supported, but not DRM protected content. Encrypted DVDs can be played if you install libdvdread4 (available separately).

In addition to the basic PVR functions of recording and playing back scheduled programs and allowing you to schedule recordings automatically in advance, MythTV has a plugin system that permits it to be extended by other programmers. Plugins currently exist for viewing photos, listening to music files, using your TV and a web camera as a video-telephone over the Internet, browsing the web, retrieving current local weather, and many other functions.

There are two types of plugin for MythTV, official, and Unofficial Plugins.

Current Version

As of March 2014, MythTV is in release version. The current release is 34.0. Features planned for an upcoming release, or are currently available in the unstable/development version are listed at Under Development. New features in the current release can be found at Release Notes

I Want My MythTV!

MythTV isn't (yet) for everyone; it's still somewhat high-maintenance. While some companies sell pre-configured MythTV boxes that are probably stable enough to toss on the living room shelf and hand the remote to your kids, if you're building one yourself (or having someone build one for you), the process may be more complicated — this is the price you pay for power and flexibility.

If you want to build yourself a MythTV box (there isn't really a great way to use MythTV unambiguously as a noun; that's my compromise), you can build it from your scrap box, or buy new components.

Which of those two choices you'll make depends a lot on how much money (and what parts) you've got lying around and on how much work you want to do. If you choose each part specifically for the task you will likely spend a little more money and have a lot less hassle.

If you are unsure about committing to MythTV you can start off slowly and build up from there. Even with outdated or low end equipment, with most broadcasts being digital these days, MythTV is feasible.

MythTV Configurations

A MythTV system can be configured in many ways--limited only by your imagination and your credit rating.

There are two main logical elements in a MythTV system:

  • The backend contains the TV capture cards, and stores the recorded video. A typical system will contain at least one backend
  • The frontend is connected to your TV screen and lets you watch LiveTV and recorded shows. It gets its data from the backend. Of course you can just as easily watch on a computer monitor and speakers, or a laptop computer.

The simplest configuration, puts both frontend and backend in the same physical box.

An advanced setup might separate backend and frontend hardware. For example, a high power backend system might employ multiple TV capture cards, detect commercials, run transcode jobs, etc., and hide in a closet, while one or several frontends can run on low power diskless and silent systems in each room where you want to watch TV. Nice, eh? You can deploy as many backends and frontends as you need, so let your imagination run free and tell us about your setups in this Wiki.

Some people take the opposite approach and actually install MythTV backends on very low power systems such as Linksys NSLU2 units, which are appropriate to record IPTV, for example, as long as they are connected to large disks for video storage.

In any case, the key points for each element are:

  • Backend: large disk capacity, big horsepower if you want to run transcode jobs or commercial detection
  • Frontend: good graphics card, compatible with the screen you want to use, and just fast enough to display the most demanding type of video you're planning to use.

A combined backend/frontend system can run with good performance on low end equipment.

Basic Configuration

A Basic Configuration for a Myth Box is this:

  • A Linux Distribution
  • A VGA card supported by Linux.
  • 512MB (preferably 1GB) or more of RAM
  • A CPU that meets your needs:
    • Almost any CPU made since 2005 will suffice if you are recording digital TV or using hardware assisted encoding.
  • One tuner card (also known as a "video capture card") of some flavor appropriate to the TV services you have available at your location, supported by Linux or MythTV
  • At least 60GB of hard disk space, most of which can be used for storing recordings.

With one tuner you can record and watch recordings at the same time, or watch live TV with that ability to pause live TV

Expanded Configuration

With money and motivation, you can expand your system:

For more information on hardware configurations refer to Hardware Setup.