PLUG-discuss Digest, Vol 14, Issue 65

[Michael March]

Holy cripe.. that's a lot of tuners..

:)

For HD.. do you just pick up 'over the air' content?

Do you have your setup configured so you can 'rip' content to DVD too?

> > Ok.. I am dumping my DirecTivo and going with a MythTV box..
> >
> > I'll be running Cox cable.. what are you guys / gals doing for your
> > MythTV box here in Phx?
> >
> > thanks!
> >
>
> My backend server runs on a A7N8X deluxe 2600+ with 1 gig. It has a
> PVR-350, PVR-500 and a HD-3000 in it. (so 3 SD and 1 HD tuners) It runs
> sarge primarily with a 2.6.16 kernel I compiled just for it. The backend
> and all of its dependencies like ffmpeg and trancode are compiled from
> source and I haven't used any debs outside of the standard repo's.
>
> My main frontend is just some dumpy computer with a 2600+ on an ECS
> motherboard in a HTPC case I got at frys. (silverstone something or
> other) You can really use anything for the frontends as long as your
> TV-OUT method is do-able under linux. But both of my frontends are just
> sarge with the packages from debian-multimedia repositories. 1 is
> wireless and the other is wired. Then both of the regular desktops can
> be used as frontends too.
>
> If you want HD playback you really need about a 2.6ghz or better to
> achieve it. XvMC is too unstable for my tastes so if you ask me, i'd say
> write that whole idea off and just get the power if to play HD if you go
> that route. If your looking for just SD playback on say a
> PVR-150/250/350/500, you can get a really crappy computer to work just
> fine with that even in a frontend/backend configuration. One of my
> friends at work liked mythtv so he did it himself with a PVR-500 on a
> 700mhz computer with a nvidia 5200 with tv-out. He says its a little
> painful when commercial flagging is enabled and trying to watch tv at
> the same time, but it works. Me I don't really notice anything when its
> commercial flagging on the 2600+. I only start noticing when It
> transcoding the shows for the podcasts to my ipod or transcoding a show
> its burning to DVD. I don't know if that gives you any indication of the
> speed you need.
>
> You'll probably be interested in remotes. I have 3. an ATI Remote Wonder
> which is RF. (don't get this one, its easy to setup but sort of painful
> to use) the hauppage grey remote which is IR and runs from i2c on the
> PVR-350. (this one is nice but the jack on the back of the card is loose
> for most people) and an serial ira3 I use with a universal remote I got
> from frys. The ira3 is nice and works extremely well with my hauppauge
> remote, but the philips remote I got for it kind of sucks. But I could
> always just go get a better remote which is the nice thing. It just
> takes a little time to map out all of the keys and bind them to
> myth/xine/mplayer/etc