[mythtv] Dumb Question time

[Mike Payson]

On Thursday 26 December 2002 09:37 pm, Anil Gupte wrote:
> So, I am a dumb newbie who wants to get started on my little PVR project.
> But I was thinking, why buy a PC, install video card, mess with
> drivers/interrupts/libraries, etc...?  From what I understand, Tivo uses a
> form of Linux, why not start there?  If I bought a Tivo and even completely
> removed the OS and replaced it with Debian or something like it, I would
> have the beginnings of a PVR.  Of course, I would need some way to talk to
> the encoder chip and so on, but I am presuming the manufacturer could
> provide libraries or something to make that easier to do.  I realize that
> possibly obviates the need for something like MythTV, but hey, I said "Dumb
> Question Time" did I not? :-)
>
> Anyone want to laugh at this in detail?

Tivo doesn't make any money on their hardware. Instead, they make their money 
on the $13/month they charge for their service. Because of this, they will 
absolutely not assist you in using their boxes for anything other then their 
service. They have been quietly supportive of the Tivo Hacking community as 
long as it sticks to things such as upgrading hard drives. Try to go beyond 
that, & at the very least, don't expect your Tivo to work with the Tivo 
service again. Also, don't expect any assistance from the Tivo hacking 
community, since they are very careful to maintain the relationship.

Tivo makes a great product, and from a ease standpoint, going with something 
like MythTV is pretty silly, and will be for quite some time. Even from a 
budget standpoint a Tivo may be a better deal if you don't already have the 
PC (depending on the value you place on your time). 

On the other hand, MythTV can offer things that Tivo can't-- multiple tuners, 
the ability to save shows to DVD or CD... It all depends on what you are 
looking for, I guess.


-- 
Mike Payson  |  DawgDayz Dog Walking & Pet Sitting
(206) 280-7295 | www.dawgdayz.com | mpayson@dawgdayz.com