[mythtv] Dumb Question time

[Anil Gupte]

Not Tivo, Sony.

Is there any (other) manufacturer who makes a box that has a dedicated
encoder chip on it?

Anil Gupte
anilgupte@maxnetwork.com
Voice: 414/908-3700
Fax: 888/317-5485 (Toll Free)
324 East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 423
Milwaukee, WI 53202

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Payson" <mpayson@dawgdayz.com>
To: <mythtv-dev@snowman.net>
Sent: Friday, December 27, 2002 1:07 AM
Subject: Re: [mythtv] Dumb Question time


> 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
>
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