[mythtv] Simplifying the instalation? (everyone wants that!)- ideas for thought

Mark Kundinger mkundinger at yahoo.com
Fri Sep 16 06:28:15 UTC 2005


In my experience (and mind you, virtually all of my Linux experience
has come from working on my mythbox), the really hard parts are the
hardware config.  Getting TV tuners, TV-out, remote control, and sound
all working and all working at the same time.  Oh, X-windows too.

Now, if you had a package that could configure most of those things
pretty well so they'd work... wouldn't you basically have a
distribution?

The initial mythtv setup process, from right after installing packages
(if you use yum or something), until you get the backend going, could
stand to be a little bit easier, (setting up the initial DB and
channels and whatnot).  It's a laudable goal, but it wouldn't fix the
area of difficulty that kicked my butt so hard.




--- Buzz <buzz at oska.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> > LIRC won't do any good on a backend.  LIRC is for controlling the
> frontend
> (i.e. for controlling 
> > the playback of recordings/execution of plugins).  The user doesn't
> interact with the backend--
> > instead he/she interacts with a frontend ("the" frontend
> (mythfrontend) or
> MythWeb or something), > which interacts with the backend.
> 
> LIRC won't do any good on a backend?   Um... What about all those
> LIRC
> controlled IR transmitters that send signals to the cable/satellite
> boxes
> plugged into the backend ?     Aren't they controlled through
> lircd(backend)
> talking to/from other lircd's(frontend/s) though the network?  
> 
> 
> > > What about a Wizard configuration tool?... (for common
> configurations)
> > That sounds a lot like the KnoppMyth installer to me... (
> http://www.mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html 
> 
> 
> Isn't KnoppMyth a "full distribution" though?  I thought there'd be a
> bunch
> of people out there who don't want the distribution, but DO want a
> simpler
> way to get it to work?    ...
> 
> Perhaps some of Knoppmyth scripts might do much of this already and
> could be
> tweaked for other non-knoppix situations but .....You know, a
> tool/script
> that ensures you meet the hardware/software requirements for the
> features
> that you desire, AND tests them.....  I'd envisage a piece of code
> looking
> something like:
> 
> ---------pseudocode---------------
> If ( user requested mater database ) then { make sure database is
> running,
> can connect, schema is up to date, is there channel data,  etc }
> If ( user requested backend ) then { can we find a tuner, can we tune
> it,
> can we receive feed from it,  can we integrate it ? , are permissions
> right,
> will backend start, any common error messages it gives?  etc }
> If ( user requested frontend ) then { is there a video-out? Can we
> connect
> an X-server to it?  Can we configure the X server?, is the database
> connection created, can we connect to it, are permissions right, will
> frontend start? etc }
> If ( we store recordings locally ) then { ask user where? Is it
> XFS/VFS/??
> Will we be sharing via NFS?  Setup NFS for the user? }
> If ( want to use a remote control ) then {  is lirc installed, is it
> running, do we get data from it, is it irw data we can understand? , 
> take
> user through lirc config/test loop , integrate into front/back end
> and test
> irxevent/irexec/etc }
> ...etc... For every possible fault/test case we can think of. ...etc
> ....
> 
> ---------pseudocode---------------
> 
> I think the important part of the tool/utility is where is fully
> TESTS the
> relevant configuration/s, and reports back to the user "successfully
> detected/configured component XXXXXXX, press NEXT to continue.."
> 
> Further comments? 
> 
> 
> Buzz.
> 
> 
> 
> > _______________________________________________
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> mythtv-dev at mythtv.org
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> 



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