[mythtv-users] New MythTV Hardware Review

Doug Heimburger dheimbur at gmail.com
Sun Dec 5 02:32:52 UTC 2004


All:

So, I've decided to take the plunge and replace my ReplayTV 3000 unit
(dialup) with a new MythTV setup. Key on my decision criteria were the
ability to stream video to any Mac or UNIX machine in the house and
the increased flexibility of the networked Myth setup.

I spent most of the weekend reviewing threads that already exist, but
I wanted to drop out a quick note with what I'm considering and
hopefully get some feedback.

A few considerations that I have to take into account:
 a) We have a very high quality analog cable drop at our primary TV,
and lower quality drops where the backend will be
 b) Noise is a high consideration at the TV, but not a consideration
where the backend is
 c) I want high-quality TV output on the primary TV, I am not
planning on gaming at it
 d) Our largest TV is currently a 27", and we don't plan to go HD in
the next year at least

Based upon these, here is my current plan:

FRONTEND/BACKEND (for TV):
 Cooler Master ATC-620 case
 Chaintech 7NIF2 motherboard
 Seasonic 300W power supply
 AMD Sempron 2200 or 2400
 Zalman CNPS5100 cooler
 256MB RAM
 Hauppauge PVR-350

MASTER BACKEND:
 Existing case
 Existing Athlon 1000 system with 256 MB RAM
 Existing 60 GB HD (base, swap)
 New 200 GB HD (video)
 DVD-RW (for archives)
 Hauppauge PVR-250

Questions that I have on my setup:
 a) Should I be considering an EPIA motherboard for the frontend
instead? Or any other smaller systems? I like the look and the
flexibility of the Cooler Master, but am willing to consider other
machines.
 b) I am currently planning to netboot the frontend and run ethernet
between the systems (to start, may try 802.11g at some point). Is this
feasible with a PVR-350 front/backend on the main machine
 c) Is my main frontend system high-powered enough?
 d) Any other items I should consider

I appreciate any feedback and will definitely share any issues I
encounter at the end of this install. I've already installed Knoppmyth
on the backend with the PVR-350 (already in hand) to test things out,
and like what I've seen.

Thanks.
Doug


More information about the mythtv-users mailing list