[mythtv-users] Generic newbie questions

[PAUL WILLIAMSON]

Answers inline...

>>> gary at edisoninfo.com 11/11/2004 5:47:20 PM >>>
>I'm just foaming at the mouth wanting to get started on this project!
I 
>would like a little more 'basic' info tho. From a connection
viewpoint, 
>how does a MythTV box connect to your A/V system? I mean, I presume:
>-a coax from your cable/satallite/antenna goes into the PVR-250 card
>-the MythTV software grabs the signal and sends it to the hard drive
>-a cable from the video card (S-video) sends the video to the TV ??
>-sound is sent to the TV via what? a 5.1 sound card?

Myth connects in the way you can get a frontend to connect.
If you have a mobo or soundcard with digital out, then it connects 
via that.  You can even connect it via the stereo headphone 
jack to rca stereo r/l plugs if you so desire.

You have the basic idea about the path, but you can also 
watch TV, listen to music, watch prerecorded videos, etc.

>
>Questions:
>1. Does the MythTV box need a monitor?
>   a. If yes, does the monitor have to sit next to the TV?
>   b. What is on the monitor, the menus?

The backend doesn't really, but it sure is helpful when setting 
it up.  If you have a frontend/backend, you can use the TV 
as your monitor.  The monitor can also be a computer monitor 
and you can actually watch live TV on it.  The picture won't 
seem to be as good as on a regular TV, but it is certainly 
watchable.

>
>2. I have a 24U server rack in a back room. I see references of a 
>backend and a frontend box. Can the backend box be mounted in the
rack? 
>The cable coax would then go to the backend box to receive the signal?

>Then I would need a frontend box sitting beside the TV that would get

>the recorded shows from the backend box via the ethernet?  Hm, if the

>remote goes with the PVR-250 and that is in the server rack doing the

>recording, how does that work?

Cool.  I wish I had that much space.  The backend definitely can 
be mounted in the rack.  Yep, the coax goes in to the backend.  Yes, 
a frontend needs to be sitting near the TV.  You need to make your 
own custom IR receiver to connect to the frontend.  There are some 
solutions that are under development where there is an IR receiver 
integrated into an LCD panel that looks like it will fit into a 5-1/4"
drive 
bay opening.  The IR on the backeend has no effect on the frontend, 
unfortunately.  A simple IR receiver can be built from common parts 
for less that $5.00, and I think that's expensive.  I built one 
for about $3.00.  This is well documented in many other threads.

>	I'm not afraid of compiling kernels, etc. Been working with
linux for 5 
>years or more. I just want to make sure I understand the basics, 
>concepts, whatever the term is, on how this system is connected and
used.
>

Backend does all the recording and stores it all.  Frontend plays it 
all.  Having a really nice sound card on the backend doesn't 
do you a whole lot of good.  Having a PVR-250 on the frontend 
(without being a backend) would make a really expensive 
IR receiver, but quite wasteful other than that.

The PVR-250 has the added benefit of offloading almost all 
the CPU load to it.  I've seen something as low as an 800mhz 
box able to perform well as a backend. 

Good luck.  Lots of helpful people on the list.  Although I keep 
asking questions to which nobody knows the asnwer or I'm too 
stupid to realize they are as simple as I they actually are.

>TIA,
>- Gary