[mythtv-users] Building A MythTV Box

[Cecil Watson]

Hello,

Galen wrote:

>
>
> For the basic equipment, I need a basic but solid PC. I do not have 
> one that will suffice, nor do I have much equipment that would be used 
> within one, so I will be purchasing nearly everything. For HDTV, I 
> think we're talking about a 3 GHz P4 processor. What AMD processor 
> would be equivalent? What would be the advantages/disadvantages to 
> more or less CPU? Are there specific motherboard options highly 
> recommended? How much RAM is suitable/optimal - 256 MB? 512 MB? Cost 
> is very important to me, but not the only factor.
>
While I'm a huge AMD fan, stick with the Intel (for HDTV).  I'd 
recommend 512 Megabtes of RAM.

> I'm not a noise-nazi, but keeping this system reasonably quiet and on 
> the more compact end of things would be preferable, if there are any 
> reasonable yet inexpensive choices I can make in selecting the 
> equipment, practical advice would be welcome.
>
Search the archives (http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/).

> I obviously also need an HDTV tuner card. It appears my options are 
> the pcHDTV 3000 and the Air2PC-ATSC-PCI. The prices and features 
> appear to be quite similar. Can anybody describe any differences 
> between the two? Any significant difference in RF performance? 
> Compatibility? MythTV support?
>
Search the archives.  Both are equally supported.

> Regarding storage devices, it seems any modern hard drive should be 
> able to handle HDTV raw streams (20 Mb/s) without too much trouble, 
> and I will only have one tuner. Even my little 2.5" 60 GB 4200 RM 
> laptop hard drive can handle it. Clearly, the limiting factor will be 
> capacity, not performance, it seems. I have been pondering producing a 
> RAID (probably software-based, RAID5 if possible) on here and perhaps 
> using this machine for some light home file server functions. Anybody 
> have experience with RAIDs and MythTV?
>
LVM, but not RAID.  Again, search the archives.

> Once the content is tuned in and everything, I need to output it. For 
> the video card, my understanding is that NVidia may be preferable 
> because of better hardware acceleration under Linux. I am looking to 
> run HDTV, and that is all, so other performance is unimportant. I need 
> good analog out (s-video), and of course VGA. If possible DVI would be 
> preferable if not too costly, so I could run pure digital to 
> DVI-equipped projectors, displays, and HDTVs. (At HDTV resolutions, 
> VGA has noticeable blurring) Can anybody suggest some cards that would 
> offer solid performance and value? What would be my best options for 
> sound output? I do not currently need more than simple stereo 
> RCA-style output, but if multiple channel support can be incorporated 
> into the system for not too much more, I would love to include it. 
> What sound cards would be best for Linux compatibility, good value, 
> and reasonable quality? Should I even think about using built-in 
> (motherboard) audio out?
>
Geforce 5200.  Depending on the motherboard you get, it's onboard sound 
should be more than adequate.

> So once I get all this stuff hooked up physically, it's time for 
> software. First and obviously, I'm talking about using MythTV. I am 
> guessing that running MythTV on top of a Linux distro would be 
> preferable, as I will probably want to tweak lots of little things 
> over time and perhaps do tiny other tasks with the machine. Without 
> starting a holy war, what distro would be the simplest to setup and 
> use with MythTV? (Yes, I know I will probably get multiple and 
> conflicting opinions here!) I am aware of KnoppMyth, but I think I 
> would rather have a little more control over the system than that, and 
> I think I can manage to setup MythTV manually.
>
KnoppMyth gives you all the control you need.   You can install it, get 
then system up and running then do as you wish.  Remove the MythTV debs, 
install from source, apt-get update, apt-get install XZY, etc.

> I also will need some sort of remote control apparatus. I need to 
> further research this topic, but I would find it particularly 
> interesting if I could use my Treo 650 (bluetooth and IR equipped) to 
> control my system. I mean, if I already have the device, why not use 
> it as a remote? This is really a secondary topic, but I know it's 
> possible, so I'll get there.
>
http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/remotes.php or again search the forum.

> Looking forward to a few thoughts from people.... and thank you in 
> advance!
>
> -Galen 

Regards,

Cecil