[mythtv-users] Gee, I THOUGHT I was a linux fan.

Bob Weber rjweber at ieee.org
Tue Aug 16 02:03:30 UTC 2005


Getting a clean mythtv install working is not trivial, usually. The biggest 
problem is usually the video cards. Be prepared to spend some time searching 
the archives, and wallk through the myth documentation. Also ...

On Monday 15 August 2005 07:42 am, Richard Bronosky wrote:
> Apparently, I've hardly ever used Linux.  I once built a few servers
> running RedHat 7.2, and I use various versions of Unix at my job.
> (HPUX, FreeBSD, Mac OS X)  But, when it came down to setting up my
> MythTV box this weekend, I failed big time.  I chose KnoppMyth for it's
> illusion of simplicity, but was made to feel like a complete idiot.
> Even worse1.  After the initial install, I noticed it said it was testing
> DHCP.  I knew this was bad, because my router was set to do MAC address
> filtering.  I modified my router config to be wide open.  (Scary, but I
> was shooting for minimum points of failure.)  I could not figure out how
> to get the thing to retest the network config.  Yes I even tried
> mythtv-setup, but it actually starts at the step right after the net
> config.  So, I eventually gave up and reinstalled from scratch.  What
> would have been the proper thing to do?

Can you not just add your MAC address to your router? /sbin/ifconfig should 
give you that info, assuming you have the enet driver loaded or built into 
the kernel.
>
> 2.  I now have my network working.  (I know because I used a text based
> browser to hit Yahoo.com.)  But, I cannot get the DataDirect "Retrieve
> Listings" button to do anything.  (I get a new box to popup with no text
> and a half complete progress bar.  A second later it is gone.)  Yes, I
> did setup an account on labs.Zap2It.com, and add "Comcast-Dallas (for
> 30134)" (BTW, that's Georgia) to my "Current lineups".  What am I doing
> wrong here?  Is there a log file somewhere I can check?
>
Yes, in /var/log/mythtv, unless you changed the default settings.

> 3.  I did setup my PVR-500 as 2 cards, /dev/video0 tuner0 & /dev/video1
> tuner0, and associate my "Comcast Cable" source to each.  But when I go
> to Watch Live TV, I get a black screen.  I know I'm not locked up
> because I can Crtl+Alt+F1-F6 to get to other tty's.  But to get that
> session (tty7) back I must reboot.  What am I doing wrong here?  Is
> there a log I can check?

First verify you can use the cards normally. Try
> mplayer /dev/video0
to see if you get anything. You can change channels with ptune.
>
> 4. I tried watching a DVD from my NEC 16xDL-DVD-RW but the Xine screen
> flashes for a second and then I'm back to the MythTV GUI.  I tried
> ripping a DVD but it keeps telling me there are no jobs.  What am I
> doing wrong here?  Is there a log I can check?
>
Did you try watching the DVD with xine alone? Save mythtv for last. Check the 
small things first.

> 5.  I did get the weather setup and working.  And I added Yahoo.com to
> my bookmarks.  However I cannot figure out how to type in the search field.
>
> I know this would be a long learning experience, but I didn't expect to
> feel like an idiot.  I guess know I know how my wife feels when I'm
> trying to teach her something that I think is very simple.
>
Feeling like an idiot just means there's lots of good stuff to figure out. 
Have a beer, take a break, and come back when you're ready. :-)

> Feel free to to kick, troll, and insult me, but please offer assistance
> too.


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