[mythtv-users] Using Macs as Front/Back-End

[Ivan Kowalenko]

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On Aug 25, 2006, at 10.53, Taylan Pince wrote:

> That sounds promising. I did some research about the Plextor PX- 
> TV402U-NA ConvertX, it seems like it could do the job for both  
> handling the cable tv signal and encoding the stream (expensive  
> though, $225 CAD here).

Well, it DOES have an MPEG-4 encoding chip in there ;) That might  
inflate the price a little.

> I might buy this and the solo core mac mini to prepare a test setup.
>
> Anyone have good resources for installing Ubuntu + MythTV on the  
> new intel macs? I have experience with Yellow Dog Linux on older  
> PowerPC's, but not sure about the new ones and Ubuntu. I would also  
> like to keep Mac OS X on the machine in case I need it.

You know, this is just a back-end, right? It's not doing anything  
front-end? Just go out and get some el-cheap-o x86 box and use a  
PVR-150/500 ($100 for the 150). Just make sure it has at least a  
Celeron 600, and no less than 256 MB of RAM. Then spend the rest of  
your money on your front-end and on storage.

As far as keeping OS X, theoretically, you should be able to dual-boot.

Oh, please don't top-post.

>
> Thanks again.
>
> Cheers,
> Taylan Pince
> ---------------------------------
> taylan at taylanpince.com
> http://taylanpince.com
>
>
> On 25-Aug-06, at 11:26 AM, Ivan Kowalenko wrote:
>
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>> On Aug 25, 2006, at 07.37, Taylan Pince wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I know there is a separate thread about using mac mini for front-
>>> end, but how about back-end? I have a G5 1.8 that I am currently
>>> using, and I am thinking about buying an intel mac mini to install
>>> Ubuntu on and create a MythTV back-end, which I would connect to
>>> using my G5.
>>
>> I don't think it would be possible to use one of the new Intel Minis
>> as a back-end, because there aren't any PCI slots into which you
>> could install a card. If you're running Linux, though, and you're
>> using a USB capture device, it's theoretically possible to do this,
>> though.
>>
>>> I have no big ambitions like HD, I just want something to record
>>> shows and experiment with, but I am not sure if mini can handle the
>>> load.
>>
>> Well, if there was an open PCI slot, any Mini could capture HD, it's
>> not like there's a lot of processing power involved in writing a
>> stream to disk. Anyway, my current back-end is a Celeron 600 with a
>> PVR-150. Theoretically, it could encode MPEG-4 in real-time (I had a
>> P3 500 that could). Even if you had a Core Solo Mini, it should be
>> able to beat the pants off of my back-end.
>>
>>> Another question is, how would I hook the mini up to the cable tv
>>> if I were to create this setup?
>>
>> You'd need a capture card. This is where things get tricky. Most
>> capture cards are PCI-based. However, given the size and design of
>> the Mini, a PCI card is right out. Not an option. This leaves us with
>> FireWire and USB options. As far as I'm aware, the only USB capture
>> device supported by MythTV is the Plextor ContertX (I think that's
>> it) which has the capability of doing hardware MPEG-4 (which means
>> it'll put next to no strain on your CPU). FireWire is good enough for
>> HD, but I don't know of any analog cable tuners for FireWire. Good
>> luck on this one.
>>
>>> Thanks to everyone for their help.
>>
>> Hey, that's what the community is for.
>>
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