[mythtv-users] newbie questions

[Stephen Boddy]

On Saturday 15 July 2006 12:39, DW wrote:
> Just getting started off here w/ myth as a weekend project cuz it's too
> darn hot to go outside. Question: Is it possible to run mythtv off a
> laptop (frontend and backend?) I'm not interested in doing capturing at
> this time (maybe dvd and cd ripping), but I just want to get started to
> play around to use as a multimedia library (my music and maybe dvd) and
> hook it up to my tv. (I have an s-video jack on the laptop) .Once my
> divorce settlement is final and I have the money from sale of house
> (YEAH! Free at last, Free at last!!!!!! :D), then I'll probably look at
> getting the hardware to "do it right" with all the bells and whistles
> and get the capture card, maybe silent hardware, etc.

I first played around with MythTV on a laptop before I got serious.

> I brought home an old unused IBM Thinkpad T21 from work to get started.
> It has no built-in wireless, but I have an Orinoco Gold pcmcia card. I
> can't use the built-in ethernet cuz my landlady only has wireless.

Well I assume you only need the wireless for moving files and internet for 
now. This is OK, but you probably wouldn't be able to stream video over it in 
the future. Some people appear to have acceptable streaming over wireless, 
but unless you've got g or pre-N, don't even bother trying.

> If possible, I would like to use a Keyspan remote mouse for menu
> navigation so I don't have to get up and open the lid on laptop whenever
> I need to do something.
>
> I also grabbed a 100GB external USB hard drive I had laying around, so I
> figure I can use that is my library partition.

Check the USB port. If the laptop is old it might be slow USB (12Mb/s) as 
opposed to fast (400+Mb/s). Some of the drivers aren't too good under Linux, 
and if you start trying to play a high bit rate video, a slow USB port with a 
poor driver might struggle to keep up.

> Just wondering if anybody has any suggestion for getting started with
> this. Like I said, I know I can't do capturing, tv recording or anything
> like that. I guess all I'm look for at this point is a video/audio
> jukebox for watching avi's, mpg's, ripped dvd's, mp3's, maybe my photo
> jpg's as an album.

There are now USB DVB-T receivers (though I don't know if you have DVB-T where 
you are) and I think some of them now work under Linux, so it might be a 
cheap way of dipping your toe a little deeper into the MythTV waters. (Note 
that this will probably want a fast USB port too. 
-- 
Steve Boddy