[mythtv-users] Wireless MVP front end

Brian Wood beww at beww.org
Tue Mar 13 13:53:27 UTC 2007


On Mar 13, 2007, at 7:05 AM, Mark Smith wrote:

> I'm look for a small, cheap MythTV front end to work over my  
> wireless network.
>
> The Hauppage MVP options, using MVP Media Centre, look interesting. My
> questions, if anyone is in a position to answer them:
>
> *Will Media Centre run on the wireless version of the hardware, or  
> am I
> better off buying the non-wireless version with an access point? I
> can't see an answer to this on the Media Centre website.

I've only played with the wired version but I would think the  
wireless is just the same thing with an 802.11 adapter inside, thus  
giving you no choice in the matter of which adapter to use.

But having said that, any video over a wireless link can be  
troublesome. It can be done with SD video if you have a good strong  
signal and not much other traffic on the link, but anything marginal  
will show up very quickly. I have used an MVP with a wireless  
ethernet bridge (Buffalo Airstation) and it worked pretty well at  
about 100' range, it became iffy at 200' and this was a direct path  
(ie: no walls). All the usual suspect for 802.11B/G interference  
exist (microwave ovens, cordless phone etc.). You might consider  
802.11A to reduce possible interference.


>
> *Will the current Media Centre software runing OK with MythTV 0.20? As
> of 0.3.1 it supports protocols up to 31.

It should, but I can't say for sure.

>
> *Does anyone recommend an alternative? I have a TV with PC, SVideo,
> Compsite and Component Video inputs (no Scart/RGB, even though it  
> is UK
> spec) which I plan to use with it.
>

That really depends on what you want to do. You could  set up a  
standard Myth frontend and use one of the wireless solutions (like a  
Video Rabbit) to send analog(ue) video and audio to the TV set. If  
you used an RF remote you could get about the same range as an 802.11  
network except your net would be wired, only the actual A/V signals  
would be sent wireless, and all the 802.11 problems would go away.  
I'm not sure which of the wireless units in that class are legal in  
the UK though, but you would have a fully-capable frontend, you could  
even just run it on your B/E machine.


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