[mythtv-users] Why cant we make a STB?

[jedi]

On Thu, Feb 05, 2009 at 02:54:33PM -0500, Daniel Kristjansson wrote:
> On Wed, 2009-02-04 at 17:01 -0700, Brian Wood wrote:
> > Things like UL and FCC certification require a lot of money and time. This is 
> > the sort of "invisible" cost to making your own hardware device that most 
> > people ae totally unaware of.
> 
> FCC cert yes, but you can avoid the UL cert by using a UL approved
> external power-supply.
> 
> The real reason why we don't just grab a few developers and HW geeks
> and make a cute little device is because it requires you to start a

...it sounds like what a lot of us needs is just a better case. I know
I do. I would love a mATX case that's more along the lines of a Tivo
footprint but those are few and far between. Even the Antec Fusion 
doesn't quite fit this bill.

   A reference design mATX case would be very handy.

> real business.. and one with significant challenges such as tapping
> distribution channels. If you were to do that, then the MythTV frontend
> market looks pretty small, uPnP is much bigger; but there is lots of
> competition in the uPnP market and little product differentiation
> since sigma makes the chip in practically all of them. If you were
> already making a uPnP device, upping the specs a little bit so it
> could run a real myth frontend would tap a new auxiliary market for
> very little additional cost; but starting a new HW company from
> scratch is not something you just whip up in a couple weekends. ;^)