[mythtv-users] Advice please: school mythtv project

[Phil Wild]

Hello all,

I have built a mythtv system for my children's primary school.

Each classroom currently has projector/interactive whiteboard as the
display device. Unfortunately, everything is MS Windows based and
there is no way of changing that. I have had a play around with xbmc
and the windows port of mythtv and both are not ideal so I have
decided not to use a frontend.

I have a backend running on a small PC with 1TB of disk storage and a
Nova-T 500 dual DVB-T card installed.

I have modified the css files under mythweb to remove all icons/menu
options for settings (just using visibility: hidden), mythvideo, etc
etc so that the only functionality available within mythweb is
recording and viewing recordings. Mythweb is secured so that only the
teachers can get into it. Once in however, anyone can set up recording
schedules or delete recordings. You can still get into the guts of
mythweb if you know the full URL (e.g. mythweb/settings etc).

The teachers (once instructed how) will be able to record TV via
mythweb, then display it in their classrooms using the streaming
capability of mythweb and VLC under MS Windows.

All recordings are automatically commflagged and if all goes well with
some samples (I am in Australia) I may switch on automatic transcoding
with removal of the commercials (haven't quite figured out how to do
this yet but guessing it is all in the wiki). As vlc is being used, I
am guessing that I should probably de-interlace as part of the
transcoding process. Is this the best way?

And now the questions...

Has anyone done something similar and if so, what was the reaction
within the school? Was it well received and used?

Does anyone have any suggestions on further improvements to what I am
doing, or ideas towards something better than myth for this if it even
exists?

Many thanks

Phil