[mythtv-users] Plans for front & back end Myth boxes
Brian Wood
beww at beww.org
Fri Aug 6 16:50:23 UTC 2010
On Friday, August 06, 2010 10:38:17 am Jessica Perry Hekman wrote:
> You all may remember that a week or so ago I was trying to get tv-out to
> work on my nvidia card so I could use my Ubuntu desktop for both normal
> desktop use + as a Myth box. You guys helped me realize it wasn't going
> to be able to act as Myth frontend unless I bought it a new graphics
> card.
>
> I sat down with my boyfriend and we decided if we were going to get into
> purchasing hardware, it probably made some sense to have a dedicated
> box. So here is the current, extremely tentative plan:
>
> * Front end: leaning towards Acer Aspire Revo: inexpensive, and looks
> like it will support HDTV (I do not have an HDTV TV, but would like the
> option for the future)
>
> * Back end: for now, keep using my HP Pavilion Slimline 3020n + Ubuntu
> Lucid. Can purchase a new back end in the future if need be. Location is
> such that it can be connected by ethernet to the front end.
>
> * Data input: for now, just bittorrent stuff. My roommate is about to
> get FiOS installed. If I wanted, I could get a Hauppage card for the
> desktop at some point and get input from FiOS, but that can be a project
> for the future (perhaps to do at the point that I decide to jump for a
> dedicated back end). All the shows I watch are available on bittorrent
> for now.
>
> Does this sound like a reasonable plan to you all?
Not to me. In most cases acquiring content via BitTorrent is illegal, or at least highly questionable, and probably should
not even be discussed here. There are of course legal torrents, and if you stick with those you should be OK.
It's also getting easier to get "caught". The problem with BitTorrent is that you are not just downloading, you are
sharing the data out to the internet at large, which is what most prosecutions are based on, not the downloading of
content.
I suppose I shouldn't mention any alternatives, but the most common one starts with "USE..." :-)
There are "official" ways to acquire content over the internet, Hulu, CBS.com, PBS, and many other sites serve up content
for free, albeit with some commercials and TOS limitations.
But FIOS, or cable TV/satellite is probably the best long-term solution for you.
Aside from the data input, your plan seems sound.
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