[mythtv-users] Tuner opinions?

[John Kasunich]

Dan Armbrust wrote:
> I'm looking to build a MythTV box... and I'm looking at tuner
> choices... Sigh.  There are _way_ to many options out there.
> 

I'm in the same boat.  Very confusing.

> I need to be able to record ATSC from my antenna.
> I need to be able to record NTSC from my cable connection (I have no
> cable box, just analog cable - this is NTSC, right?)

In my case, no cable or satellite, just over-the-air ATSC.

> 
>  - The WinTV-HVR-2250 looks to be a good option for picking up my
> digital signal.  It can record two digital signals at the same time -
> it appears that the only downside at the moment is that even though it
> has two NTSC tuners, the linux drivers don't yet support them?  Is
> this still true?

The 2250 looks nice to me because I don't anticipate ever needing
more than two tuners - so the one board would do it.  I like the idea
of having only one input for both channels.  That means I don't need
to add a splitter and extra cables, with the associated 3dB loss in
the antenna signal.

I don't need the analog side to work, so that part of the driver issue
is less important.  But the driver status is confusing.  So far my
system is using entirely off-the-shelf packages for myth, and I'm not
entirely looking forward to finding/building drivers.

The FM radio input is nice, but I have no idea if there is or will ever
be Linux driver support for it.  Does anybody know?  I listen to music
at least as much as I watch TV, so it would be nice if my "media center"
could handle that form of media.

> 
> I also have a question about MythTV.  A lot of the guides and such I
> see always talk about using 3rd party channel guides... but none are
> available for free anymore.
> Personally, I don't much care about the channel guide.  Without having
> a guide service, will I be able to use MythTV like a digital VCR?

Another question that I'd love to hear the answer to.  Since I'm OTA
only, I don't need a guide that covers eleventy-two hundred channels.

John Kasunich