[mythtv-users] mythtv-users Digest, Vol 86, Issue 104

[Phil Linttell]

> Date: Fri, 28 May 2010 12:06:12 +1200
> From: Nick Rout<nick.rout at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] IPad and mythtv.
> To: Discussion about mythtv<mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
> <phil.linttell at rogers.com>  wrote:
>> >  Maybe what mythtv needs is a streaming plug-in that can be configured to
>> >  do on-the-fly transcoding according to different mobile device screen
>> >  resolutions, available bandwidth, and codec support (and potentially
>> >  control protocols.)  There's a whole variety of mobile devices and
>> >  embedded TV front-ends these days, and it's simply not practical to do
>> >  static transcoding of all recorded content to each potential target.  In
>> >  my own house, I have Sony PSP's, Nokia smartphones, iPod Touch devices,
>> >  Android, Windows and Linux netbooks.
>> >
>> >  The iPad is just another limited device, with specific codec,
>> >  performance, bandwith, and display characteristics and represents a
>> >  current small and specialized market - one which is clearly growing,
>> >  certainly, but as it grows it will diversify dramatically, as well.
>> >
>> >  It would be a shame to invest a load of development into support for a
>> >  single device, when each one of us probably has a number of different
>> >  mobile devices capable of streaming video, but which today each have to
>> >  be uniquely supported.
>> >
>> >  There are, of course, several projects which do on-the-fly transcoding
>> >  today, such as AirVideo and various UPnP servers....  and MythWeb....
>> >  and Myth already does streaming via it's UPnP support.... perhaps we
>> >  should start with developing a list of requirements and evaluating
>> >  potential technology starting points?
> Surely the use of a transcoding uPnP server like FUPPES is the way to
> go. Requires no change to the backend, simply point the uPnP server at
> your recordings and videos directories and tell it what you want it to
> transcode to.
UPnP / DLNA servers certainly come closest to providing the support 
today....  however, many (most) portable devices don't support UPnP 
currently, and the protocol on it's own doesn't provide information on 
the device codec/resolution/bandwith support.  Still, either enhancing 
myth's UPnP support.... or making it easier to integrate with an 
external UPnP server would help.

Consider a mix of of the kind of functionality available in 
FUPPES/tversity and AirVideo.