[mythtv-users] Fronted advice

[Ozzy Lash]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 6:16 PM, Damian <myth at surr.co.uk> wrote:

> On 25/03/2015 22:50, John Marshall wrote:
>
>> Never heard of Kodi, so I'll have a look into that.
>>>
>>
>> It's just the new name for XBMC.
>>
>>  Kodi users have had good success with the ~$150 Chromeboxes, though it
>>>>
>>>
>>  I wouldn't have a google based device if they were giving them away. :-)
>>>
>>
>> Well, you'd be wiping ChromeOS and using Linux, but I understand your
>> sentiment.
>>
>>  Note that you'll have Intel graphics with a Chromebox.  The same goes
>>>> for the ECS Liva Eric mentioned.
>>>>
>>>
>>  Thanks John. Is Intel graphics what I should be getting with for Myth?
>>>
>>
>> If money/form-factor are not an issue, then NVidia is probably best. But
>> the Intel solutions (depending on version) seem to work fine now, with
>> perhaps slightly less-good deinterlacing and maybe some driver fiddling.
>> I'd look in the archives for more first-hand experience.
>>
> Thanks John,
>
> I'm getting very tempted by the Liva. Any other first hand experiences of
> running it as a frontend before I take the plunge? :-)
>
> And if I get one, should I stick to xfce and MythBuntu, or has it got
> enough power to run Ubuntu (with MythBuntu ontop) well?
>
> Thanks,
> Damian
>

I've been running one as a frontend since before Christmas, and I've had
good luck.  I was replacing a first generation ION system that for some
reason seemed to "leak" VDPAU buffers (it would give me a message that
usually indicates you don't have enough RAM for VDPAU, but if I killed the
mythfrontend process and started it again, it would be fine for a day or
two).  In comparison, I would say the menus on the LIVA are far more
snappy.  I don't really notice anything terrible with deinterlacing, but I
don't record sports so it may just be that I haven't noticed.

I run debian using openbox as a window manager.  Wireless does work, but I
don't think bluetooth does.  Be careful putting the antenna wires on.  They
are tiny, and the first LIVA I got, I tried to pull the plastic covering
off of one of the wires, and ended up pulling the connector off.  I ended
up soldering that one.  I got a second LIVA, and with the aid of some 3x
reading glasses I managed to get the connectors on in about 10 minutes.

If you watch the Newegg Shellshockers, you can sometimes get them for
$100.  They just did that on Tuesday, and I ordered yet another one. (Yes,
I will soon have 3 of these, one for the living room frontend, one that
will one day replace the frontend in the bedroom which is old, and power
hungry, and one as either a hot standby, or to add another frontend
somewhere, or maybe to just play around with).

Bill
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