[mythtv] how can I help?

[Andy Davidoff]

#if thor /* Feb 17, 20:07 */
> Myth has its own codec for real time encoding/decoding (e.g. live tv).
> The ability to efficiently re-encode the resulting files for use as
> VCD/SVCD/DVD content (i.e. mpeg 2, 4, etc.) as a background process and
> then burn from the front end has been requested many times. Isaac may
> well have this 3/4's solved already, but the more people who can
> understand the core video stuff the better.
#endif /* mythtv at lamedomainname.com */

Yes, from what I can tell this is one of the major requests.  I am personally
very interested in burning on the front-end.  I don't have any experience with
video codecs, but as I understand it we should be able to use the patched
mplayer to transcode and burn, so this feature seems virtually implemented.

Is there an existing dependency on a HL scripting language?  Frankly, I
stopped coding C++ "for fun" years ago, so I'd rather do rapid prototyping
with Python or something and firm it up later with C++ as necessary.

Another thing that seems to be missing is a decent set of documentation or
database for the people just getting into Myth.  It does seem as though the
project is large enough to benefit from its own document identifying the
supported hardware/software configurations and listing open issues.  I've
seen this information in several places, but as a newbie it's still not
obvious which hardware is supported and with what limitations.  Perhaps
Myth could piggy-back on the existing PVR "supported configs" site?

Who is managing documentation and what is the roadmap for it?  Will there be
some documentation generated or otherwise tied to the code?  From experience
I know that newbies can often contribute best to documenting the stuff that
developers take for granted, so I'd like to help there.

Thanks for these and future pointers...