[mythtv-users] Re: Considering a MythTV

[Jason Williams]

Thanks for the response Jarod, you have given a lot of good information.  I
am liking what I'm reading but do still have a few concerns.



>Use mondorescue to generate a bootable full system restore CD. Boot off the

CD, reinstall the system exactly as it was in no time whatsoever...

That's a new one for me.  I've made note of mondorescue for my tech kit.



>Ah, well, in that case... The PVR-250 at its highest settings uses 
>quite a bit more disk space, because it does hardware mpeg2 
>compression, instead of software mpeg4. mpeg4 uses about 1/4 the disk 
>space, if I recall correctly, but there is also an option in the latest 
>rev of MythTV to transcode recordings from mpeg2 to mpeg4 after they 
>are done (I haven't used it myself; I have plenty of disk storage to 
>just use mpeg2).

How much more?  Could you give an example of a 30 min program?  1 Hour?  2
Hour?  

I didn't notice the transcoding options.  Are they automated through the
GUI?  Can they also be done at a later time as opposed to immediately after
the program?  So essentially this would allow you to watch the program in
MPEG2, but archive it in MPEG4?



>mythmkmovie

Sounds perfect and time saving.  I got the idea of moving the data around
and editing from my sons system.  The ShowShifter demo doesn't have a means
of cleaning up the video.



>There are ways to control it. I've got Comcast digital cable in 
>Seattle, WA, though almost everything I actually watch comes through 
>without the box, so I just go straight from the wall into my MythTV 
>box. I'll have to muck with the box connection one of these days... (I 
>have a Motorola DCT2224).

I have a lot of channels that I pay for above 150 so I will need to figure
this out before I even get started.  Most of my premium channels are high
numbered channels.  I could go straight to the wall in my sons room though.



>If you plan on doing software encoding, that PIII-1GHz is NOT 
>overpowered.

Hehe, it's definitely not overpowered but it's paid for already. =)

I had read these.  Thanks for reminding me.  Seems the P3-1000 would be fine
for only a single process.



>I'm not at all impressed with my AverTV Studio card at all (the remote 
>is mediocre too). I like my PVR-250 WAY better... If you want to 
>minimize costs, use the PIII-1GHz, get a PVR-250 and a large hard 
>drive. A PIII-1GHz is plenty w/the PVR-250. Transcode recordings to 
>mpeg4 when they're done, and space shouldn't be an issue (though 
>continuing to watch TV while a transcode is in process would probably 
>not work).
>Oh, the AverTV Studio also has some assorted audio issues...

I just might do this to start with.  It really sounds like I should buy
something around 2Ghz though.  I'll let the budget decide this step I think.



>Even with a PVR-250 and a non-hardware-encoding tuner, I think your 
>PIII-1GHz would be insufficient for watching and recording 
>simultaneously. You might be able to do it with dual PVR-250s (or one 
>PVR-250 and one Freestyle, since you don't need 2 remotes).

I don't see the Freestyle on Hauppauge's website.  What exactly is it?



>pre-GF4-series cards don't support the 
>nvidia driver's overscan option. I'm extremely happy with the results 
>I've had with my GeForce 4 MX 440's S-Video out.

Overscan?  What is this feature?  Depending on what it is I may just buy a
new video card.  GF4MX's are not that expensive.



>It doesn't matter a huge amount though, because you can specify whatever 
>storage locations you want for both live TV buffers and recordings 
>(independent of one another).

Good to know.  Though either way is fine, is this something you do in the
GUI or the config file?


>Be prepared to spend some time getting everything to work. Some 
>distributions are easier to set MythTV up on than others, because some 
>have pre-compiled packages for almost everything, while others must be 
>installed predominantly from source. Red Hat Linux 9, as I mentioned, 
>is one distribution that has software packages for almost everything 
>you need, courtesy of Axel Thimm's ATrpms: 
>http://atrpms.physik.fu-berlin.de/dist/rh9/

I'm used to this.  As much as I love the concepts and freedoms of Linux, you
often have to "tinker" with things to get them working right.  Once done
though, I always enjoy what I've created.



Can you shed some light on the frontend/backend concept of multiple systems?
My son has a pc in his room that he watchs DVD's on and I recently installed
the ShowShifter demo on it also.  He's enjoying it, so I'm going to need to
put something on it to do these functions.  His machine is lower end though,
and I don't plan to upgrade it at this time.  He has a P3-600 with 192 ram
and does not access the premium channels due to his not having a cable box.


Thanks again for the info Jarod, your answers have been extremely helpful.
I think I'll start ordering parts soon.


Jason Williams