[mythtv-users] How does MythTV Networking work?

[Andrew Dodd]

Quoting Scott Nicholson <mythtv at scottnic.com>:

> I'm interested in building a MythTV box or boxes. I want to be able to view
> both live TV and recorded shows (as well as use MythMusic, etc.) on at
> least
> two TVs in separate rooms. I want all recorded shows to be available to
> both
> TVs. I want to be able to easily add additional TVs in the future.
> 
>  
> 
> Without knowing a lot about MythTVs network capabilities (there isn't a lot
> of info on the site -- not that I've been able to find, anyway), it seems
> like there are at least a couple of ways of doing this:
> 
>  
> 
> Option 1:
> 
> High-powered multiple tuner "server" in the basement (at least two,
> possibly
> three or more tuners, lots of storage) and a couple of lightweight frontend
> boxes at the TVs. The frontends would need to be able to schedule
> recordings, etc.
> 
>  
> 
> Option 2:
> 
> Forget the server. Just build a couple of boxes to put at the TVs that can
> talk to each other. One (possibly two if I decide one isn't enough) tuner
> in
> each box, with some sort of negotiation and conflict management (i.e. box1
> is scheduled to record show "A" and I schedule a recording for show "B" on
> the same box -- the box detects the conflict and tells box2 to record show
> "B" instead.). The boxes share their lists of recorded shows, so it's easy
> to watch show "B" on box1 (even though it's box2 that recorded it).
> 
>  
> 
> I guess there's a hybrid of these two, as well, with the individual boxes
> recording to a server that's really nothing but a fileserver.
All three options work.

Although I've noticed that with 0.14, remote frontends can sometimes be a little
laggy when navigating menus.

I'm personally heading towards option 1.  I just need a motherboard, CPU, and
RAM to move my recording backend to a seperate machine, then I need to run 100
Mbit drops to every point in the house that has a coax running to it.

Once I do that, I'll be ready for $100 frontends when the Xbox drops its price
in May.  (Well, the sources I've seen say that it's a rumored drop, but someone
that posted earlier today seemed relatively sure of it.)