[mythtv-users] re:MythTV production run

[Chris Petersen]

> 5 years is crazy for this... the entertainment field is constantly changing.  
> If you took mythtv and spent five years overhauling, you would be 5 years 
> behind when you finished it.  Not to mention the technology changing.

he said "5 man-years," not "5 years"...  5 man-years could be 30 people
working for 2 months.  It's still a long time.

> Cable companies are starting to develop ways to compete with Tivo...  Pretty 
> soon the Cable box will have a DVR built in for only a higher monthly fee.  
> Everything I read says Tivo is going to be in trouble from all the 
> competition coming along.

Yes and no.  Remember, Tivo is owned by DirectTV, who has licensed Tivo
technology to at least a couple of other providers.

> The one thought that sounded good was building a real high end box...  If you 
> did that, got some advertising in some of the audiophile magazines then maybe 
> you could sell some high end system...  You know... DVR of the rich and 
> famous...  

I have to agree here.  The low-end market will soon be saturated with
low-end solutions (people are finally realizing that setting up a DVR
can be easier than getting rid of the old blinking 12:00 on the VCR). 
Getting into the high-end market might be viable (I know nothing about
it), especially since myth does a LOT more than just record TV.  You
still have to worry about CSS fees.

On the other hand (CSS fees aside), setting up a few classes to teach
people how to put together a computer and install linux, with the
outcome being a working mythtv box, would be a great way for a few of us
to earn some extra $$$.

-Chris