[mythtv-users] Some Quick Questions about MythTV

Phil Bridges gravityhammer at gmail.com
Tue Oct 25 15:27:29 EDT 2005


<comments inline>

On 10/25/05, Joshua Lewis <jmlewis at dslextreme.com> wrote:
> I am seriously considering the MythTV as an alternative to having 5
> satellite receivers and DVD players and computers and stuff in my house. I
> want desperately to consolidate my house.
>
> I questions is three fold.
>
> One is the MythTV documentation on PDF somewhere or available to download
> so I can read it on my way home on the train?

http://mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-1.html#ss1.4


>
> Two: Can I even do what I am trying to do? The Windows XP Media Center
> allows you to hook up an X-Box or media extender to TV's so you can watch
> your Prerecorded information from a TV not directly hooked to the Media
> Center PC. That is what I want to do with MythTV. Although it looks like
> MythTV can record my DVD's to disk drive where I can't get a confirmed yes
> on that ability for Windows MCPC.
>
> I would like to load all my families DVD's (If they are all loaded the way
> I want then I don't have to keep baying new DVD's when my kids scratch
> them. I got to get a new Harry Potter this weekend), MP3's and hook up
> like 5 TV tuners to the system so everyone can watch and record TV from
> there own room. Then I can watch Sci-Fi and Westwing until I am blue in
> the face in my bedroom while my wife watches Desperate House Wives and
> America's Next top Model downstairs (ok those two shows have enough
> hotties that I don't mind so much) but you get the picture. I got Barney
> in one room and GI Joe in another and so on and so fourth.

Essentially, you want to view programs on a TV that is not where the
main server is?  MythTV runs in a client/server form
(frontend/backend), so this would be possible by placing a frontend
(X-Boxes can work) by the TV.


>
> Three: I plan to get a truly beefy system to do all of this. I am looking
> into a SARA raid array to prevent data loss and if possible dual core
> system (do they make duel CPU Dual Core motherboards) I want to avoid any
> kind of Encoding in the main processors. So do I need a certain TV Tuner
> to do everything in the tuner and such? Let's pretend money is no object
> (unfortunately it is so this will be an ongoing project) how would you
> design your system. I know a lot of these questions can be answered by the
> documentation but I only have time to read it offline and have not been
> able to find a way to print or view it offline.

To be honest, the backend doesn't need to be too powerful if you're
running MPEG2 encoders such as the Hauppauge PVR series.  Transcoding
to Divx format *would* require some horsepower.


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