[mythtv-users] MythTV Presentation

[Dewey Smolka]

> If I may make a suggestion.. Make a statement or two about the freedom
> MythTV offers.  When I was looking at building or buying a PVR, I made
> the decision to go with Myth primarily for the reason that I expected
> the recording industry lobbyists and advertisers to ruin the commercial
> PVRs.  We're starting to see that happen, with them controlling the
> content in more and more ways.  With Myth, I don't have to deal with any
> of that nonsense.  I can use the system to legally time shift and
> archive shows I pay for with my cable TV subscription and not be treated
> like a criminal for it.

Hear, hear.

I find that one of the weakest ways to promote any FOSS system or
application is on price. This is particularly true with something like
MythTV, where the OS and software may not cost anything, but the
hardware cost of the system is comparable to MCE, and far more than
TiVo (which, IMHO, will not be around much longer despite its name and
mindshare). This is not to mention the time it takes to get something
like Myth up and running.

The thing to tout with Myth is that it's your system, not MS's, not
the cable operators, and not TiVo's, meaning it's up to you what your
machine does, and there's nothing in Myth to prevent you from doing
whatever you want with your media.

Some talking points to consider (in no particular order):

* Distributed architecture and expandability. This is one area where
Myth blows everyone else away. It's a set of modular parts that can
all go on one machine or spread across as many machines as the user
wants. MCE extender modules are not really the same thing.

* DRM. Simpy put, Myth hasn't got it now and will never have it;
everyone else does, and theirs will get worse as time goes on. Most
consumers are sympathetic to the idea that artists and creators need
to be paid. This is why consumers pay for cable TV instead of splicing
a signal from their neighbors. This is why most consumers buy/rent
DVDs instead of scouring BT for cam copies. But this sympathy goes
away the minute a consumer can't use paid-for content in ways they are
used to. Have you bought a new copy-protected
CD-that's-not-really-a-CD? MythTV and GNU/Linux can read, rip, mix and
burn the audio content however you want. MS MCE cannot. Repeat this
statement as often as necessary.

Myth is based on the idea that content (whether broadcast or delivered
on optical disc or otherwise) that you buy is yours, and you are free
to time-shift, format-shift, and backup however you want (provided you
do not try to redistribute your content in illegal ways -- this is not
supported by MythTV, and is actively (and adamantly) discouraged by
the Myth community and the developers). MS MCE is built on the idea
that you have bought a license to the content, and they can redefine
the license terms at any time for any reason.

* DRM pt2: HD. Make sure you mention MS' plans to require DRMed
display devices in future versions of MS Windows for HD playback.
Basically, if you set up an HD-capable MCE system today (if that's
possible) it may not work for HD in the future without a new display.
I believe starting with Vista, the video signal (at least when HD)
will be encrypted, and must be decrypted by your display. That $1200
LCD you just bought will be obsolete for MCE in less than two years.
Don't like it? Buy another display.

* Community development. MythTV is developed by people who want the
same things as you or me -- things that make viewers happy. Like com
flagging and transcoding, archiving to optical media, management and
playback of virtually any media file, the freedom to tweak the sytstem
to add functionality, and giving nobody the ability to change my
system, its capabilities, or the terms under which I use it without my
consent.

Contrast with MCE -- developers want to keep MS happy (locking people
into closed, proprietary formats); MS wants to keep content producers
happy (by restricting use, preventing copying and archiving,
'expiring' recordings, having the box phone home to check up on your
activities, etc); and both of them would like to be the gatekeepers
for all forms of digital media.

In summary: cost is not a major concern. What should be a major
concern is how robust the system is, how flexible it is, how
expandable it is, and how the system will grow to address the needs of
its users. MythTV is without doubt the most powerful media engine on
the planet and its strenth is growing at a breathtaking pace.

MCE is overpriced and bloated, built on top of XP Home rather than XP
Pro (meaning crippled networking and lack of solid admin tools),
closed and locked down, and allows you fewer possibilities with your
media than you had in the analog days.

TiVo is a different category of device, since it is cheap hardware
supported by excessive monthly fees, and is not really a media center
because it only does TV, not home videos, not music, not pictures, and
certainly not DVD archiving. TiVo will also fade as cable/sat
providers make their own boxes that do the same thing and undercut
TiVo's pricing.

I wish I could help with the presentation. When it moves from East
London to Washington DC, I'll be there.

Good luck.