[mythtv-users] My MythTV Experience (Standard-Def, Cheapo Version)

[Ivan Kowalenko]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Inspired by Yeechang Lee, I think I will write my own little thing on  
my experiences with MythTV, and the problems that cropped up.

In this case, my set-up was for standard definition analog cable with  
an XBox Front-End. I used a Celeron 600 as a back-end.

My first attempt to build my back-end was under Myth 0.18.1 on an AMD  
Athlon 750. After several attempts to get KnoppMyth R5A27 to run  
properly on the system (many problems cropped up), I thought I had a  
problem with my capture card (I had pulled it from another computer,  
figured there might have been some damage to it. So, I bought a  
Hauppauge PVR-150. Problems persisted, so I began to replace parts.  
In the end, I replaced the machine (I bought the machine with Myth in  
mind, and the person who sold it to me was very nice about dealing  
with it) with the Celeron 600. The PVR-150 worked perfectly, and  
KnoppMyth R5A27 ran flawlessly as well.

Total cost: $275 ($400 if you don't have an XBox)
* $100 for additional ethernet cables and an extra hub, to run the  
network to my living room (it's a LONG way away from where I could  
set up my Myth system safely)
* $75 for the Celeron 600
* $100 for the PVR-150 (though you can order it online for a little  
cheaper)
* $129 for a used XBox (I already owned one). Add $5 for the purchase  
or rental (same price) of MechAssault, and some ingenuity to get a  
hacked MA save on your XBox for softmodding.

My front-end was a softmodded XBox. I used Rob Anderson's Xebian disk  
image. After a quick SSH in over a cross-over cable, I managed to  
configure the machine to point to my back-end. After that, the system  
operated flawlessly. The biggest problem was that the disk image was  
only 995 MB. With over 800 MB used, it was difficult to compile  
ANYTHING to run on the system. Every once in a while, I had to take a  
peek in at the logs and clean them out, to avert the FS filling up.

Eventually I upgraded to Myth 0.19-fixes for my back end (KnoppMyth  
R5C7). I lost my database in the process (but that was my fault, not  
Myth's). Fortunately, I was also upgrading from a 20 GB HDD to a 250  
GB HDD, and didn't lose any recordings I cared about too much. I also  
installed the ATI TV Wonder VE I had attempted to use earlier.

Here's the kicker: Myth 0.19-fixes saw the PVR-150, but not the TV  
Wonder VE. This is, however, a known problem, with no known solution  
at the moment. Thankfully, I had been reading the mailing lists, and  
knew this problem existed under 0.18, so I didn't plan around this  
working.

My other problem was finding an 0.19-fixes disk image for my XBox.  
There wasn't enough disk space available to install the new software  
on it (even in Debs, the packages required to download were just too  
large to fit on the partition, AND install). However, Rob Anderson's  
disk image for 0.19 worked with 0.19-fixes perfectly (and continues  
to function).

So, in a nut shell, here are my Myth-centric problems:

* PVR-150 and TV Wonder VE can't co-exist.

... Otherwise, my experiences with Myth have been BETTER than what I  
expected. I had heard horror stories about how difficult it was to  
install Myth. But KnoppMyth and Rob Anderson made those problems  
evaporate. I even have front-end software installed on my iBook.  
Though the 802.11b isn't fast enough to stream recordings at a useful  
rate, it's still useful for tinkering with Myth settings, and using  
search lists, etc.

Basing your opinion around the things posted on the MythTV mailing  
list is a poor way of making your decision. It's like hanging around  
at a tech support call center and saying that there are so many  
people complaining. It's where complaints go. Thankfully, the mailing  
list, unlike many tech support centers, help fix those problems. The  
mailing list has helped me anticipate and avert possible problems  
with my Myth set-up.

Just thought it would be useful to get the opinion of someone using  
some less experimental features (HD) of Myth, and some more enticing  
features (Using an XBox as a front-end) of Myth.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.1 (Darwin)

iD8DBQFEjia9187keuSyQSQRAn7yAJ4oCW/HZVvKkCRK2LY4hrD9DEVHCQCffr5K
/ig65Aj1OFb8kDmkzV+IGnw=
=BY1q
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----