[mythtv-users] New system build. Looking for opinions.

[Marvin Match]

On 20 Jun 2006 at 18:49, Troy Beneke wrote:

> 
> The reason I'm starting with a 120 GB HD is because I have an extra one laying around. The case 
> I want has room for 6 HDs and future expansion is assumed. I haven't watched TV/cable in 5 
> years so I'm not expecting a bum rush to fill capacity. In the future (3 years from now) I do plan on 
> getting an HD tuner of some sort. The two tuners implementation is more for me being able to 
> record something in the background while my wife watches live TV (she's a bit of a technophobe 
> and will probably take her 6 months to start trying to record something). I am planning on putting 
> in another 320-640 GB around the end of the year if everything works out as I'm expecting it to. 
> 
Yeah, I understand your thinking. I used to think this way. It's because you're not yet 
a MythTV user. Besides, how big is your CD collection? or your DVD collection?

Here's what I mean: 

1. I ALMOST NEVER watch anything live. You and your wife won't either. It'll take 
you little while to catch on, but once you have MythTV up and running, it just doesn't 
make sense to let the network programmers dictate your viewing habits.

2. Selecting programs to record is just so darned easy that you (and your wife) will be 
recording more programs than you ever dreamed you would, or even have time to 
watch. That's just the way it works out.

3. Most of the shows I record I have set to "record any time on this channel" So they 
just automatically get picked up. Because of this I go for weeks at a time without 
changing the programs I've selected to record. All my favourite programs just 
magically show up on my hard drive(s). No tape swapping, no setup, no nothing.

and because of 1, 2 and 3:

4. There is always 100 hours or so of prime (for me) programming for me to choose 
from at any one moment.

Oh BTW, I watch almost everything sans commercials and at 1.5X speed, so a 1 
hour show takes about 35 minutes to watch. Believe it or not, once you get your brain 
tuned up to the fast speed, most of the shows I record are better when played fast.

If you already have the 120 Gig drive it'll (barely) allow you to get your feet wet, but 
you're going to be hooked and I guarantee you'll be looking for more hard drive 
space real soon. Over the last couple of years I've upgraded, rebuild, replaced and 
re-configured more times than I can count, and now I'm running with nearly 2.5 
terrabytes total on 2 servers.

I'm a believer. I'm even putting MythTV in my sports-car (an MGB-V8) and tossing 
the stereo (that's another story). No more tapes or CD's for me!... but then, I'm a 
GEEK!

Marvin