[mythtv-users] Using a Tivo Chassis for Myth

[Ivan Kowalenko]

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On Jun 22, 2006, at 17.18, Gavin Haslett wrote:

> I think the FAQ is awfully harsh. Is it possible? Well, probably with
> enough work... but quite simply the Tivo relies a lot on custom  
> hardware
> to make it work... the actual CPU is dog slow... hell my 4 year old  
> iPaq
> has a faster CPU than the Tivo Series 2. As a result, installing
> anything like Linux / Myth on the box would be an exercise in pain  
> with
> no gain.

If it was possible to pull of these "not exactly possible" kinds of  
things with custom hardware, XBox Linux would have OpenGL 3D  
Acceleration on that hacked up GeForce 3. So much of the hardware in  
the TiVo is custom made, practically EVERYTHING would have to be  
reverse engineered. And, probably, if whoever was doing this was  
making enough of a ruckus, the TiVo guys might want to interfere  
(kinda like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo when it comes to homebrew).

> Similarly, the idea of using a gutted case has some merit, but at the
> end of the day would probably be counter-productive. Even just  
> using the
> actual case itself, cramming all the hardware you would want into that
> case is going to be tough. Then add all the extra things you've got to
> consider like the cooling, power and so forth. Honestly, since it's
> going to probably sit in an entertainment center anyway, you'd  
> probably
> be better off buying an SFF case of roughly the same dimensions, then
> ripping the front of the Tivo S2 and either permanently attach it  
> to the
> case or jury-rig some kind of hinge. The results will be about the  
> same
> for a lot less heartache.

I dunno. Look at the people who managed to cram an XBox's hardware  
into the TiVo S2 cases. I think something that might help this  
project is the PVR-150-LP (Low Profile) card. You might have to chop  
off the top of the PCI bracket, but given the amount of physical  
alterations you're going to have to make, this ought to be pretty  
minor. I almost promise you, though, you'll have to ditch the back  
panel, unless you want to have it totally riddled with holes.

> Although many people don't realize it, a lot more goes into the  
> modeern
> case design than just a metal box to hold your components. That was  
> true
> even up to about 5 years ago, but these days the case is often an
> integral component of a system that's engineered for heat dissipation,
> noise dampening etc.

I'm sure those have been taken into account, but I think the idea  
with this is just the "cool" factor.

> Sorry, even if someone's already done it, I wouldn't recommend it. I
> thought about it too because the S2 case is actually pretty nice. But
> when I started turning some of my numbers onto the project and  
> throwing
> some engineering calculators at it I figured that I'd end up with
> something that looked like... well... a hacked up Series 2 Tivo that
> might last 6 months in my living room before an overheat on the CPU,
> Video or Capture card killed it or necessitated expensive repairs.

Well, we don't know what the hardware is. For all we know, he could  
have a laptop CPU. Hell, probably wouldn't be a half bad idea to use  
a laptop MoBo if it wasn't for the lack of PCI slots.

> Now... if you wanted to create just a FRONTEND with a hacked Tivo...
> that might be possible with the right hardware (though expensive)

But, then again, aren't ALL Myth projects with a high "Cool" factor?

> Gavin

FYI, please don't top-post.
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