[mythtv-users] Article in Washington Post about Mythtv

[Henry Fleischmann]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/25/AR2006032500115.html?sub=AR
*MythTV Invades Realm of Cable and TiVo*

By Chris Barylick
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, March 26, 2006; F06

In 2002, amidst a bulky, advertising-laden digital television 
experience, programmer Isaac Richards took matters into his own hands -- 
he began to build his own digital video recorder system from scratch.

Now known as the MythTV project ( http://www.mythtv.com/ ), Richards's 
effort to create DVR systems from commonly available computer components 
and the Linux open-source operating system, is gaining traction on the 
Internet.

MythTV recorders function much like the popular TiVo digital video 
recorder in that they schedule recordings, rewind, fast forward, pause 
and play live video as well as perform most of the functions of a 
desktop PC.

The recorders, which are bought as kits and assembled and configured by 
the users, generally sell for less than $700 -- a steep price for a DVR, 
compared with the $10 to $20 monthly fees that TiVo and cable TV 
companies are charging for their recorders and service. But MythTV 
recorders allow users to enhance the box through software that's 
continually under development and widely available at no charge across 
the Internet.

The MythTV project is centered on the idea of creating a low-cost home 
entertainment control unit that can be almost anything the user would 
like it to be. Software modules, once installed, can provide an array of 
bells and whistles to use.

For example, a video module within the MythTV software may control 
playback while music and DVD management programs store media libraries 
to use later. An Internet software module might allow the unit to use a 
Web browser, make VoIP-based telephone calls, videoconference and access 
podcasts. Additional features include full access to MythWeather, a free 
weather-tracking plug-in that uses MSNBC's weather links for its 
information; and MythNews, a live news link hooked into an auto-updating 
Internet feed and CD and DVD importing features.

Once limited to enthusiasts looking for the challenge of hunting for 
computer parts and configuring bleeding-edge hardware, MythTV boxes have 
become more accessible, with several vendors now selling packages for 
the market.

For nearly $700, users can buy a pre-configured, pre-tested Digital 
Video System model from MagicITX ( http://www.magicitx.com/ ) that can 
be quickly set up with minimal configuration.

Hayward, Calif.-based manufacturer iDOTpc ( http://www.idotpc.com/ ) has 
recently begun to offer a configuration popular with users involved with 
the project. From the software end, configuration of the device is 
becoming much easier.

The KnoppMyth project ( http://mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html ), begun by 
programmer Cecil Watson, is an effort to simplify the setup of the 
MythTV box.

After a MythTV box has been unpacked and connected to a television and 
Internet connection, users can download the free software from the 
Internet, burn it to a CD-ROM, and then load the software onto the 
MythTV box via a 25-minute installation process. The software then 
downloads 13 days of television listings, from which the user can begin 
picking out which shows to begin recording.

The MythTV project's creators are also working on support for 
high-definition TV computer cards that can play back video at full quality.

The adaptability also puts MythTV in a good position for growth. Digital 
video recorders of some sort are expected to be in about 58 million 
homes by 2010, up from today's estimated total of 6 million.

In the end, Richards, the programmer who launched the MythTV project, 
may just achieve his goal of creating a better digital cable box, by 
having picked up legions of programmers across the Internet with a 
similar vision.

MythTV, an idea owned by no one and powered by an ever-growing number of 
software applications that help boost the device's functionality, could 
fill in where similar devices leave off -- all for the price of a cheap PC.

Not bad, considering this all started when a programmer became irritated 
with his cable TV service and decided to tell a few friends about it.