[mythtv-users] Small Front End?

[Monkey Pet]

Try an xbox frontend with its IR remote.  Menu navigation is slow, but it
works.  You can probably pick up the xbox for a cheap price, under $100.  It
is quiet and can be shutdown when not in use.  You need to mod it though and
install linux on it.  The distribution is xebian.  There is more info on the
myth wiki.

On 11/21/06, Rich West <Rich.West at wesmo.com> wrote:
>
> I'm trying to come up with a "standard" for my in-house front-end
> systems as I build things out.  I currently have a FE/BE setup mainly as
> a proof-of-concep and, with great surprise, it passed the 'wife' test. :)
>
> So.. I figure, for one, that I can take my nice FE/BE setup and move it
> to the computer rack in the nice & cool closet in the basement.  Then, I
> can:
> o Built three front-ends.
> o Buy two additional capture cards and put them in the BE.
> o Move the Set-Top-Boxes (STB's) in to the computer closet and connect
> them to the respective cards on the BE.
>
> However, for the front end setup, I am trying to find something:
> o Small
> o relatively quiet & cool (I say "relatively" because it will be mostly
> hidden away)
> o 64-bit based (basically, something that will last and not require
> constant hardware upgrades!).
> o Running Linux (FC5 / FC6)
> o Video.. something that can supply either s-video out, VGA, or
> component video out.
> o Something that I can use for all three of our TV's (older 27-inch
> s-video CRT, new LCD TV with oodles of inputs, and a 8yr old rear
> projection with composite, component, and s-video inputs)
> o Ability to do either analog stereo audio (for the CRT and LCD setups
> since neither are set up for surround sound) or digital audio (for the
> projection, which is the main home theater with surround)
> o Something that can have an IR receiver (of some sort) on it (supported
> by Linux)
>
> I've thought about miniITX, but, man, the price begins to skyrocket
> quickly just for a base system and case.
>
> My current BE/FE is a "franken-pc".. basically it is cobbled together
> from the spare parts I had around, plus the purchase of a capture card
> and a small (microfly) case.
>
> I came across the Mac Mini (let's say, a used one off of ebay) which can
> be gotten rather cheaply.  They are *small*, *quiet*, and basically fit
> the bill, but I don't know how it will fly. :)  I've read that the mini
> can do DVI, s-video, or composite, but there are difficulties doing
> component.  Using
> http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Transit-main.html, surround would
> be done via optical audio, so that's do-able..
>
> I also don't know how well this setup would work under Linux with Myth
> solely as a front-end.  I could probably swing the two systems (the CRT
> and LCD setup) since they are the most simplistic, but the projection
> with component would pose the biggest problem...
>
> Thoughts?  Ideas?
>
> -Rich
>
>
>
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