[mythtv-users] PS3 as FrontEnd

[Brian Wood]

On Mar 19, 2007, at 3:07 AM, Gene Stapp wrote:

> So are you planning to compile the mythfrontend to run on the PS3  
> or is there a problem with doing that currently? If myth would work  
> well, I'd seriously consider using this as a frontend at that point  
> (power usage isn't an issue my power costs are extremely cheap in  
> my state). Plus, I could get some gaming out of it as well.
>

I'm thinking that the PPC frontend-only version might compile, and  
might even actually work, but of course the problem is getting the  
time to work on it.

It's an interesting proof-of-concept project, but it certainly isn't  
going to be able to do anything that can't be done already with more  
conventional hardware.

You also would really want a display with HDMI or DVI input, and also  
HDCP if you wanted to play Blu-Ray disks at full resolution.

The digital audio output seems to work under Linux, it's optical  
only, no coax, though I suppose you could jeep the digital audio out  
of the HDMI connector if you wanted a copper path.

I would certainly not buy a PS3 just for a Myth frontend, but if you  
are looking for the cheapest BR player available, and also get a  
machine that can run Linux and perhaps Myth, it's certainly a  
bargain. It's the best bargain going even as a standalone BR player,  
but that situation might not last long, and I expect BR/HD-DVD  
players will become more common and cheaper soon. Anybody buying any  
sort of HD disk player today is paying the "early adopter" tax, and I  
haven't seen any HD movies available that were actually worth  
watching yet.

As I said, already I can NFS mount my Myth recordings and play them  
with mplayer using the CLI, that's enough to make me happy, but it  
might not have a high WAF for non-bachelors.

Also, Terrasoft describes the Bluetooth interface as "unsupported"  
but both my Gentoo machine and my Mac can connect to the interface  
easily, that might be a route for getting a remote control working.  
The "game controller" is BT, maybe you could cobble that up to be a  
remote, as I can't see what else it would be good for :-)

Also - I've read that Sony may be discontinuing the cheaper 20GB PS3  
in favor of the more expensive 60GB unit which also gives you WiFi  
and a card reader. Those additional features can be bought elsewhere  
at far less than Sony prices, so if you're thinking about buying the  
20GB box I'd consider that.

I'd also consider purchasing directly from Terrasoft. I'd much rather  
support an outfit that's doing Linux development than the local Big- 
Box Store chain - but that's strictly a personal opinion.