[mythtv-users] The $99 frontend is here. Is this too good to be true?

[stuart]

<o-o people are top commenting again :O, I'll try to fix it...>

>  Sean Goodpasture wrote:
>> On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 9:12 PM, Brian Wood <beww at beww.org 
>> <mailto:beww at beww.org>> wrote:
>> 
>>> On Wednesday 01 July 2009 19:40:52 Sean Goodpasture wrote:
>>> This is why I'm using a NMT (networked media tank) as my front
>>> end.  A bit
>>> more expensive ($165ish), but smaller (15x11x5cm), low power,
>>> quiet, and
>>> they play all my other formats too.
>>>
>>> Sure the interface with Myth is a bit hacky and totally not 100%,
>>> but it
>>> works.
>> 
>>     What box precisely are you using? I just picked up a Myka. I think
>>     the Popcorn
>>     hour is referred to as an NMT as well.
>> 
>>     Are you just using the Myth UPnP server? How do you schedule recordings?
>>     --
>>     Brian Wood
>>     beww at beww.org <mailto:beww at beww.org>
>
>  I'm using a K100 (Kaiboer brand) and have a couple eGreat's on their way.
>  
>  I hacked 
>  mythweb... http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showthread.php?tid=24292
>  
>  <http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showthread.php?tid=24292>And I always 
>  schedule with my computer.  I've found the scheduling process in the 
>  mythfrontend to be "cumbersome" at best and useless at worst.  I also 
>  never use LiveTV on my myth setup since it's always just crashed 
>  something... plus commercials suck.
>  
>  I want one box that can do it all... and a minimyth was pretty close, 
>  but not quite there.  The NMTs are the same, but I think they are better 
>  for all the non myth media... in a smaller box.

The PopCornHour and the NetworkMediaTank are the same AFAIK.  It is the 
marriage of SigmaDesign hardware and Syabas (Linux based) software.  You 
will find this mix in various forms dating back years and popping up in 
no name as well as well known brand boxes.  People are working on these 
boxes (i.e. something more interesting then just re purposing the 
existing software) in order to make the mythtv experience more fluid.  I 
don't think anyone is actually porting the real mythfrontend.  It is 
more likely you will eventually see a custom front end that can speak 
natively to the mythbackend.

All that said, small form factor computers are catching up in size and 
price.  I don't think SigmaDesign or Syabas have been extremely 
supportive of the open source community in the past.  Too bad because as 
small computers that can support a real mythfrontend start popping up, 
open source interest in these dedicated boxes will likely falter.

Comments?  Did I leave anything out?

-thanks