[mythtv-users] Zotac ION + HD-PVR 1212: FE/Master BE or FE/Slave BE?

[jedi]

On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 10:42:46AM -0400, Eric N wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 10:13 AM, jedi <jedi at mishnet.org> wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 08:23:46AM -0400, Eric N wrote:
> > > I'm planning my first MythTV setup with an HD-PVR 1212 already
> > > purchased.  I have searched the mailing list archives and some users
> > > have reported success using the zotac ion with intel atom processor as
> > > a combined FE/BE if you do not plan on comm flagging multiple shows at
> > > one time and have one capture device.  I will have a fileserver and
> > > general use pc in my office that could perform some of the tasks of
> >
> >    Setup mythjobqueue the "office pc" and don't even let the FE/BE
> > box do flagging jobs. Recording from the HD-PVR certainly won't tax
> > the system any. The only concern might be disk space but you can host
> > that in your office PC too.
> >
> >    I have a FE/BE machine that runs a HD-PVR setup like this. It is
> > a slave backend one of my desktop machines in the home office is the
> > master backend.
> >
> >
> > Jedi, does the desktop PC contain any capture devices?  I read in older
> versions of Myth that the master backend expected at least one capture
> device, and that some just set up a "dummy" capture device in the setup to
> get around that issue.  Did you have to do something similar in your setup?

    I have started the master backend in 0.22 without a capture device.

    However, my production master backend is "attached" to an HDHomeRun. So
I am running my master backend with a capture device. It's just not directly
physically attached to the machine in question.

    Infact, none of my tuners are in the same room as my master backend.

    I did try to have multiple cable boxes in the home office for awhile but
that turned into a big cable management issue. So I distributed the cable 
boxes throughout the house where there are TVs to attach to them. It's easier
dealing with STB configuration that way too since there is a lag with a HD-PVR
that makes reconfiguring a STB difficult.