[mythtv-users] MythTV vs XBMC

Nick Rout nick.rout at gmail.com
Sun May 11 03:03:12 UTC 2014


On Sun, May 11, 2014 at 1:00 PM, jedi <jedi at mishnet.org> wrote:
> On Sat, May 10, 2014 at 05:40:19PM -0700, Thomas Mashos wrote:
>> On Sat, May 10, 2014 at 5:32 PM, jedi <jedi at mishnet.org> wrote:
>> > On Sat, May 10, 2014 at 09:53:06AM +1200, Nick Rout wrote:
>> >> On May 9, 2014 11:08 PM, "Michael T. Dean" <mtdean at thirdcontact.com> wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> > On 05/08/2014 01:42 PM, Travis Tabbal wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> And I can bring another TV into the system for ~$50 (RPi, case, PSU, IR
>> >> receiver).
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Wow, I remember when MythTV was considered a high-end, luxury DVR system.
>> >>  I guess now, you all want cheap (and, no, I don't mean "inexpensive").
>> >>
>> >> one factor is that reasonable TV panels are so cheap. I often see people
>> >> wanting to kit out houses with 5 or more TVs. They balk at that many $2-300
>> >> PC's but at $50 pis seems cheap. And yes the costs may vary widely
>> >
>> >     I find this a bit puzzling. 5 TVs is OK but a $200 set top box for each
>> > of those TVs is a show stopper. I just don't get that.
>> >
>> >     If you can avoid Smart TVs, a $300 HTPC already pays for itself.
>> >
>> > [deletia]
>> > _______________________________________________
>>
>> 5 TV's + RPI's $1675
>>
>> 5 TV's + HTPC ($300) - $3000
>>
>> If you can't see why one is way more attractive than the other then I
>> can't help you.
>
>    No you can't because I see 5 TVs as excessive regardless.
>
>    It's like being too cheap to put the manufacturer recommended gas and
> tires into a luxury sedan when you already blew plenty of money on the
> car to begin with.
>
>    I can understand genuinely poor people. I grew up poor. I know what it's
> like to genuinely not have the money to spare. However, people that have 5 TVs
> and then whine about the cost of a set top box just baffle me.
>
>   Then again, I view not needing to "settle" as a key benefit of not being poor
> anymore.
>
>   I also find your idea of what 5 TVs cost problematic.

Well just to take local (NZ) prices, my first flat panel TV was $3,000
and was 32 inches and only did 720p. In that case spending 10-15%
($300-450) of that cost for a HTPC seemed reasonable.

Now I could pick up a 32 inch 1080p TV for $395, and it seems
outrageous to spend $300 on an HTPC (particularly when it would be for
a little used spare bedroom or study). $50-$150 seems fine, and in
that price range (here) the Pi will give the best value for money in
terms of playback ability. Particularly as ir has HDMI-CEC built in
and you can probably use the TV remote for the HTPC.

Of course if you don't have a TV in every room, a high powered HTPC in
your main/only viewing area to give you fast scrolling through menus
and the flashest skins makes sense, and indeed I am quite happy to
spend more on the machines I use more often (lounge and my bedroom).
But for kids and visitors I want to spend less.


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