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Advice requested on building a MythTV system
http://forums.linhes.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2096		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Michel [ Sat Jul 31, 2004 7:43 am ]
Post subject:  Advice requested on building a MythTV system
Hey,

I've been thinking of building a MythTV system, and I have a few questions. First of all, these are the specs of the system I intend to buy:

ASUS Pundid
Intel Celeron 2.6Mhz (400Mhz bus)
Kingstond 400 Mhz DDR RAM 512 MB
Maxtor 200 Gb HD
Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250
Philips DVD+RW Dual-Layer 16x2.4x12x

Which total to around 750 euro's for me.

I've seen several people with an ASUS Pundid in the forum, so I guess that's a safe bet.

Now for the questions:

- Can anyone explain the difference between the hauppauge 250 en 350? Would it be sensible to get the 350 instead of the 250?

- I'm not familiar with DVD burners under linux, do these just always work (probably not :-)), or can I check it somewhere?

- Compared to commercial HD-recorders, what features is mythtv lacking, and what extra features does it have?

- I will not be the only one using the system. How "foolproof" is it? Can, say a 40+ year old use it, using only the remote control, without throwing the system from the 20th floor? ;-)

- As for burning shows to a DVD, I noticed that someone wrote some excellent scripts for that, so I guess that works great too. (correct me if I'm wrong, especially in relation to the previous question about the 40+ year old :-))

Any other hints or tips are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Author:  tjc [ Sat Jul 31, 2004 12:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advice requested on building a MythTV system
Michel wrote:
- Can anyone explain the difference between the hauppauge 250 en 350? Would it be sensible to get the 350 instead of the 250?

It depends. The 350 adds TV-out capability. This is supposed to be about the best TV-out quality you can get on a normal NTSC or PAL set that doesn't support component TV or DVI HDTV. The downside is that it's nontrivial to set up.

Michel wrote:
- I'm not familiar with DVD burners under linux, do these just always work (probably not :-)), or can I check it somewhere?

Most modern CD/DVD hardware 'just works". You can research stuff that has know issues if you search the net for "linux dvd burning" or the like. For instance try here:
http://fy.chalmers.se/~appro/linux/DVD+RW/

Michel wrote:
- Compared to commercial HD-recorders, what features is mythtv lacking, and what extra features does it have?

I don't know of anything lacking. It adds playing music (CD, mp3, ogg, ...) and videos (DVD, MPEG, AVI, ...), viewing digital photos, viewing headlines and weather, ... Putting YOU in control of the system, more recording space, more expandability, ... A web interface, ...

Michel wrote:
- I will not be the only one using the system. How "foolproof" is it? Can, say a 40+ year old use it, using only the remote control, without throwing the system from the 20th floor? ;-)

If you've got that kind of issue no tool more complicated than a spoon is probably foolproof enough. There are folks here who've got parents, spouses and even childern using MythTV. it's more complicated than a VCR, but that's because it's also a lot more powerful.

Michel wrote:
Any other hints or tips are greatly appreciated!

READ THE FORUMS, READ THE FAQ. If you have a question the rule is; SEARCH FIRST, ask questions later!
Author:  Michel [ Sat Jul 31, 2004 2:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advice requested on building a MythTV system
Hi tjc,

first of all, thanks for your comments!

tjc wrote:
Michel wrote:
Any other hints or tips are greatly appreciated!

READ THE FORUMS, READ THE FAQ. If you have a question the rule is; SEARCH FIRST, ask questions later!


I did read the forums, however, I do not have hands on experience with using mythtv. Thus whether or not it would be usable for someone who is not used to computers wasn't immediately clear to me.

As to the comparison with HD-recorders. I do not own a HD recorder, and thus I found it somewhat difficult to compare it to mythtv. (and advertisements of HD-recorders weren't all that clear to me).

As for the "other hints or tips", that was more in general. There might have been something that I missed (e.g. in my configuration).

So, I did search first. I'm sorry if I missed anything obvious.

But again, thanks for your reply!
Author:  RichShumaker [ Sat Jul 31, 2004 10:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Own HD Recorder
I just set up a Myth Box in the past few days. Hope this info below helps.
I own the Panasonic DMR-HRS40. It is a DVD Recorder with a Hard drive. The hard drive is 40GB's and you CAN NOT upgrade it. Or if you can it is not easy.
I like it very much and have used it a lot. But not for recording TV that much. It is like a standard VCR for recording shows. And I don't have time to set it up.
I actually don't use it to burn DVD's either as the DVD burning is limited. I transfer the files to a PC and use DVDAuthor which is easy and quick.
So I am saying I don't use it the way it was designed. This is because I don't like VCR's and the DVD's it burns are boring to look at and the interface is difficult to use. You try to create a menu using a remote, crap. I like keyboards for that stuff. That is why I transfer the files and Author it on a computer.
But that is my opinion.
tjc covered the major MythTV differences. But compared to a DVD recorder even with a Hard Drive Myth is A LOT more.
One thing tjc didn't say which for me is MythTV's MAJOR point of difference over other systems is that you only need one back end recorder to run a House or building. Then you can use front end players for the rest of the house. Do any commercially available systems do this?(I know Tivo doesn't and I don't think RePlay can either)
I am listening to music from Myth as it records a show right now. I am using another computer to type this. Soon this second computer will be a front end as well for Myth and I can move it to another room and hook it to another TV.
Oh and if I need more HD space no problems. May take a day or two for me to configure because I am no Linux Wizard but at least I can do it. The DMR will never be upgradable by me, read NEVER.
Oh I almost forgot Myth can also Transcode video. This would allow you to recompress footage to play on other devices(PDA's or other tiny devices). It can also Rip CD's to MP3.

Once the system is set up, which could take a little while, it is super easy to use. No more complicated than a VCR but with a lot more features. I think recording with it is WAY easier than a VCR because of the program guide.

Good Luck and I think you will be happy.

Rich Shumaker
Author:  Michel [ Thu Aug 12, 2004 4:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Own HD Recorder
I've finally taken the step, and bought the hardware.

It has changed a little. I got the Pundit-R instead of the Pundit (didn't even know it, till it arrived, vendor stated that it was the "Pundit"... :( ), and the DVD burner has become an LG, instead of a Philips (which was not in stock).

I just got it a few hours (well... okay, 12 hours), and ran into quite a few problems. Seems like the Pundit-R has a different mainboard, with a different chipset than the Pundit.

I'll be writing up my findings here:

http://mysettopbox.tv/phpBB2/viewtopic. ... 1280#11280
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