I have to correct a couple of points that Rogerdugans made.

Long ago Knoppmyth was based on Knoppix. In its current form it is built from raw Debian Linux, tuned and patched for this specific task. It still does retain the Knoppix hardware detection scripts. The Knopp in the name is now more of an homage to its original roots, than a reflection of its current build.

For watching on other TVs in the house, you do need some kind of front end for each TV. The might be a full on computer, or something like the Hauppauge MediaMPV. It depends on if the other TVs are HD or SD.

That also assumes that those other TV's are watching previously recorded content. If they are all watching different live broadcasts, the backend also needs to have one tuner card for each live broadcast / simultaneous recording.

In another thread, Cecil (the chief Knopp in Knoppmyth) said that he expects the newest version to be released by his online IRC party, on May 2nd. I suspect you can wait a week. Or you could play with installing the current version to get your feet, and then do a fresh install of the new verision when released.

I can chime in a bit on Fios.

As rogerdugans wrote, there is no surefire way to record ALL of the HD programming that any cable company sends, whether it's Fios or Comcast or anyone, without using that cable company's DVR (and paying their monthly rental fee).

They're required to send over-the-air HD channels in the clear, so you could get those in HD (search for QAM for more details). But other HD channels like Food Network or TNT or HDNET most likely won't be in the clear and won't be recordable via MythTV.

Unlike rogerdugans I'm having good luck with my PVR-150's IR blaster changing channels on my Fios HDTV set-top box and recording SD off of it. Every now and then it screws up on sending a channel so I get (say) 22 instead of 222, but it's rare.

I'm fine with recording just over-the-air HD for now (that's using my second tuner card, an old HD3000).

One feature you seem like you will use is MythVideo. MythVideo is a plugin to MythTV that manages imported DVDs and video files. It basically uses a database to organize the video files and associate cover art/descriptions with them.

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/MythVideo

Thanks to the folks who corrected/updated/chimed in on what I had posted...

Between not having done an install for a while and not having read the recent docs, I am obviously out of date.

For the rest- well, I figured I was already long-winded enough.

One additional note though- I have ZERO problems with MY FIOS SD set top box, and I am unsure of the HD boxes. The unit I did have trouble with was the dual-tuner DVR box from fios: that model used RAW ir codes, which are problemmatic, apparently.

Good point, I have the non-DVR single-tuner HD box.

So more info for Verizon FIOS users-

Motorola HD DVR- lirc control is problematic and error prone (RAW ir codes)
HD STB- occasional channel changing problems but usually works fine
SD STB- no problems as yet.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to write up your thoughts. The one thing I'm getting from this is that beyond the fact of it being a fairly seamless install, getting to know the product and how the different pieces work together is going to take some time.

Roger kudos for taking the time to type that beast out.

The questions continue.



I'm still a touch lost on this backend/front end speal. So you can have a server that runs the back end that houses all your dvd files, then you can have a box that sits near your tv that houses the interface.

whats the benefit to having both? If lets say you can put the computer that has both in it near your tv?

What are the most common uses for mythtv/knoppmyth
(what i understand and could be wrong)

-DVR recording
-Streaming movies from hard drive
-A better "tv guide"



in regards to hardware, where can i go to make sure this specific hardware is supported, moreover, i would hate to have to connect to my tv via vga, is hdmi out supported? or is that specifically the job of the video card?

If it is the video card what is a decent one to look into?

My last question is a bit of a tough one. I know in asking it, I'm almost putting myself in the situation of being asked, "honey does this dress make me look fat?"

Hopefully you can see past the audacity of the question and give me some pointers....

What is the difference or advantages to going mythtv/knoppmyth over something like say um.. {cough,cough} a MS media server?

(other than obviously media server is an os, its from MS, the files you rip to have to play in avi's/mpegs etc)

First, its spiel, not speal

Backend is software to do things like recording and video processing (finding commercials, shrinking the size of the recording) and other database oriented things like the program and recording schedule.

Frontend is software for selecting and viewing recorded programs.

A pc can run either or both. The box in my family room runs frontend and backend. The box in my bedroom is frontend only.




Yes.



Yes, and it can also house and organize your mp3 collection and digital photos, and some other things.



Most of us are running older and slower hardware. The video input can be done on a separate card. I use VGA to my tv, I found no benefit to dvi->hdmi, and many picture alignment issues.

I'd upgrade the storage first before installing. One thing I found is that its easier to have everything in the box at time of install than adding it later.



You can do a google search for your motherboard, but, this is recent hardware, I think you'll be fine. One of my boxes is a P4 2.4ghz that I bought used on ebay, and it fired up fine on the first go.

Why not use VGA? HDMI gives you nothing, unless it doesn't work right and it gives you headaches. I have a 6200 card in my main box, it has DVI. Its a well supported card, as is the 5200.


I don't know what advantage you get. I never bothered with the MS stuff. KM works wonderfully. No reason for me to look beyond it.

I've used the 32 bit version of KnoppMyth and the 32 and 64 bit versions of MythBuntu. I didn't notice any performance improvement with he 64 bit version. I found that even though MythBuntu looks alot better when you first boot the cd, there's alot of difficult things that happen straight away with KnoppMyth - mainly the ir blaster setup. I couldn't get the MythBuntu method of installing the ir blaster going at all so I copied the ir blaster script from KnoppMyth and adapted it. I then had to compile a separate instance of lirc. Things like this will probably improve though. One thing that I've seen people say which isn't correct is that MythBuntu has the full Ubuntu desktop. It uses Xfce, not gnome, so it's more like the cut down version of ubuntu - xubuntu. MythDora uses the full Fedora desktop. The main thing that's better about KnoppMyth is the community around it.

Simply put, the main advantage I find from having the software split into two parts (backend for doing the real work, frontend for diplay) is that I can set up one machine to house all the data and then add networked systems to watch anything I have on the server.

My eventual plan is to have my backend, with a large amount of storage and odd cooling system in my computer room, and a frontend box connected to both tv rooms in the house. One of the frontends will be a very minimal, quiet machine mainly housing sound, video and network card.

As stated before - look in the Hardware Recommendations - Tier 1 forum. in this context, Tire 1 means it worked out of the box. Tier 2 systems required some configuration. Tier 3 posts are from people with bruised foreheads from banging them against the wall (ie Hardware to avoid)

I've already taken the liberty of looking up your motherboard - it is in Tier 1. Well sort of - there are four different P4P800 boards, slightly varying in feature sets (SE, -E Deluxe, -MX, and -VM), but they all work. Purdy much every Nvida card in the 5xxx series is also Tier 1 (though it can't hurt to look up your specific brand/model)

Since your video card already has DVI, you can use a DVI to HDMI cable or adaptor. How well that works depends a lot on your TV. Some you can only get the native screen resolution over DVI/HDMI, some overscan with DVI/HDMI but will do native with VGA. Some TV's you have to twiddle setting in the menu and tell it not to overscan. Brand and model specs would help.

Of course you'll have to run the sound to the TV via a separate cable. Newer boards can integrate the sound into the HDMI, but DVI to HDMI can't.

As to your backend/frontend confusion: Another way to look at it is the backend does all the work. The frontend is the Graphical User Interface that lets you schedule programs for recording, watch programs that have been recorded, view DVD's archived to the myth box, listen to music, view photos ... and all the rest of the system capabilities. The backend serves that content to the frontend. For most users (and the default "automatic" install) is to have both the frontend and backend running on the same machine (running at the same time -- multitasking). Having them on different machines (or one combo and several frontends or . . .) are advanced concepts best left until after you've gotten your feet wet.


Myth lets YOU decide what YOU want to do with YOUR recorded content. That other method lets MicroFlacid, in concert with the cable companies, decide IF you CAN record a program, how long you can save that program, and whether you are granted permission to archive that recording to DVD, another hard drive, edit out commercials . . . And with with Windows Update, those permissions could change on you, overnight, without you knowing it.

For Myth in North America, the TV listing come from Schedules Direct. Just before you do your install, set up an account there. There's a 7 day free trial, two months for $5, or $20 for the year. You'll need that account name/password during the configuration stage, so that Myth can fetch the program listings.

In squat about Verizon FIOS. Others here do, so correct me where I go wrong. Which Version set top box (STB) do you have? I assume it has a firewire port on the back. I believe that will let you change channels, and record the local area broadcasts from that same firewire port. Why don't you start there.

If your motherboard doesn't have firewire (and some of the P4P800 variations don't), it adds another wrinkle, but not insurmountable.

Premium content whether that be FoodTV, movies, or PPV is a different matter. The FCC lets the cable company block that from the firewire port. But I think the firewire channel change script would still let you change the STB to those channels.

To record that other material (or everything if there is no Firewire), you'll need some kind of capture device. That could be a card in the machine (like a Hauppauge PVR card), or an external USB device. At the moment, most in either catagory will only let you capture that premium content through the Svideo out of the STB. There is a new USB device about to hit the market that will let you capture from YPrPb (red,green,blue) jacks on the STB. With it, you could record premium content (like movies and PPV) in full high def.

You also need a way to control the myth box. That could be a keyboard, either wired or wireless. And that's probably the easiest way to start. It could also be a remote control. Most of the capture cards, and USB devices come with a remote (and IR receiver).

I've left a few gaps here. Sorry, fatigue factor set in. I'll try to plug them in another post tomorrow, unless others fill in the blanks for me.

I know it sounds confusing, and frightening. It's the set top box that adds a little more complexity, than receiving over the air (or standard cable) signals. But . . .

You've already decided you want to give this a try. You've got the hardware, on which you want to give it a try. Frankly, your fretting too much on the "What If's". Waste 20 minutes and run an install with your monitor and keyboard attached. If things work, all your questions are answered. If they don't, you'll have specific questions to ask.

You might wait for the new, improved version that will be released shortly. I'd even say give it a few days after the release, just in case some "gotcha" crops up, that the testers missed.

Or you could go with the current version. Remember most others here were newbies at one point too. Most got it working out of the box. Some some required help from the forums. But if they're still here (and most are), then they paved over the bumps, and have a working PVR.

This has probably been touched on, but I figured I'd post my experience as well. I came from a solid Windows background. I had installed Linux a few times and tried several LiveCDs of various distros, but no real Linux experience.

When Meedio was bought by Yahoo, and looked to be dying I figured it was time to find something else. So, diving in with no Linux experience to speak of, I had replace my Windows based Meedio system with KnoppMyth in just one evening. The trickiest part I found was the initial configuration of "Capture Cards, Video Sources, and Input Connections". However, once I actually read through the "Pamphlet" I actually had everything up and running, with shows recording.

The I just went through the wiki and printed out pages of ideas for tweaking my system.

I've been through several version and hardware upgrades now in the past two years, but everything is running great. I have the backend and my main frontend running on my TV room computer. Plus I have a laptop in the bedroom running the frontend and another frontend PC in the kitchen. It is really nice being able to have all the same content on any TV / computer in the house.

All in all, a great system. And really looking forward to the next update.

_________________
Tim

LinHES 8.4
HDHR3
BioStar A770, AMD X2 4050e, 2GB RAM
GigaByte GeForce 8400, Chaintech AV710
USB-UIRT

Thanks for the kind words and recommendations!

Thanks to all the folks that took the time to type out their thoughts and opinions. And sorry for all the questions I just wanna know what im getting into especially if im gonna be buying a grand worth of hardware.

I figure the next thing to do is just install it and see what i can get to work. I still have to get some sort of capture card first so maybe thats the next step.

Chapman to answer your question the tv(s) are: 51' hdtv plasma panasonic viera (no idea on the model # shes bolted to the wall), 32 inch vizio lcd htdv.

Either way i have to get the card so i'll do some digging and see which one works well (unless anyone has suggestions), get that and by then hopefully the new version will be out.

thanks opel thats kind of exactly what im trying to do.

As for tuners, I'm extremely happy with my HDHomerun. Since it's an external network based dual HD tuner it's very flexible. Beth part is the thing just works and works well!

Martian

_________________
ABIT NF-M2 nView | Athlon 64 X2 3800+ | 2GB DDR2 800 | HDHomerun | GeForce 6150 (onboard) | WD 640 GB SATA HD | DVD-RW (sata) | StreamZap IR receiver with Logitech Harmony remote

Vizio 37" LCD HDTV (1080p)