You are right, if you are using hardware based capture cards then you can build a system with relatively old components. If you use software based capture cards and record in MPEG-4 you will need a beefier system, especially if HDTV is involved.
I've been trying to get a MythTV system up and running for the past year on and off. What made it more complicated for me was trying to get DVB-T cards running under Linux. The drivers are still very immature for a lot of these cards, and the Support in MythTV has been completely re-written since I started. My latest install has been with Knoppmyth (which can be installed to hard drive if you want) and it actually recognises all three cards first time and tunes brilliantly. I just need to get the remote working using LIRC as my IR receiver and controller are not directly supported. Hopefully I'll get time for this in the next few weeks. I've been following the development list for Myth for a long time now and there are some major updates planned for the next couple of releases. The LiveTV system has been re-written for the next release, 0.19, along with the handling of digital tuner cards (Both DVB and ATSC I believe). 0.20 should see the UI migrated to a new custom set of APIs enabling more flexibility for plugins, easier coding and better response times, from what I understand at least. Building a MythTV system isn't that easy, especially if you have no or limited Linux experience (like myself) but for a standard system using a PVR-150/250/500 it should be a lot easier than trying to get DVB/ATSC running. Here are a few links that might be useful: http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/fcmyth.php - Fedora Myth(TV)ology HOWTO http://mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html - Knoppmyth http://www.mythtv.info/ - unofficial WiKi that is on hold as the data is moving across to the main MythTV site soon. > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Stan Zaske > Sent: 19 January 2006 05:45 > To: The Hardware List > Subject: [H] Any MythTV users out there? > > Hey guys, I've recently been reading a lot about MythTV and > how you can take relatively old and obsolete PC components > and build a PVR that will time shift your favorite programs > so you can watch them @ your convenience. Many people seem > to have successfully built MythTV boxes with little more than > old Celerons and Durons with inexpensive PVR 150's and such. > > Has anybody on the list done this as I would be interested in > your hardware setup and the Linux distro you used and the > hoops you had to jump through to get it up and running. Some > people have actually taken old Xbox's and gotten Myth to work > that way. Its really cool what some people have succeeded in > using to record and view SDTV @ home in their living rooms. > Appreciate your feedback. @:D> >
