[TriLUG] AppleTV as MythTV Frontend

[Ken Mink]

I forgot a really important link.

The bootloader to get linux started in the first place.
http://code.google.com/p/atv-bootloader/

atv-bootloader was developed by Scott Davilla. Scott's a Triangle
resident and a very helpful guy. If you posting for help on
awkwardtv's forums, there's a good chance he'll be the one providing
the answer.

Ken

On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 11:35 AM, Ken Mink <ken.mink at gmail.com> wrote:
> Since I know there are a number of MythTV users here, I thought I'd
>  post about the status of a project I've been working on for a while.
>
>  Not long ago, I saw a note somewhere on the net about using an AppleTV
>  as a Mythzt frontend. I've been using MythTV for a number of years and
>  wanted a small, quiet frontend box the my bedroom. The AppleTV seemed
>  perfect for this.
>
>  Well, it's basically complete. Here's what I've got;
>  Stock AppleTV hardware
>  Fedora 8 running native with a custom kernel
>  NVidia proprietary video drivers(using HDMI for video out)
>  Stock MythTV rpms from atrpms.net
>  Custom compile of lirc for IR remote
>
>  So, how well does it work? It works very well. My MythTV backend uses
>  a PVR-500 for analog content and a HDHomerun for HD content. The
>  AppleTV has no problem playing either SD or HD. When playing HD
>  content, cpu usage is about 70%. It does use XvMC for HD, so there is
>  some stuttering when there is any OSD info displayed. This is a
>  problem with MythTV and XvMC and not unique to the AppleTV. I am not
>  using the Apple remote, but the same Harmony I use on my main FE/BE in
>  the living room. I need to pick up another remote. The MythTV frontend
>  is full featured and allows for playback, scheduling, etc.
>
>  The AppleTV has digital audio capabilities. I didn't have any use for
>  this feature, so I don't know if it's working. It should be, but I
>  haven't looked into it. The AppleTV also had built-in wireless. I also
>  haven't put any effort into it.
>
>  The one thing I'm missing is DVD playback. The AppleTV doesn't have an
>  optical drive. Since it's now running a standard linux distro, it
>  should be fairly easy to use an external DVD drive for DVD playback.
>  This is the next thing on the list.
>
>  If you're interested in going this route, you need to be comfortable with:
>  Patching and compiling kernels
>  Editing xorg.conf files
>  Patching, compiling and installing non-package software
>  Voiding warranties :)
>
>  Interesting Links for Linux on AppleTV:
>  http://wiki.awkwardtv.org/wiki/Linux_on_Apple_TV
>  http://www.mythic-beasts.com/resources/appletv/
>  http://www.mactel-linux.org/wiki/AppleTV
>
>  I hope some one found this interesting. It was a real fun project that
>  has provided me with a real world benefit.
>
>  Cheers,
>  Ken
>
>  --
>  ---------------------------------------------
>  "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
>  safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."--Benjamin Franklin
>  " 'Necessity' is the plea for every infringement of human liberty; it
>  is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."--William Pitt
>



-- 
---------------------------------------------
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."--Benjamin Franklin
" 'Necessity' is the plea for every infringement of human liberty; it
is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."--William Pitt