[TriLUG] Building a Mythbox

Sean Korb spkorb at gmail.com
Tue Jun 5 08:05:30 EDT 2012


Knoppix distributions are also available, but the MythUbuntu distros
work great and you can use your computer as a ummm... computer.  If
you have a lightweight NVIDIA card (not the big gaming jobs, just a
$30 card or an on-board chip set) you don't need a very beefy box as
most of the decoding will be done on the card.  If you record HD
you'll need at least 1TB hard disk, but for primitive NTSC you can go
smaller.

In Ubuntu, just do a search on myth and check off the software you
like.  Configuration isn't too hard (just follow the directions on
whatever you googled) but playback may need some kanoodling to get it
to look right; but 90% of the time I just works.  Happaugue makes a
number of compatible tuners, so look up the one you like for
compatibility.  Encoding on the card is a must if you are grabbing
NTSC.  Remote control can be purchased with the card (not too hard to
configure) or you can get a separate remote control that is supported.
 I just use a wireless keyboard: my sweetheart is very patient and
understanding.

If you like the commercial auto skip feature (and who doesn't) you'll
need at least 2 cores, 4 is better for the backend server and a couple
of Gigs of RAM.  Frontend servers can be... your laptop for instance.
  I've got frontends on almost all the computers in my house.

Enjoy!
sean

On Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 7:48 AM, Carl Crider <c.crider at gmail.com> wrote:
> - Look into mythbuntu: http://www.mythbuntu.org/
> - MythTV hardware requirements:
> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Hardware_Requirements
> - Add you own Blu-Ray and DVD hardware to the box
>
> Also:
> - Check out SickBeard as another way of cutting the cord:
> http://sickbeard.com/
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 7:27 AM, Tom Eisenmenger <teisenmenger at charter.net>wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Long story short - my daughter moved to Annapolis taking her DVR with her
>> (more on that) so I'm thinking it's time to build a replacement.  Part of
>> this is driven by the fact that out-of-box DVRs are near impossible to come
>> by these days, probably due to the switch to digital, cable providers
>> scrambling their channels, and the increasing popularity of streamed TV a
>> la Roku.
>>
>> I'm looking to build a MythTV box with the following capabilities:
>> 1) Recording cable television.  Thankfully, Roanoke Rapids (where I live)
>> still has analog service but the writing is on the wall so I'll need a
>> Linux-friendly TV tuner card, preferably with dual tuners so that one could
>> be watched while the other records.
>> 2) Play Blu-Ray - will any internal Blu-Ray player do?  Do any come with
>> service subscriptions similar to out-of-box Blu-ray players?
>> 3) Burn DVDs - that's the easy one, I do that now on my notebook (when
>> I've booted into Ubuntu - hanging my head in shame realizing that I'm
>> typing this in Windows Live Mail :( )!
>>
>> Simple, right?  Any tips, suggestions, or caveats are welcome!
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>
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-- 
Sean Korb spkorb at spkorb.org http://www.spkorb.org
'65,'68 Mustangs,'68 Cougar,'78 R100/7,'60 Metro,'59 A35,'71 Pantera #1382
"The more you drive, the less intelligent you get" --Miller
"Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers." -P. Picasso



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