Media PC - MythTV frontend advice needed

[bgeer]

I used my old desktop to build a MythTV PVR/DVR backend. It's an
Athlon XP 3000 with a gig of ram in a Shuttle XPC box with a Kworld
115 card for TV tuner. I used Mythbuntu &, after beating my head to a
pulp on "issues" for several evenings, finally got all the odd
configuration bits ironed out. Actually works pretty good now, with
caveats.

On my Slack Linux desktop Myth source compiled ok to provide its Myth
frontend. My Ubuntu laptop installed Myth frontend from the usual
package sources. I installed MythTV Player 0.5.1pre4 on my wife's
WinXP & my Ubuntu laptop's Vista partition. All are working fine,
with said caveats.

Sooooo...playback on our computers are hunky-dory, as long as I keep
my wife [and me :-] from trying to watch Myth live when it's s'posed
to be recording.

Now I want a media pc of some kind for our "big" tv - it's not all
that big - 32" instead of 40"-50" - but better for viewing with guests
than trying to huddle around one of our desktops.

What I'd *like* to do is build a fanless mini-itx running Myth
frontend from flash drive or compact flash or even cd-boot. Prefer
connection to backend via 'g' wireless (which I may upgrade to 'n').

Problem is, prices for mini-itx seem to be staying right up there at
$300-$400 mark.

Our "new" desktops are based on the Asus Pundit barebones boxes which
price out at $400 w/ AMD brisbane-core 65watt dual core & all the
trimmings. A lot more oomph for the money & quiet.

Sure wish Roku box had Myth frontend running on it...

Anyone out there have a similar project?

I'd appreciate your insight...Bob

<> Robert Geer & Donna Tomky | |||| We sure |||| <>
<> ***@xmission.com | == == find it == == <>
<> ***@xmission.com | == == enchanting == == <>
<> Albuquerque, NM USA | |||| here! |||| <>

[karrots]

HD capable a requirement? I assume yes. What are you using for your
video cards in both current machines. What's your current networking
all wifi? Just wondering why the slow down when two are playing.

Jonathan

I used my old desktop to build a MythTV PVR/DVR backend.  It's an
Athlon XP 3000 with a gig of ram in a Shuttle XPC box with a Kworld
115 card for TV tuner.  I used Mythbuntu &, after beating my head to a
pulp on "issues" for several evenings, finally got all the odd
configuration bits ironed out.  Actually works pretty good now, with
caveats.
On my Slack Linux desktop Myth source compiled ok to provide its Myth
frontend.  My Ubuntu laptop installed Myth frontend from the usual
package sources.  I installed MythTV Player 0.5.1pre4 on my wife's
WinXP & my Ubuntu laptop's Vista partition.  All are working fine,
with said caveats.
Sooooo...playback on our computers are hunky-dory, as long as I keep
my wife [and me :-] from trying to watch Myth live when it's s'posed
to be recording.
Now I want a media pc of some kind for our "big" tv - it's not all
that big - 32" instead of 40"-50" - but better for viewing with guests
than trying to huddle around one of our desktops.
What I'd *like* to do is build a fanless mini-itx running Myth
frontend from flash drive or compact flash or even cd-boot.  Prefer
connection to backend via 'g' wireless (which I may upgrade to 'n').
Problem is, prices for mini-itx seem to be staying right up there at
$300-$400 mark.
Our "new" desktops are based on the Asus Pundit barebones boxes which
price out at $400 w/ AMD brisbane-core 65watt dual core & all the
trimmings.  A lot more oomph for the money & quiet.
Sure wish Roku box had Myth frontend running on it...
Anyone out there have a similar project?
I'd appreciate your insight...Bob
<> Robert Geer & Donna Tomky |          ||||      We sure       ||||    <>
<>   Albuquerque, NM  USA    |      ||||       here!        ||||    <>
--
<> Robert Geer & Donna Tomky |          ||||      We sure       ||||    <>
<>   Albuquerque, NM  USA    |      ||||       here!        ||||    <>

[bgeer]

Post by karrots
HD capable a requirement? I assume yes. What are you using for your
video cards in both current machines. What's your current networking
all wifi? Just wondering why the slow down when two are playing.

HD? yes

The Shuttle XPC has a single PCI slot hence a single HD tuner card.
While it also has an analog tuner, until I know there will be analog
after June, why bother tuning the analog channels? Anyways, shouldn't
be watching it live while recording...

No "reasonable" way to get cat5 to my big tv, hence wireless desired.
[By "reasonable", I mean slab floor, no attic, archways without door
molding trim.] Our desktops are wired.

HD over 54g seems to work fine when signal's 100%. However, our usual
watching place gets 60%-80% signal strength resulting in some playback
starvation. I will be trying a better access point antenna next week.

Cheers, Bob

Post by karrots

I used my old desktop to build a MythTV PVR/DVR backend. =A0It's an
Athlon XP 3000 with a gig of ram in a Shuttle XPC box with a Kworld
115 card for TV tuner. =A0I used Mythbuntu &, after beating my head to a
pulp on "issues" for several evenings, finally got all the odd
configuration bits ironed out. =A0Actually works pretty good now, with
caveats.
On my Slack Linux desktop Myth source compiled ok to provide its Myth
frontend. =A0My Ubuntu laptop installed Myth frontend from the usual
package sources. =A0I installed MythTV Player 0.5.1pre4 on my wife's
WinXP & my Ubuntu laptop's Vista partition. =A0All are working fine,
with said caveats.
Sooooo...playback on our computers are hunky-dory, as long as I keep
my wife [and me :-] from trying to watch Myth live when it's s'posed
to be recording.
Now I want a media pc of some kind for our "big" tv - it's not all
that big - 32" instead of 40"-50" - but better for viewing with guests
than trying to huddle around one of our desktops.
What I'd *like* to do is build a fanless mini-itx running Myth
frontend from flash drive or compact flash or even cd-boot. =A0Prefer
connection to backend via 'g' wireless (which I may upgrade to 'n').
Problem is, prices for mini-itx seem to be staying right up there at
$300-$400 mark.
Our "new" desktops are based on the Asus Pundit barebones boxes which
price out at $400 w/ AMD brisbane-core 65watt dual core & all the
trimmings. =A0A lot more oomph for the money & quiet.
Sure wish Roku box had Myth frontend running on it...
Anyone out there have a similar project?
I'd appreciate your insight...Bob

[karrots]

 >HD capable a requirement? I assume yes. What are you using for your
 >video cards in both current machines. What's your current networking
 >all wifi? Just wondering why the slow down when two are playing.
HD? yes

I havn't found a sub $500 small form factor yet. I think the best bet
for HD playback on something small at this point is a MacMini. That is
until the someone comes out with something based on the Nvidia ion
platform. I built an HD capable frontend/backend for my parents I went
with an Nvidia card because of the offload capabilities on the video
card. It works like a champ. Personally I have been holding off on
getting a frontend at my house until I see what comes out of the ion
platform. My hopes are it will be sooner than later. A friend just
messaged me this link to a Gizmodo article on an ion based nettop
which gives me hope.

http://i.gizmodo.com/5204432/acer-revo-and-nvidia-ion-hands-on-flawless-blu+ray-playback-changes-cheap-computers-forever

As for doing more than one stream over the wifi I don't know that it
will work well unless you go to 802.11n. Because even though 802.11g
is 54 remember you need to half it because wifi is half duplex. Then
you need the signal to be perfect to get that. Then add overhead of
crypto and it drops it a little more. I recently wired my 1964 house
with ethernet just because of this reason. Fortunatly for me all the
walls were accessible from an unfinished room. Hopefully things like
802.11n will help the situation. But I wonder what will happen to
others when more technology like MythTV and FTTH start providing video
in HD streams which eat up all the wifi bandwidth. The linked article
above notes that blue-ray video they demoed was a bitrate of 28
megabits per second. That illustrates why two HD streams would have
issues on 802.11g. Same reason AT&T is having issues with U-verse
service providing enough bandwidth for the TV.

So I guess in short wait and watch for the ion platform if you want a
small set top box for myth capable of HD playback.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/sff_ion.html

Jonathan

The Shuttle XPC has a single PCI slot hence a single HD tuner card.
While it also has an analog tuner, until I know there will be analog
after June, why bother tuning the analog channels?  Anyways, shouldn't
be watching it live while recording...
No "reasonable" way to get cat5 to my big tv, hence wireless desired.
[By "reasonable", I mean slab floor, no attic, archways without door
molding trim.]  Our desktops are wired.
HD over 54g seems to work fine when signal's 100%.  However, our usual
watching place gets 60%-80% signal strength resulting in some playback
starvation.  I will be trying a better access point antenna next week.
Cheers, Bob
 >> I used my old desktop to build a MythTV PVR/DVR backend. =A0It's an
 >> Athlon XP 3000 with a gig of ram in a Shuttle XPC box with a Kworld
 >> 115 card for TV tuner. =A0I used Mythbuntu &, after beating my head to a
 >> pulp on "issues" for several evenings, finally got all the odd
 >> configuration bits ironed out. =A0Actually works pretty good now, with
 >> caveats.
 >>
 >> On my Slack Linux desktop Myth source compiled ok to provide its Myth
 >> frontend. =A0My Ubuntu laptop installed Myth frontend from the usual
 >> package sources. =A0I installed MythTV Player 0.5.1pre4 on my wife's
 >> WinXP & my Ubuntu laptop's Vista partition. =A0All are working fine,
 >> with said caveats.
 >>
 >> Sooooo...playback on our computers are hunky-dory, as long as I keep
 >> my wife [and me :-] from trying to watch Myth live when it's s'posed
 >> to be recording.
 >>
 >> Now I want a media pc of some kind for our "big" tv - it's not all
 >> that big - 32" instead of 40"-50" - but better for viewing with guests
 >> than trying to huddle around one of our desktops.
 >>
 >> What I'd *like* to do is build a fanless mini-itx running Myth
 >> frontend from flash drive or compact flash or even cd-boot. =A0Prefer
 >> connection to backend via 'g' wireless (which I may upgrade to 'n').
 >>
 >> Problem is, prices for mini-itx seem to be staying right up there at
 >> $300-$400 mark.
 >>
 >> Our "new" desktops are based on the Asus Pundit barebones boxes which
 >> price out at $400 w/ AMD brisbane-core 65watt dual core & all the
 >> trimmings. =A0A lot more oomph for the money & quiet.
 >>
 >> Sure wish Roku box had Myth frontend running on it...
 >>
 >> Anyone out there have a similar project?
 >>
 >> I'd appreciate your insight...Bob

[Jason Earl]

Post by karrots

 >HD capable a requirement? I assume yes. What are you using for your
 >video cards in both current machines. What's your current networking
 >all wifi? Just wondering why the slow down when two are playing.
HD? yes

I havn't found a sub $500 small form factor yet. I think the best bet
for HD playback on something small at this point is a MacMini. That is
until the someone comes out with something based on the Nvidia ion
platform. I built an HD capable frontend/backend for my parents I went
with an Nvidia card because of the offload capabilities on the video
card. It works like a champ. Personally I have been holding off on
getting a frontend at my house until I see what comes out of the ion
platform. My hopes are it will be sooner than later. A friend just
messaged me this link to a Gizmodo article on an ion based nettop
which gives me hope.
http://i.gizmodo.com/5204432/acer-revo-and-nvidia-ion-hands-on-flawless-blu+ray-playback-changes-cheap-computers-forever
As for doing more than one stream over the wifi I don't know that it
will work well unless you go to 802.11n. Because even though 802.11g
is 54 remember you need to half it because wifi is half duplex. Then
you need the signal to be perfect to get that. Then add overhead of
crypto and it drops it a little more. I recently wired my 1964 house
with ethernet just because of this reason. Fortunatly for me all the
walls were accessible from an unfinished room. Hopefully things like
802.11n will help the situation. But I wonder what will happen to
others when more technology like MythTV and FTTH start providing video
in HD streams which eat up all the wifi bandwidth. The linked article
above notes that blue-ray video they demoed was a bitrate of 28
megabits per second. That illustrates why two HD streams would have
issues on 802.11g. Same reason AT&T is having issues with U-verse
service providing enough bandwidth for the TV.
So I guess in short wait and watch for the ion platform if you want a
small set top box for myth capable of HD playback.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/sff_ion.html
Jonathan

I've got nothing to add to this conversation, but I really wanted to say
how much I appreciate you guys having it somewhere where I could lurk.

Jason

[bgeer]

=A0>HD capable a requirement? I assume yes. What are you using for your
=A0>video cards in both current machines. What's your current networking
=A0>all wifi? Just wondering why the slow down when two are playing.
HD? yes

http://i.gizmodo.com/5204432/acer-revo-and-nvidia-ion-hands-on-flawless-blu=
+ray-playback-changes-cheap-computers-forever

A [hopefully soon dual-core] Atom + ion sounds like a good solution.

As for doing more than one stream over the wifi I don't know that it
will work well unless you go to 802.11n.

As I flail around for possible solutions, new things come up:

We're seriously talking about 2nd monitors for our desktops so we can
watch tv on them while we work on our computers. Only, a couple of
1920x1200 lcds is kinda expensive.

My wife already really likes watching livetv from the mythbackend on
her laptop while working on her desktop. I thought about dropping a
tuner card in her desktop, but then I have to run an antenna lead to
it, so a 2nd tuner card in my current myth backend would be easier.
Except it only has 1 pci slot. I could try one of the usb tuners, I
guess.

I see some PCI Express tuner cards are coming out with dual tuners on
them. Haven't researched Linux support yet, but I'll eventually
replace my beater mythbackend box with a more modern system.

I'm thinking about replaceing/augmenting my wireless setup. A
wireless N access point & upgrading the minicards in our laptops to
N. Don't know if the N access points have gig-E uplink yet.

Always more to be done...:-)

Cheers, Bob