[mythtvnz] Hello from Newbie

[Curtis Walker]

On 7 November 2013 12:53, Alex Marshall <alexmnz at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I am new to this but am intending to build a HTPC to run MythTV on Ubuntu 12.04LTS.
> I am currently in my research phase but have quite a few questions I would like to ask.
> Not sure of the correct etiquette but what I will do is outline what i am trying to achieve and then ask a couple of questions.
>
> I am currently using Sky HD for my TV and do not have a computer at home as I just use my work laptop.
> I want to get rid of sky and use a PC primarily to record and shift TV (must do HD). I am going to buy another PC to use for web-surfing, bit of Android development, project work, music, etc.
>
> I have a DVD Home theatre player and PS3 to play Blu-ray so really only interested in playing TV through HDMI to my
> Panasonic Vierra TV (supports full 1080p).  I have two aerials in my house an old UHF (never got a good picture on this) and currently use the satellite dish from Sky.
>
> So
>
> 1. Which aerial should I use for HD recording DVB-T or DVB-S.
> 2. I am thinking of running front-end and back end on one computer in my living room dedicated to TV. Is this a good option and can I keep this quiet enough.
> 3. Can I post a hardware spec for advice on whether this set-up will cope with both front-end and back-end for my requirements,
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alex Marshall
> Mob: 027 444 0759
>
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You've arrived at the correct place for such advice - welcome! A tiny
bit of ettiquette for this email list - don't top post, and do use
plain text - thought I'd get in before someone else does ;)

MythTV is definitely the way you want to go - it will do everything
you want very nicely, and is practically the same setup as I have
(although mine runs from Arch linux).

1. You'll want a decent UHF aerial for DVB-T. If possible I'd go for
terrestrial, since it's HD and 1080i (at least on a few programs)
which is a pretty nice picture.

2. Get an nvidia card, one capable of VDPAU, feature set 'D', with at
least Advanced 2x de-interlacing capability
(http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/VDPAU)

3. Yep - a single front end-backend works nicely - that's what I run
on my HTPC. But don't forget that it can serve other frontends, such
as your laptop. If you get a bit more flash, you can setup mythweb and
schedule recordings remotely from the internet anywhere, anytime. If
noise is a concern, you can get longer HDMI cables - 15-20m aren't too
much from trademe, or more if you're worried about the quality.
Similarly, I control my HTPC using a wireless USB keyboard/mouse combo
- the logitech K400
(http://www.logitech.com/en-nz/product/wireless-touch-keyboard-k400r)
- I dont' recall paying quite that much for it though. Works well with
a 5m USB extension cable if you need a little more distance.

4. Look forward to reading your specs. An HTPC really doesn't require
that much grunt. Mine is overkill, with a i5-750 and Geforce 460GTX. A
good internal PCI-e card for DVB-T is the Hauppauge HVR-2200, or
HVR-2210. Dual tuners (so you want a decent UHF feed), and pretty
staight forward to get up and running.

Good luck!