tobo78 Wrote:Hi,
After years of using xbmc on the xbox i am going to set up my HTPC this weekend. I want to use TV functionality, too.
I have read a lot in the last hours, but it is still confusing:
1. Can i run MythTV Backend on the same machine as the frontend (will be build on Zotac ITX ION F, 4GB)? I plan to install the Live System.
1b: Is MythTV the best choice?
2. Which DVB-C USB stick will work perfect?
2b. Somebody experienced the Sundtek Card yet? Looks promising...
3. Is there any known good documentation for installation?
4. Does XBMC support time shifting and PVR then?
5. Will it work with the Transparency! skin?
6. What about HD TV? I'm a Kabel Deutschland "Internet&Phone" customer
Hi,
sure you can run the MythTV Backend on the same machine. It will cause a bit of overload (cpu ~ 40-50%) if you use the transcoding functionality, like flagging commercials or converting the recordings to other video formats. But I'm sure that the dual atom can handle it. Of course it is better if you have another machine as server and you run it there.
I use MythTV for years and IMHO it's the best choice for PVR. The thing is that at the moment there is no transparent integration of a PVR inside XBMC. There are plans for the next XBMC versions (but likely not in the immediate next one) to seamlessly support TV recording functionality. Work is done with other alternatives like TVHeadend and VDR but not with MythTV AFAIK. There are guides to setup these development versions. I tried them but don't like them much and I'll wait until (or I'll help developing) a full MythTV addon is ready for XBMC.
However at the moment you can use the mythtv protocol as video source. Read
here.
You can watch recorded programmes or live tv with pause and time shifting, but you can't schedule recordings and all the extra that mythtv provides. I use that but I also have a MythTV frontend installed on the htpc (my backend is on another machine) in order to have the full functionality. MythWeb is also very useful as you can control the backend from a browser.
There are two ways to proceed: Install XBMC live normally and then install MythTV or start by setting up MythTV and then install XBMC from standard repositories. Whatever you choose (if you want a standard desktop as well, go with the second), since you are new to the area, I strongly recommend to use
Mythbuntu repositories as they provide a nice utility "Mythbuntu control center" which will guide you to setup the necessary stuff around MythTV. Mythtv Wiki is also a must read.
Finally, I don't recommend a usb stick as capture card. I have tried or seen some, and they seem slow to get the initial tuning. Changing channels is a relatively slow process (might be more than 5 seconds or even fail, as mythtv doesn't like slow cards). Since you have a pci-e slot buy a pcie card. Any such card will be much faster than a usb stick. Since you are in Germany skip the analog input cards, you will never use that input. Search for a hdtv card to get the hd channels and even better, one that has a dual tuner (so that you can watch & record more than one channels at a time).
