[ale] MythTV InstallFest

[James Sumners]

VDPAU is too new, in my opinion. I use Arch for my MythTV box. It is a
"bleeding edge" distro and I still can't get VDPAU support in mplayer
without building it myself. Not only that, but VDPAU has limited
support for codecs. I haven't bothered to check out the SVN trunk
build of MythTV, so I don't know how it works with VDPAU.

Speaking of Arch. If this is a distro you are keen on having available
at the festival, I will update my -fixes packages for amd64 and build
some for x86.

Also, it might be good to gather a collection of config files for
stuff like lirc, mplayer, and VLC Player. For example, I have a
Logitech Harmony 560 remote that I have configured as a TiVo remote. I
have it doing some neat stuff in mplayer, like showing the <time
played>/<time left> when the pause button is pressed, adjusting the
audio delay, and cycling subtitles.

The hardware I am using is as follows:

Motherboard = Gigabyte GA-MA69G-S3H
Processor = AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4000+ (lower
wattage = better here)
RAM = 2GB DDR2 800 (1GB * 2 to enable Dual Channel support)
Video = nVidia GeForce 8500GT (uses passive cooling)
Tuner = pcHDTV 5500
Audio = onboard
Optical = basic DVD+/-RW
HD = 1*250GB system drive, 1*1TB videos drive
PSU = 350W (I believe)
Case = SilverStone LC17

Overall, I'm pleased with the system. I would like a video card that
runs cooler, but don't know if I want to add another fan to the system
(I have a GeForce 8800GT I can put in it). One of the unforeseen
problems I had when building it, though, was the location of the power
plug on the motherboard. It was too far away from the PSU so I had to
get an extension cable. This problem was a combination of the
motherboard design and the location of the PSU in the LC17 case.

On Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 11:24 AM, H P Ladds <householdwords at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey Crew,
>
> Response to the idea of a MythTV InstallFest  was favorable. (See post
> topic: [OT] DTV reception.)
>
> To start the ball rolling...
>
> I vote for an event date very close to the Digital TV transition date
> of June 12.  The optimal date to be Saturday, June 13. The local TV
> stations will most likely have their OTA signal operating at peak
> performance -- for that day anyway.  Also, there is a slight chance
> that this date might attract some media coverage to the event, OSS and
> Linux in the form of a "How people are handling the DTV transition"
> human interest story.
>
> The basic install of Linux and MythTV has become relatively trivial;
> however, optimizing a MythTV system is considerably less trivial.
> Perhaps we should focus the event on maintaining and optimizing a
> MythTV system.
>
> In order to make the event as productive as possible for newbies,
> perhaps we should establish a prototypical system comprised of known
> to be dependable hardware. In short, tell attendees that if they
> show-up with X model video card, Y model capture card/device, and Z
> amount of processing power, it is very likely that they will leave
> with a fully functional and dependable machine.
>
> Should we have presentations? Any VDPAU gurus?
>
> Should we do installs in the morning and have "how to" type
> presentations in the afternoon?
>
> Should we branch out to include: Boxee, LinuxMCE, XBMC, Tivo, etc?
>
> Cheers,
> H. P. Ladds



-- 
James Sumners
http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."

Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
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