diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO.sgml')
| -rw-r--r-- | abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO.sgml | 7977 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 7977 deletions
diff --git a/abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO.sgml b/abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO.sgml deleted file mode 100644 index 08fc851..0000000 --- a/abs/core-testing/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO.sgml +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7977 +0,0 @@ -<!doctype linuxdoc system> -<article> -<title>Installing and using MythTV -<author>Robert Kulagowski, <url url="mailto:rkulagow@rocketmail.com" -name="mailto:rkulagow@rocketmail.com"> -<date>2008-06-04, v0.21.02 -<abstract> -Initially, installation of MythTV seems like a huge task. There are lots -of dependencies, and various distributions seem to do the same thing -different ways. This document will attempt to give general installation -instructions, as well as including distribution-specific instructions where -necessary. -</abstract> -<toc> -<sect>First things first. -<p><figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Please note that I, Robert Kulagowski, am <em>NOT</em> the -author/programmer of the MythTV application! I can not give you -personalized installation support. If you are having issues installing -MythTV you should examine the archives, or post your question to the -MythTV-users mailing list. If you send me "Does MythTV work with 'X'"? -messages - I will simply instruct you to ask your question on the -mythtv-users mailing list. -</caption> -</figure> -<sect1>What is MythTV? -<p>MythTV is a GPL licensed suite of programs that allow you to build the -mythical home media convergence box on your own using Open Source software -and operating systems. MythTV is known to work on Linux and Mac OS X -(PowerPC and Intel). It does not run on Windows. - -MythTV has a number of capabilities. The television portion allows you to -do the following: -<itemize> -<item>You may pause, fast-forward and rewind live Television. -<item>You may install multiple video capture cards to record more than one -program at a time. -<item>You can have multiple servers (called "backends"), each with multiple -capture cards in them. All scheduling is performed by the Master backend, -which arbitrates which recording will be performed by each device. All -recording requests are managed by the Master backend, so you can schedule a -recording from any client. -<item>You can have multiple clients (called "frontends" in MythTV parlance), -each with a common view of all available programs. Any client can watch any -program that was recorded by any of the servers, assuming that they have the -hardware capabilities to view the content; a low-powered frontend will not -be able to watch HDTV, for example. Clients can be diskless and controlled -entirely by a remote control. -<item>You may use any combination of standard analog capture card, MPEG-2, -MJPEG, DVB, HDTV, USB and firewire capture devices. With appropriate -hardware, MythTV can control set top boxes, often found in digital cable and -satellite TV systems. -<item>Program Guide Data in North America is downloaded from -schedulesdirect.org, a non-profit organization which has licensed data from -Tribune Media Services. This service provides almost two weeks of -scheduling information. Program Guide Data in other countries is obtained -using XMLTV. MythTV uses this information to create a schedule that -maximizes the number of programs that can be recorded if you don't have -enough tuners. -<item>MythTV implements a UPNP server, so a UPNP client should automatically -see content from your MythTV system. -</itemize> -Other modules in MythTV include: -<itemize> -<item>MythArchive, a tool to create DVDs -<item>MythBrowser, a web browser -<item>MythControls, an application to configure your remote control -<item>MythFlix, a Netflix module -<item>MythGallery, a picture-viewing application -<item>MythGame -<item>MythMusic, a music playing / ripping application which supports MP3 -and FLAC -<item>MythNews, a RSS news grabber -<item>MythPhone, phone and videophone using SIP. -<item>MythVideo, DVD ripper and a media-viewer for content not created within MythTV -<item>MythWeather -<item>MythWeb, which allows you to control your MythTV system using a web -browser. With MythWeb, you can schedule and delete recordings, change -keybindings and more. With proper security, you may even schedule a program -over the Internet and have it immediately acted on by the Master backend. -</itemize> -<sect1>QuickStart -<p>Custom mini-distributions are available to make it easier to install -MythTV. A mini-distribution removes many of the "general purpose" -workstation / server software packages that may be installed by default if -you use one of the big-name OS packages. - -See <url url="http://mysettopbox.tv" name="http://mysettopbox.tv"> if you'd -like to install a custom version of Knoppix optimized for MythTV. - -See <url url="http://www.minimyth.org" name="http://www.minimyth.org"> if you'd like -to install MythTV onto a diskless system. - -See <url url="http://bit.blkbk.com" name="http://bit.blkbk.com"> if you'd -like to install MythTV on a Xbox. -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Site appears unmaintained. - -See <url url="http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/" -name="http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/"> for instructions tailored to RedHat's -Fedora Core distribution. - -See <url url="http://www.mythbuntu.org" name="http://www.mythbuntu.org"> if -you'd like to install a customized version of Ubuntu optimized for MythTV. - -There is a MythTV wiki at <url url="http://wiki.mythtv.org" -name="http://wiki.mythtv.org">. - -If you are installing this version for Schedules Direct support, please see -the <ref id="migratingtoSD" name="Migrating from DataDirect Labs to -Schedules Direct"> section for additional information. - -<sect1>Upgrading from previous versions -<p>The upgrade from previous versions should be transparent. Any changes to -the database structure should be applied automatically. - -It is <em>strongly</em> recommended that you back up your database before -installing a new version of MythTV. - -See <ref id="backupdb" name="Saving or Restoring the database"> for instructions. - -<sect1>How to obtain this document / PDF versions of this document <label id="how_to_obtain"> -<p>This HOWTO document is maintained at the primary MythTV website: <url -url="http://www.mythtv.org" name="http://www.mythtv.org"> by Robert -Kulagowski <url url="mailto:rkulagow@rocketmail.com">. - -This document is available as a single-page HTML document at <url -url="http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-singlehtml.html" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-singlehtml.html"> or as a PDF -at <url url="http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO.pdf" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO.pdf">. - -This HOWTO is for MythTV v0.21 - -Release notes for this version may be found in the MythTV Wiki at <url -url="http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Release_Notes_-_0.21" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Release_Notes_-_0.21"> - -<sect1>Books about MythTV -<p>If you would like to purchase a book specifically about MythTV: - -<itemize> -<item>Hacking MythTV, ISBN 978-0470037874 by Wilson, Tittel, Wright and Korelc -<item>Practical MythTV: Building a PVR and Media Center PC, ISBN 978-1590597798 by Smith and Still -</itemize> - -<sect1>Document conventions -<p>The following conventions are used throughout this document.<newline> -<bf>boldface</bf> - used for program names.<newline> -<tt>typewriter</tt> - used for program paths.<newline> -<em>emphasis</em> - Pay attention here.<newline> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption> -Pay more attention. -</caption> -</figure> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -Ignore at your own peril. -</caption> -</figure> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="add.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="add.png"> -<caption> -Feature that has been added to SVN (subversion, a revision control system) -but is not available in the current release. -</caption> -</figure> - -<sect1>Mailing lists / getting help -<p>It's recommended that you join the user list at <url -url="http://www.mythtv.org/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users">. The developer -list is at <url url="http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-dev" -name="http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-dev">. Please keep -the developer list strictly for development-related issues. - -Searchable archives for the lists are available at <url -url="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/" -name="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/">. - -<sect1>IRC -<p>There are two IRC channels dedicated to MythTV which can be found on -irc.freenode.net -<itemize> -<item>mythtv -<item>mythtv-users -</itemize> - -The <tt>mythtv</tt> channel is where the developers discuss code. It is -<em>not</em> a user-support channel. Please don't ask non-development -related questions there. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -Really. Even if there's no one in the mythtv-users IRC group or everyone -seems to be ignoring you. -</caption> -</figure> - -<sect1>Bug database -<p>If you feel you need to contribute to a bug database, use the MythTV bug -ticketing system at <url url="http://svn.mythtv.org/trac" -name="http://svn.mythtv.org/trac">. - -Good entries will contain the following: -<enum> -<item>Qt version -<item>Linux distribution -<item>gcc version -<item>the last entry in config.log to detail how you compiled -<item>MythTV version numbers (<em>e.g.</em>from mythfrontend --version) -<item>Hardware -<item>How you are able to reproduce the bug -</enum> - -See the instructions on how to debug in <ref id="debugging" name="Section 22">. - -The bug database is not a chat room, so restrict your entries to what is -relevant. It's also not a repository of feature requests; a feature request -without an accompanying patch file to implement that feature will be quickly -closed. There is a feature wishlist on the wiki at <url -url="http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Feature_Wishlist" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Feature_Wishlist">. There is no -guarantee that anything on the wishlist will ever get code written to -implement it. - -If a developer closes out your bug, it's likely you didn't provide enough -information. Don't re-open a bug without providing additional information. - -<sect1>Contributing to this document -<p>Contributions to the HOWTO are welcome, especially if you find a -grammatical or spelling error, or if the wording of something is just plain -confusing. - -If you'd like to make a new contribution, create a ticket at <url -url="http://svn.mythtv.org/trac" name="http://svn.mythtv.org/trac"> and -click "New Ticket". The type should be set to "patch" and the owner set to -"rkulagow" to ensure that I see your contribution. - -Please send it as either SGML or as plain text. <em>NO HTML</em>. The -source used to create the HOWTO is in SGML / Linuxdoc. Do not be afraid of -SGML! A quick look at the source of this HOWTO will show that it is not -difficult, because there aren't that many tags to worry about, so at least -<em>try</em> to submit as SGML. See the Linuxdoc HOWTO at <url -url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Howtos-with-LinuxDoc.html" -name="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Howtos-with-LinuxDoc.html"> for information -on the linuxdoc format itself, or look at the <tt>mythtv-HOWTO.sgml</tt> -file as an example. - -To create the actual patch, run <bf>diff -u origfilename newfile > -doc.patch</bf> and attach your contribution to the trac ticket. - -<sect>Introduction. -<p>This HOWTO document will focus on manually building MythTV in a North -American environment. If you have installation instructions for a different -region or Linux distribution, please send them to the author so that it can -be included in other versions of this document. - -<sect>Checking prerequisites. -<p>You must ensure that any firewalls (either hardware, or a software -firewall installed by your distribution) will not block access to the ports -that will be used by the MythTV clients and servers on the "inside" LAN. -The ports for MySQL (TCP port 3306) and mythbackend (TCP ports 6543 and -6544) must be open. It is <em>strongly</em> recommended that you do -<em>not</em> expose the MythTV and MySQL ports to the Internet or your -"Outside" LAN. - -<sect1>Hardware -<p>Hardware selection is a complex topic, one this HOWTO will only discuss -briefly and in general terms. The following subsections offer some general -guidance but stop short of offering specific recommendations. - -For a good MythTV experience, you must understand that MythTV exercises your -hardware more than a typical desktop. Encoder cards generate DMA across the -PCI bus. The CPU is busy encoding / decoding video. Hard drives are -constantly reading and writing data. Building a MythTV system on older / -"spare" hardware may be an exercise in frustration and can waste many hours -of valuable time. - -For more detail about actual configurations that others have used, Mark -Cooper has setup a hardware database at <url -url="http://pvrhw.goldfish.org/" name="http://pvrhw.goldfish.org/">. The -website will let you browse what other users have reported as their hardware -configuration, and how happy they are with the results. - -If you have specific questions about the suitability of specific hardware -choices, you can consult the archives of the mythtv-users mailing list at -<url url="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/" -name="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/"> or -post a question to the list. -<sect2>CPU Type and Speed -<p>Selection of CPU type and speed is one of the trickiest elements of -hardware selection, mainly because there are so many tradeoffs which can be -made. For example, if you have plenty of CPU, you can use higher bitrates -or capture sizes, etc. - -MythTV has two modes of operation. First, it can function as a software -video encoder, which means that it uses a fairly generic "dumb" video -capture card to get frames of video, encodes them using the CPU on your -motherboard and writes them to disk. High-end video capture cards and -devices like the TiVo and ReplayTV have dedicated encoder chips which use -specialized hardware to convert the video stream to the MPEG-2 format -without using the motherboard CPU. The main CPU has the responsibility of -running the Operating System and reading and writing the encoded frames to -the disk. These tasks have fairly low CPU requirements compared to encoding -video, which is why a device like a Series 1 TiVo can run with only 16MB of -RAM and a 54MHz CPU. - -There are many variables that go into the question: "How fast a CPU do I -need to run MythTV"? Obviously, the faster your CPU, the better your -experience will be with MythTV. If you are using the software MPEG-4 -encoder and performing the "Watch TV" function, where the CPU is both -encoding and decoding video simultaneously to allow Pause, Fast Forward and -Rewind functions for live TV requires more CPU then just encoding or -decoding. MythTV also supports multiple encoder cards in a single PC, -thereby increasing the CPU requirements if you plan on simultaneously -encoding multiple programs. As a general guideline, plan on 1GHz per -encoder if you are doing software-based encoding, less if you are using a -hardware-based encoder. - -Here are a few data points: -<itemize> -<item>A PIII/733MHz system can encode one video stream using the MPEG-4 -codec using 480x480 capture resolution. This does not allow for live TV -watching, but does allow for encoding video and then watching it later. -<item>A developer states that his AMD1800+ system can <bf>almost</bf> -encode two MPEG-4 video streams and watch one program simultaneously. -<item>A PIII/800MHz system with 512MB RAM can encode one video -stream using the RTjpeg codec with 480x480 capture resolution and play it back -simultaneously, thereby allowing live TV watching. -<item>A dual Celeron/450MHz is able to view a 480x480 MPEG-4/3300kbps file -created on a different system with 30% CPU usage. -<item>A P4 2.4GHz machine can encode two 3300Kbps 480x480 MPEG-4 files and -simultaneously serve content to a remote frontend. -</itemize> - -The second mode of operation is where MythTV is paired with a hardware-based -video encoder, such as a Matrox G200 or a Hauppauge -WinTV-PVR-150/250/350/500. In this mode, because the video encoding is -being done by a dedicated video processor, the host CPU requirements are -quite low. See the <ref id="video_capture_device" name="Video Capture -Device"> section for details. - -The price differential between a frame grabber and a card that implements -hardware MPEG-2 encoding, such as the Hauppauge PVR-x50 series, is now less -than $30 US. Primary development in MythTV has transitioned to supporting -MPEG-2 capture devices and HDTV, so if given the option, go with the -hardware MPEG-2 encoder. - -If you have a Via M10000 series or a Hauppauge PVR-350, MythTV can use the -hardware-based video decoder for playback, which further reduces CPU -requirements. - -<sect2>Memory -<p>A MythTV host that is both a backend and a frontend and using software -encoding with a single capture card should run adequately in 256MB of RAM. -Additional RAM above 256MB will not necessarily increase performance, but -may be useful if you are running multiple encoders. - -<sect2>Hard Disk(s) -<p>Encoded video takes up a lot of hard disk space. The exact amount depends -on the encoding scheme, the size of the raw images and the frames per -second, but typical values for MythTV range from 700 megabytes/hour for -MPEG-4, 2 GB/hour for MPEG-2 and RTjpeg and 7 GB/hour for ATSC HDTV. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: You <em>must</em> use DMA for hard drive access to prevent -choppy or jittery video. Not all distributions enable DMA at boot time. -See the Troubleshooting Section for <ref id="Setting_DMA" -name="instructions"> on how to do this.</caption> -</figure> - -Writing video to disk is sensitive to timing issues; RTjpeg requires less -CPU with the tradeoff being larger files and needing to write to the disk -faster. MPEG-4 requires more CPU, but the files are smaller. At the -default resolution, MPEG-2 creates the largest files of all with almost no -CPU impact. - -See the Troubleshooting <ref id="Setting_DMA" name="section"> for more -information. - -<sect2>Filesystems -<p>MythTV creates large files, many in excess of 4GB. You <em>must</em> -use a 64 or 128 bit filesystem. These will allow you to create large files. -Filesystems known to have problems with large files are FAT (all versions), -and ReiserFS (versions 3 and 4). - -Because MythTV creates very large files, a filesystem that does well at -deleting large files is important. Numerous benchmarks show that XFS and -JFS do very well at this task. You are <em>strongly</em> encouraged to -consider one of these for your MythTV filesystem. JFS is the absolute best -at deletion, so you may want to try it if XFS gives you problems. MythTV -.21 incorporates a "slow delete" feature, which progressively shrinks -the file rather than attempting to delete it all at once, so if you're more -comfortable with a filesystem such as ext3 (whose delete performance for -large files isn't that good) you may use it rather than one of the -known-good high-performance file systems. There are other ramifications to -using XFS and JFS - neither offer the opportunity to shrink a filesystem; -they may only be expanded. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: You <em>must not</em> use ReiserFS v3 for -your recordings. You will get corrupted recordings if you do. -</caption> -</figure> - -Because of the size of the MythTV files, it may be useful to plan for future -expansion right from the beginning. If your case and power supply have the -capacity for additional hard drives, read through the <ref id="LVM" -name="LVM"> and <ref id="advancedpartitionformatting" name="Advanced -Partition Formatting"> sections for some pointers. - -<label id="video_capture_device"> -<sect2>Video Capture Device -<p>In order to capture video, MythTV will need one or more video capture -devices with Linux drivers. There are a number of classes of hardware -available for capturing video. -<sect3>Frame Grabbers. -<p>This class of card is the simplest and is usually the cheapest. There is no -on-board encoding of the analog video; hardware known as a Digital-Analog -Converter (DAC) takes the video and presents it to the computer in an -essentially raw digital form. - -For a list of video capture cards known to work with Linux, please see -<tt>/usr/src/linux/Documentation/video4linux/bttv</tt> for a partial -listing; even if your specific card is not listed, it may be that the vendor -is actually using a standard reference design and placing their own name on -it. See the video4linux mailing list (<url -url="https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/video4linux-list" -name="https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/video4linux-list">) for -more information and for specific hardware questions. - -The most common inexpensive cards available use the Bt848, Bt878 or CX2388x -series of video capture chips; examples are the "Hauppauge WinTV Go" card and -the "AverTV Desktop PVR" card, both of which use the bttv kernel module. - -<code> -NOTE: The ATI TV Wonder series and the ATI All-in-Wonder series of cards -are not the same. The All-in-Wonder cards will not work with MythTV. -</code> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="4cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -</figure> -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="4cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: The ATI All-in-Wonder cards (which are not the same -as the ATI TV Wonder, TV Wonder VE or TV Wonder Pro) <em>will not</em> work -as a MythTV capture device because the GATOS <url -url="http://gatos.sourceforge.net" name="http://gatos.sourceforge.net"> -drivers that are available provide only a limited subset of the V4L API. -The TV Wonder series of cards are supported by the Bt8x8 Video4Linux driver. -</caption> -</figure> - -After you have installed a suitable capture device, you can check that -the kernel sees it with <tt>lspci</tt>. Look for an entry labeled "Multimedia -video controller". To get more detailed information about the card, use -<tt>lspci -v</tt> or <tt>lspci -vv</tt>. Ensure that your system is loading -the bttv modules by typing: -<tscreen><verb> -# lsmod |grep bttv -</verb></tscreen> - -You want to see the <tt>bttv</tt> module listed. -<sect3>Hardware MPEG-2 encoders. -<p>While inexpensive video-capture cards simply capture raw frames, leaving -encoding to software, some higher-end cards incorporate hardware-based -encoding. Using either a G200 MJPEG encoder card, or a MPEG-2 encoder card -supported by the IvyTV project <url url="http://ivtvdriver.org/" -name="http://ivtvdriver.org"> such as the Hauppauge -PVR-150/250/350/500, Avermedia M179, Hauppauge "Freestyle" or Yuan M600 -cards will allow you to use dedicated hardware encoders rather than your -CPU. (The PVR-350 can simultaneously be used as an output device.) Using the -on-board MPEG-2 encoder greatly reduces the CPU requirements for -encoding. - -The ivtv driver was incorporated into the Linux kernel starting at v2.6.22. - -There is a Beta driver for the HVR-1600 card at <url -url="http://www.ivtvdriver.org/index.php/Cx18" -name="http://www.ivtvdriver.org/index.php/Cx18"> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Motherboards with the Via chipset are notoriously bad with -DMA and have caused numerous issues with ivtv, including hard locks. See -the ivtv website <url url="http://ivtvdriver.org" name="http://ivtvdriver.org"> -for the latest information on what works and what doesn't. - -Here are some data points for encoding: -<itemize> -<item>A Celeron 450 uses 2% CPU for encoding a 480x480 16Mbps MPEG-2 stream. -</itemize> - -Here are some data points for decoding: - -<itemize> -<item>An Athlon 1800XP can decode a 720x480 8Mbps MPEG-2 file using 10% CPU -<item>An Athlon 1GHz can decode a 720x480 16Mbps MPEG-2 file using 30-50% -CPU, can decode a 480x480 16Mbps MPEG-2 using 30% CPU and approximately 30% -for Live TV at 416x480. -<item>A P3-550 can decode a 480x480 16Mbps MPEG-2 file with 55% CPU. -<item>A Celeron 450 (no SSE) can decode a 480x480 16Mbps MPEG-2 file with -80% CPU. -</itemize> - -<sect3>DVB capture cards. -<p>DVB is a video standard primarily found in Europe (where it comes in -DVB-C, DVB-T and DVB-S varieties for Cable, Terrestrial and Satellite) and -is also used as the programming interface for HDTV capture cards in Linux. -To see if your DVB card is supported, see the list of cards in the -"Supported Hardware" section of the DVB Wiki at <url -url="http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page" -name="http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page"> for more -information. - -In the United States, you may use a card such as the TwinHan to obtain -unencrypted Free-To-Air satellite channels. See <url -url="http://www.lyngsat.com/" name="http://www.lyngsat.com/"> for the types -of content which is available. - -<sect3>HDTV. -<p>There are a number of HDTV cards with Linux drivers which are known to -operate in the United States; a complete list of cards with DVB drivers can -be found at <url url="http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/ATSC_Devices" -name="http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/ATSC_Devices"> Some cards -support capture of unencrypted digital cable TV (utilizing QAM256), others -will only work with Over The Air (aka "OTA") signals captured with an -antenna (with 8VSB). - -Cards that have been reported to work include: -<itemize> -<item>pcHDTV HD-2000, Air2PC PCI rev 1-3 (8VSB only) -<item>SiliconDust HDHomeRun (8VSB, QAM256) -<item>pcHDTV HD-3000/5500 (8VSB, QAM256) -<item>Air2PC HD-5000 (8VSB, QAM256) -<item>DViCO Fusion HDTV Lite/Gold 5 (8VSB, QAM256) -</itemize> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: There are no known consumer-level capture devices which will -allow you to capture the HDTV output (DVI, HDMI, VGA, YPbPr / Component) -from a set-top box commonly found with digital cable systems or satellite -systems. <em>None</em> of the capture devices listed above -perform any encoding; they merely allow your computer to save a copy of a -HDTV stream which has already been converted to MPEG-2 at the broadcast -facility. - -<bf>NOTE:</bf>: All of the cards listed above (except for the HD-2000 and -HDHomeRun) should be configured as DVB cards. The HD-2000 can be configured -as a pcHDTV card if you use the V4L drivers from <url -url="http://www.pchdtv.com" name="http://www.pchdtv.com"> and use Linux -kernel 2.6.9 or earlier. With kernel 2.6.10 and higher it must be -configured as a DVB card, but you lose access to the second antenna input in -ATSC mode. The HDHomeRun should be configured as two HDHomeRun cards, one -for each tuner. - -To playback HDTV content, plan on a powerful CPU. "How powerful?" depends -on a number of factors, such as the capture resolution, whether the video is -progressive or interlaced, and whether your display card has hardware-assist -support for Linux. - -The Simple Answer: Once you are in the 3.2 Ghz P4-class of CPU you should have -no issues with viewing HDTV. - -The Complicated Answer: - -For 720p content (1280x720), a 2.4GHz P4 should be sufficient. - -For 1920x1080i->1920x1080p with the better deinterlacing methods -done in real time a 2.4GHz CPU is taxed, but should work if you use "Bob and -Weave" deinterlacing, or if you have an NVIDIA card with MPEG-2 hardware -acceleration. If you enable the hardware acceleration, you may be able to -use a 1.8GHz processor. - -<sect3>Firewire. -<p>You may use the Firewire output of the Motorola DCT6200 or the SA3250. -If your provider uses 5C encryption on a particular channel, you won't be -able to get any content. - -<sect3>DBoxII or other devices running Neutrino -<p>You may use the Ethernet port of an DBoxII or a similar device to capture -MPEG2. Your set top box has to be running the Neutrino GUI. - -<sect3>USB Capture Devices. -<p>The Plextor ConvertX PVR devices are supported through Linux drivers -available from <url -url="http://www.plextor.com/english/support/LinuxSDK.htm" -name="http://www.plextor.com/english/support/LinuxSDK.htm">. MythTV uses the -Plextor to capture hardware encoded MPEG-4, so the host CPU requirements are low. - -Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2 (driver available at <url -url="http://www.isely.net/pvrusb2/" name="http://www.isely.net/pvrusb2/">) -emulates a PVR-x50 card. - -<sect3>IP Recorder (RTSP, RTS, UDP) -<p>MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and H.264 internet TS stream recording is supported using -the IPTV recorder in MythTV. This recorder expects the channels to be supplied -as a m3u playlist. If your DSL/Fiber provider supplies television service, -but does not provide a m3u playlist for the channels, you can construct one -for your own use. You do not need to download it from the same server as the -streams themselves, and can also read it from a file if this is more convenient. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Some DSL providers only allow you to use one recorder at a -time, so you may need to limit yourself to one recorder in MythTV and turn -off any set top box the cable provider sold or rented to you with your -service. This limitation is independent of the bandwidth you have purchased. - -<sect2>Hardware known NOT to work and other issues -<p> -<itemize> -<item>Hauppauge WinTV-D or -HD (no driver) -<item>Hauppauge WinTV-USB series -<item>Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-usb (model 602), or WinTV-PVR-PCI (model 880) cards (no driver - this is not the PVR-250/350 -series of cards supported by the IvyTV driver) -<item>ATI All-in-Wonder series -</itemize> - -<sect2>Sound card -<p>The system needs a sound card or an on-board equivalent on the motherboard -to play back and in most cases, to record sound. Any sound card that can be -operated by the ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) kernel modules will -work with MythTV. However, some cards and drivers will provide better -quality or compatibility than others. In particular, many audio -devices included on motherboards can be problematic. - -The usual practice for capturing the audio associated with the video is to -run a cable from an audio output on the video capture card to the Line input -on a sound card. However, some video capture cards provide on-board audio -capabilities that work with the kernel <tt>btaudio</tt> module instead, -thereby eliminating the need for a cable. This is useful if you will be -using multiple capture cards in a single chassis, since each capture card -will not need its own sound card. Note that a separate sound card is still -required for playback when using <tt>btaudio</tt>, and that often the audio -recorded in this way will be mono only. See the <ref id="btaudio" -name="btaudio"> section for more information. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Analog video capture cards are the only ones which -require a soundcard for capturing audio. DVB, HDTV, and other hardware -encoder cards all provide a combined audio / video stream. -</caption> -</figure> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Plugging a Line-level device into the Mic input is -not recommended. Line-level devices have higher voltages and can damage the -sound card. In addition, even if it doesn't break your card, you will be -getting Mono sound. See the Linux MP3 HOWTO at <url -url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/MP3-HOWTO.html" -name="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/MP3-HOWTO.html"> for additional information. -</caption> -</figure> - -<sect2>Video Display Card -<p>MythTV will work with just about any video card. However, it is highly -recommended that you use a card which supports XVideo (XV) extensions. If -your card does not support XV, color conversion and scaling will be -performed by your CPU rather than the video card. This is very CPU -and memory intensive and will often result in dropped frames and a -corresponding degradation of quality. Check the X documentation -for details if you are uncertain about your preferred card. You may -also run <tt>xvinfo</tt>; look for your video card to be listed as one -of the adapters. - -<!-- Updated information from "Ray Olszewski" <ray@comarre.com> --> - -If you want to use MythTV with a standard television, you will need a -physical connection from your video card to your TV set, which can either be -a TV-out port on the card itself or an external adapter that converts the -VGA signal to an appropriate video signal. "Appropriate" depends on a number -of factors, such as video standard (NTSC vs. PAL), the type of input -connection (Composite vs. SVideo), etc. - -Note that with some video cards and X drivers, XVideo extensions are -only supported on the VGA output, and not on the TV output. - -<sect2>Cards with TV-out -<p>The next section deals with a number of cards that are known to have -TV-out ports. The list is unlikely to be complete, so if you know of -others, please post a message to the mythtv-users mailing list so the -information can be included in future versions of the HOWTO. The list is -organized by manufacturer. - -Reports here are based on what users of the cards have posted on the -mythtv-users mailing list, so if you need configuration details, please -search the archives at <url -url="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/" -name="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/"> using -the card name in your search string. - -<sect3>ATI -<p>ATI makes many cards with TV-out capability, but only offers Linux -drivers for Radeon 8500 and above cards. See the Drivers and Software -section of <url url="http://www.ati.com/" name="http://www.ati.com"> for the -driver and additional information. - -The enhanced ati.2 X driver created by the GATOS <url -url="http://gatos.sourceforge.net" name="http://gatos.sourceforge.net"> -project offers some support for TV-out on other ATI cards, but only in its -"experimental" version, available through CVS. There have been reports from -people who say they have made this driver work with one or another ATI card. -For example, Bruce Markey <url url="mailto:bjm@lvcm.com"> writes (on the -mythtv-users mailing list): "I got this to work. You can quote me on that. -I've used TV-out on several models of ATI cards both All-In-Wonder and -regular cards with TV-out." See the "Adventurous Setup" section of <url -url="http://gatos.sourceforge.net/watching_tv.php" -name="http://gatos.sourceforge.net/watching_tv.php"> for details. Also see -<url url="http://www.retinalburn.net/linux/tvout.html" -name="http://www.retinalburn.net/linux/tvout.html"> for more information. - -<sect3>NVIDIA -<p>Some NVIDIA cards with TV-out can be run using the standard nv driver in -X, combined with the userspace application <bf>nvtv</bf> to control the TV-out -port. See <url url="http://sourceforge.net/projects/nv-tv-out/" -name="http://sourceforge.net/projects/nv-tv-out/"> for details. Recent -versions of the NVIDIA driver have better support for overscan and other -features useful with TV-Out, so the <bf>nvtv</bf> application may not be -required. - -Some NVIDIA cards can be run with a proprietary NVIDIA X driver made -available by NVIDIA. See <url url="http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html" -name="http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html"> for more information. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: It's strongly recommended that you use the proprietary -NVIDIA drivers; they have excellent support for XvMC and ship with a good -configuration utility. XvMC provides MPEG-2 hardware acceleration, which is -important if you want to display HDTV. - -<sect3>Hauppauge PVR-350 <label id="PVR-350"> -<p>MythTV supports the TV-out and MPEG-2 decoder functions in the IvyTV -driver. - -The PVR-350 is unique amongst the Hauppauge PVR-x50 cards in that it also -supports audio output, but you need to connect that audio output to -something. There are two courses of action you may take: -<enum> -<item>Take the audio output from the PVR-350 and plug it into an input on a -sound card on your machine. You may then use MythTV's internal audio -controls. -<item>Take the audio output from the PVR-350 and connect it directly to your -television / audio system. You must indicate that you are using external -audio control on the PVR-350 setup page. -</enum> - -<sect3>Other Options -<p>Some devices with on-board TV-out capability, such as Xboxes converted to -Linux and some laptops can be used as MythTV frontends to display on a -television screen. Please consult the mythtv-users mailing list for messages -that report the details of these special arrangements. - -<sect2>External Adapters -<p>External adapters convert standard VGA output to a form suitable for -display on a television. The output format varies by region, since -different countries have different TV standards. People on the mythtv-users -list have mentioned these adapters: - -<itemize> -<item>AITech Web Cable Plus, powered by external transformer or takes power -from PS/2 keyboard connector, support resolutions up to 1024x768, outputs -composite and SVideo, provides position adjustment. -<item>Averkey lite, powered by a USB port, has Composite, SVideo, YPbPr -outputs; pan, brightness, overscan/underscan controls; supports up to -1024x768 outputs; and supports PAL and NTSC. -<item>ADS TV Elite XGA -<item>AverKey iMicro (comments are generally favorable) -<item>AITech Web Cable (comments are generally unfavorable, different than -the "Plus" version above) -<item>TVIEW Gold (mentioned once, favorably) -</itemize> - -<sect1>Software -<p>There are a few ways of installing programs on Linux systems; you can -either use a pre-compiled package, or install from a tarball after -satisfying any prerequisites. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: you must have the MySQL database software installed on a -system to store the master database. This does not necessarily mean that -MySQL must run on one of the MythTV boxes. The minimum MySQL version is 5.0. -</caption></figure> - -<sect2>Pre-compiled packages <label id="precompiled"> -<p>A number of people have created pre-compiled packages for MythTV that may -make your installation easier. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -<bf>BIG FAT WARNING</bf>: This HOWTO assumes that you have <em>not</em> -installed MythTV from a package. All example command lines and file -locations are based on the MythTV tarball defaults. Some packagers have -modified the filenames, binaries and file locations to match what is -commonly found in that distribution. Any issues with MythTV installed via a -pre-compiled package <bf>MUST</bf> be raised with the packager. -</caption> -</figure> - -If you use any of the pre-compiled packages you may not need to perform any -additional configuration steps in this HOWTO. The next logical step is -<ref id="mysql" name="configuring MySQL">, which you may or may not have to -perform. See your package documentation. - -<sect3>Red Hat Linux / Fedora Core -<label id="atrpms"> -<p>The definitive documentation on installing MythTV on Red Hat Linux / -Fedora Core can be found in Jarod Wilson's (<url -url="mailto:jcw@wilsonet.com" name="mailto:jcw@wilsonet.com">) HOWTO at <url -url="http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/" name="http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/"> Just -like 3rd-party packages, any 3rd-party documentation problems should be -brought up with the 3rd-parties (maintainer, lists, bugzillas etc.). The -installation instructions which follow should be used as a guide only; refer -to Jarod's guide. - -Red Hat Linux and Fedora Core packages for MythTV and all of its add-on -modules and some themes have been packaged by <url -url="mailto:Axel.Thimm@ATrpms.net" name="mailto:Axel.Thimm@ATrpms.net"> and -are available at <url url="http://ATrpms.net/topic/multimedia/" -name="http://ATrpms.net/topic/multimedia/">. All of the prerequisites for -MythTV (such as XMLTV) are available as RPM packages. If you have problems -with the RPMs, please contact the ATrpms lists at <url -url="http://lists.ATrpms.net/" name="http://lists.ATrpms.net/"> or file a -bug against <url url="http://bugzilla.ATrpms.net/" -name="http://bugzilla.ATrpms.net/">. - -Given the large number of dependent RPMs you are advised to use tools like -apt or yum for automatic retrieval and installation of the required RPMs. -(<url url="http://ATrpms.net/install.html" -name="http://ATrpms.net/install.html">) In this case a -special meta-package called mythtv-suite will allow you to install all of -MythTV and its add-ons, plus all dependencies. - -If you don't have <bf>apt</bf> or <bf>yum</bf> on your machine, download and -install the atrpms-kickstart package from <url -url="http://ATrpms.net/name/atrpms-kickstart/" -name="http://ATrpms.net/name/atrpms-kickstart/">. -Install the package with: -<tscreen><verb> -# rpm -Uvh atrpms-kickstart* -</verb></tscreen> -Then run: -<tscreen><verb> -# apt-get update -# apt-get dist-upgrade -# apt-get update -</verb></tscreen> -And finally: -<tscreen><verb> -# apt-get install mythtv-suite -</verb></tscreen> -These steps however, do NOT perform the installation of any drivers required -for <bf>ALSA</bf>, capture cards, <bf>lirc kernel modules</bf>, etc., nor do -they set up your MythTV database. Check <url -url="http://ATrpms.net/topic/multimedia/" name="http://ATrpms.net/topic/multimedia/"> for the drivers you -need. - -<sect3>Mandriva -<p>Thac has created RPMs for MythTV for Mandriva which may -be obtained from <url url="http://rpm.nyvalls.se/" -name="http://rpm.nyvalls.se/"> If you have problems with the RPMs, please -send him email directly at <url url="thac@nyvalls.se" name="thac@nyvalls.se">. -<sect3>Debian -<p>Debian packages for MythTV and most of its add-on modules are maintained -by Christian Marillat <url url="mailto:marillat@free.fr" -name="mailto:marillat@free.fr"> and are available at <url -url="http://www.debian-multimedia.org/" -name="http://www.debian-multimedia.org/">. -Installation instructions can be found on those pages as well. All of the -prerequisites for MythTV are available as Debian packages, most of them from -the official Debian archive. - -If you have followed the instructions on the above page you should have added -<tscreen><verb> -deb-src http://www.debian-multimedia.org sid main -</verb></tscreen> - -to your <tt>/etc/apt/sources.list</tt> file. Running <bf>apt-get update</bf> and then -executing <bf>apt-get build-dep mythtv</bf> should install all the -pre-requisites required to compile MythTV. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Due to the requirement for Qt 3.3+, there are no packages for -Debian woody/stable. -</caption></figure> - -<p>The Debian packages are configured such that MythTV programs should be -run as the <tt>mythtv</tt> user, which is automatically created during -installation. This user has access to write new recordings to disk in the -default directory, read and write the database, access the audio and video -devices, and everything else that MythTV needs to do. - -<p>See <tt>/usr/share/doc/<it>packagename</it>/README.Debian</tt> for more -information, including copies of the MythTV documentation. The -<tt>mythtv-doc</tt> package contains a copy of this HOWTO in -<tt>/usr/share/doc/mythtv-doc</tt>. -<sect2>Manual installation -<p>You may use the graphical tools that come with your distribution, or you -can use command-line utilities. Either system will get the job done, and it -all depends on your comfort level with Linux. - -In order to compile MythTV, we need to make sure that the software it needs -is installed. This list includes <bf>mysql</bf>, <bf>gcc</bf>, -<bf>freetype2-devel</bf>, <bf>xorg-xserver-devel</bf>, <bf>qt-devel</bf> and -<bf>lame</bf>. If you're going to use a remote control with MythTV, you're -going to need the <bf>cdialog</bf> package in order to compile -<bf>lircd</bf> if your distribution doesn't have a pre-packaged -<bf>lirc</bf>. If you are using <bf>XMLTV</bf> as a grabber, you will need -<bf>perl</bf>. - -<code> -NOTE: Qt v3.3 or higher is required. - -NOTE: MythTV DOES NOT WORK with Qt4. - -NOTE: If you are going to be using RPMs to install various -components, you should be aware that not all packages include the necessary -headers for compiling. If you're having trouble compiling, ensure -that you've installed the -devel version of a prerequisite. -</code> - -<sect2>Command-line installation <label id="CLIinstalltools_"> -<p> This section details the various methods for installing prerequisites -from the command line. - -<sect3>Mandriva -<p><bf>NOTE</bf>: The following instructions should be considered out of -date as of 2006-09-10. If updated instructions are not submitted by the -release of v0.21 of MythTV they will be removed. - -<bf>urpmi</bf> is the simplest tool for installation of packages from the -command line, but properly configuring it can be difficult. The -following website <url url="http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/" -name="http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/"> will allow you to choose -a mirror site and then present the command-line configuration text for that -mirror. You will most likely need to add a "Contrib" mirror to your setup. -If you add a site from the "Penguin Liberation Front", you will be able to -load the <tt>lame</tt> library without compiling from source. - -Open a shell, and execute the following. You may get -asked a number of questions regarding dependencies. It's best to answer -"YES". -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# urpmi mysql gcc gcc-c++ freetype2-devel cdialog alsa-utils -# urpmi XFree86-devel perl -# urpmi libqt3-devel libMesaGLU1-devel -</verb></tscreen> - -<code> -NOTE for Mandriva 9.1+ users: execute the following command. - -# urpmi libqt3-mysql -</code> -However, you might get this when you execute the commands above: -<tscreen><verb> -everything already installed -</verb></tscreen> - -In that case, you're ready to move to the next <ref id="Setting_up_paths" -name="section">. Once you have completed installing the pre-requisites, -exit out of the shell and start a new one to ensure that any environment -variables setup by the installation have a chance to take effect. - -<sect3>Gentoo. -<p><bf>NOTE</bf>: MythTV does <em>not</em> run on Qt4. -If Qt has not been installed on your system: Edit -<tt>/etc/make.conf</tt> and locate the "USE" variable. If the line is -commented out, remove the comment. The line should have at least: -<tscreen><verb> -USE="mysql alsa" -</verb></tscreen> -Next you need to build Qt. If you don't plan on using the ebuilds as -described in the Gentoo section then you also need to install lame. -<tscreen><verb> -# emerge lame mysql qt -</verb></tscreen> - -If you have already installed Qt: you will need to rebuild because the -default installation doesn't include MySQL support, a requirement for MythTV. -To enable SQL support, add "mysql" to your USE variable in -<tt>/etc/make.conf</tt> and rebuild Qt by running -<tscreen><verb> -# emerge qt -</verb></tscreen> - -All the necessary files will be downloaded and built. Even on a fast machine -this may take a lot of time if you need to do a full Qt build. - -<sect3>Debian. -<p>Build-dependencies for MythTV can be satisfied by adding the following to -your <tt>/etc/apt/sources.list</tt> -<tscreen><verb> -# Christian Marillat's packages (mplayer, lame) -deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org sid main -deb-src http://www.debian-multimedia.org sid main -</verb></tscreen> -and executing: -<tscreen><verb> -# apt-get build-dep mythtv -# apt-get source mythtv --compile -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect>System Configuration Requirements for Compiling MythTV. <label -id="Setting_up_paths"> -<p>Before you compile MythTV from the current source tarball or from -<bf>subversion</bf>, you may need to modify your system configuration in a -few ways. - -In general, if you install MythTV from pre-packaged binaries for your Linux -distribution/version, you don't need to be too concerned about the issues in -this section of the HOWTO - the install script for the packages should take -care of them. However, this section is still recommended reading which may -help if the packager skipped a step in their packaging. - -<sect1>Software requirements for compiling MythTV -<sect2>General requirements -<p>MythTV is written in C++ and requires a fairly complete, but standard, -compilation environment, including a recent g++ compiler, <tt>make</tt>, and -appropriate header files for shared libraries. Any standard Linux -distribution should be able to install a suitable compilation environment -from its packaging system. Section 3.2 of this HOWTO provides some details -of how to install the required environment for many distributions. - -Subsequent sections of this chapter address the few oddities that you may -have to adjust by hand before you compile MythTV. - -The reference compilation system for MythTV is Ubuntu. - -<sect1>Shared-Library requirements for MythTV -<sect2>Modifying /etc/ld.so.conf <label id="modifying_ld.so.conf"> -<p>The runtime manager for shared libraries, <bf>/lib/ld.so</bf>, gets -information about the locations and contents of shared libraries from -<tt>/etc/ld.so.cache</tt>, a file created by <bf>ldconfig</bf> from -information in <tt>/etc/ld.so.conf</tt>. Because MythTV installs some -shared libraries in <tt>/usr/local/lib</tt>, that directory needs to be -added to the list of directories for <bf>ld.so</bf> to search when doing -runtime linking of programs, if it is not already there. -You do this, as root, by editing <tt>/etc/ld.so.conf</tt>, then -running <bf>ldconfig</bf>. There are many ways to do this; one that -works is to enter this series of commands: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ su - -# echo /usr/local/lib >> /etc/ld.so.conf -# /sbin/ldconfig -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> -<sect1>Environment variable requirements for MythTV -<sect2>General requirements -<sect3>QT libraries and binaries -<p>The compiler needs to be able to locate QT binaries and libraries in -order to compile MythTV. QTDIR needs to be set and the directory holding the -QT binaries needs to be added to your PATH. Your distribution may already -be making these changes as a part of the installation of the software -prerequisites detailed earlier. - -One way to do this is as follows: <label id="Checking_that_it_worked"> - -Open a shell and execute the following: -<tscreen><verb> -$ echo $PATH -/usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/games:/usr/lib/qt3/bin:/home/mythtv/bin:/usr/lib/qt3/bin -$ echo $QTDIR -/usr/lib/qt3 -$ which qmake -/usr/lib/qt3/bin/qmake -</verb></tscreen> - -For Mandriva, you should see a value like <tt>/usr/lib/qt3</tt> for -<tt>QTDIR</tt> and <tt>/usr/lib/qt3/bin</tt> should be in $PATH. - -For Gentoo, you should see a value like <tt>/usr/qt/3</tt> for <tt>QTDIR</tt> -and <tt>/usr/qt/3/bin</tt> should be in $PATH. - -If you don't, do not proceed past this step until you have resolved this -error. You may need to manually specify the QTDIR and PATH at the shell -prompt before compiling. - -Also, check that there has been a link created in -<tt>/usr/lib/qt3/mkspecs</tt> (<tt>/usr/share/qt3/mkspecs</tt> for Debian) -called <tt>default</tt>. If not, you'll get errors during the compile. See -the Troubleshooting Section for more information. -<sect2>Distribution-Specific Notes -<sect3>Mandriva -<p>The following instructions work for Mandriva using -<bf>bash</bf> as the shell, and may be applicable for a distribution which -uses <tt>/etc/profile.d</tt>. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Mandriva 10 installs a <tt>/etc/profile.d/qtdir3.sh</tt> -file, but it doesn't include the addition of the PATH variable. If you're -running Mandriva 10, don't create a <tt>mythtv.sh</tt> file as detailed -below; edit the <tt>qtdir3.sh</tt> file and add the PATH statement within -the if / fi block. -</caption> -</figure> -As root, create the following file in <tt>/etc/profile.d</tt> The example -filename is "mythtv.sh". Use what you feel is appropriate. - -Open a shell, and switch to superuser mode. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: ^D means press CTRL and d at the same time. -</caption> -</figure> -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# cd /etc/profile.d -cat > mythtv.sh -export QTDIR=/usr/lib/qt3 -export PATH=$PATH:/usr/lib/qt3/bin -^D - -# chmod a+x mythtv.sh -# exit -$ exit -</verb></tscreen> -The last two commands are to exit out of the shell. This way, when you next -open a shell your new commands -will take effect. - -<sect2>Device Permissions <label id="devperms"> -<p>MythTV will need access to the video4linux devices on your system. By -default, your distribution may restrict access to these devices to the -logged-in user, so if you will be automatically starting -<bf>mythbackend</bf> from a script rather than an interactive terminal -session you will need to make some adjustments. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: The following instructions are accurate for Mandriva. - -Check for a file called <tt>/etc/security/console.perms</tt>. Open the file -in your favorite text editor and look for a line that has: -<tscreen><verb> -<console> 0600 <v4l> 0600 root.video -</verb></tscreen> -and replace it with -<tscreen><verb> -<console> 0666 <v4l> 0666 root.video -</verb></tscreen> - -What we're doing is allowing read and write access to the files in the -video4linux directory. -<sect>Downloading and compiling. <label id="DownloadAndCompile"> -<p>Get MythTV from the <url url="http://www.mythtv.org" -name="http://www.mythtv.org"> web site. There are two installation methods -you may choose from. The first is to download the latest release in tarball -format and compile. The tarball release of MythTV should work on a wide -variety of systems and should be the preferred method for new users. If you -wish to use the <bf>subversion</bf> copy of MythTV you may obtain it from -<url url="http://svn.mythtv.org" name="http://svn.mythtv.org"> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: If you are going to use <bf>subversion</bf> to -compile MythTV rather than using the distribution tarball, you <em>must</em> -join the <url url="http://www.mythtv.org/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-commits/" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-commits/"> and <url -url="http://www.mythtv.org/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-dev/" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-dev/"> mailing lists to -keep up to date with the current status of the code. Code obtained from -subversion has no guarantees regarding stability, etc. -</caption> -</figure> - -If you are in North America you will use the Schedules Direct grabber which is -built-in to MythTV. You <em>do not</em> need to install XMLTV (so you may -skip XMLTV-related instructions), but you need <bf>wget</bf> version 1.9.1 -or higher. - -Get XMLTV from <url url="http://xmltv.sourceforge.net" -name="http://xmltv.sourceforge.net">. Download the latest version (0.5.51). - -<code> -NOTE for Mandriva users: If you have added a "PLF" mirror, you may skip the -next step and type: - -# urpmi libmp3lame0 libmp3lame0-devel - -After downloading, be sure to install both: -# rpm -Uvh lame* - -</code> - -Get lame from <url url="http://lame.sourceforge.net/" -name="http://lame.sourceforge.net/">. Download the source code to v3.96.1 -by following the links from "Using" through "Download...". - -<sect1>Building LAME -<p>Open a shell and switch to the directory where you saved lame. -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xzf lame-3.96.1.tar.gz -$ cd lame-3.96.1 -$ ./configure -$ make -$ make test -$ su -# make install -</verb></tscreen> -Check that it worked: -<tscreen><verb> -# ls -l /usr/local/lib --rw-r--r-- 1 root root 381706 Nov 4 14:22 libmp3lame.a --rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 674 Nov 4 14:22 libmp3lame.la* -lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 19 Nov 4 14:22 libmp3lame.so -> -libmp3lame.so.0.0.0* -lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 19 Nov 4 14:22 libmp3lame.so.0 -> -libmp3lame.so.0.0.0* --rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 360197 Nov 4 14:22 -libmp3lame.so.0.0.0* - -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>XMLTV -<sect2>Red Hat Linux and Fedora Core: -<p>RPMs for <bf>XMLTV</bf> and all of its dependencies can be obtained from -<url url="http://ATrpms.net/name/xmltv/" -name="http://ATrpms.net/name/xmltv/">. The web page has a -list of all the dependent packages you must download and install. -<tscreen><verb> -# rpm -Uvh xmltv* perl* -</verb></tscreen> - -If you install from this location you may skip to <ref id="manually_building_mythtv" -name="Manually building MythTV">. -<sect2>Mandriva -<p>RPMs for <bf>XMLTV</bf> and all of its dependencies are located in -Mandriva's "contrib". If you have added a contrib mirror, try installing -<bf>XMLTV</bf>: -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi xmltv xmltv-grabbers -</verb></tscreen> -If this does not work, it is possible that contrib for your Mandriva version -does not have <bf>XMLTV</bf>, so you may install the XMLTV prerequisites by typing: -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi perl-xml-twig perl-xml-writer perl-datemanip perl-libwww-perl -</verb></tscreen> - -and skip straight to the XMLTV compilation step. - -<sect2>Manual installation -<p> -<label id="untarring_xmltv">Untar the xmltv file: -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xjf xmltv-0.5.51.tar.bz2 -</verb></tscreen> -Install the xmltv prerequisites. The following prerequisites are the -minimum required; when you actually start running the xmltv setup program it -may alert you to other modules that are required.: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# perl -MCPAN -e shell -cpan> install XML::Twig -cpan> install Date::Manip -Date::Manip is up to date. -cpan> install LWP -cpan> install XML::Writer -cpan> exit -</verb></tscreen> - -Change to the XMLTV directory and compile it: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd xmltv-0.5.51 -$ perl Makefile.PL -</verb></tscreen> -You can answer "N" to the tv_check, tv_pick_cgi questions. Say "yes" to -the grabber required for your location. - -You may get errors about modules not being installed. You will need to -resolve any missing dependencies at this point, or your grabber may not work -correctly. -<tscreen><verb> -$ make -$ make test -$ su -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Configuring the Schedules Direct service <label id="ConfigureSD"> -<p>As of 2007-09-01, Tribune Media Services will no longer offer free guide -data. Schedules Direct is a non-profit organization which has licensed the -data to make it available to users of Freeware and Open Source applications. - -If you wish to use Schedules Direct, you'll need to establish a user -account. Go to <url url="http://www.schedulesdirect.org" -name="http://www.schedulesdirect.org"> and click on the "Membership" link. - -Once you've read and agreed to the Subscriber Agreement, Terms of Use and -Privacy Policy proceed to the lineup choices and configure your account for -your particular location and the channels that you have. This configuration -will be imported into MythTV when you first run the <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> -program. - - -<label id="manually_building_mythtv"> -<sect1>Manually building MythTV -<p>If you are going to use <bf>subversion</bf>, execute the following -instructions to obtain the latest version of MythTV: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ mkdir mythtv -$ svn co http://svn.mythtv.org/svn/trunk/ mythtv -$ cd mythtv -</verb></tscreen> - -To use a release version, you can execute: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mkdir mythtv-release-0.21 -$ svn co http://svn.mythtv.org/svn/branches/release-0-21-fixes/ mythtv-release-0.21 -$ cd mythtv-release-0.21 -</verb></tscreen> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Using a svn version of the code allows you to stay -up-to-date with changes. So, if there's an update to the 0.21 release and -you originally obtained it using svn, you could enter the -mythtv-release-0.21 directory and type "svn up", which will update your copy -with the fixed version from the website. You would then recompile and -install the updated 0.21 code. - -If you are using the tarball, then unpack it: -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xjf mythtv-0.21.tar.bz2 -$ cd mythtv-0.21 -$ ./configure -</verb></tscreen> - -If you wish to change options, run <bf>./configure --help</bf> to -see what is available and to override and automatically detected options. -See the <tt>config.log</tt> file after running <bf>configure</bf> to see -previous runs. - -To compile: -<tscreen><verb> -$ make -j 2 -</verb></tscreen> - -The MythTV compile can take advantage of multiple CPUs, SMP and -Hyperthreading. If you want to build MythTV on a multi-CPU machine (or with -<bf>distcc</bf>), specify "-j numjobs", where "numjobs" is greater than 2. -In the above example, we had two concurrent jobs executing, which is -recommended for a single CPU system. Do not set the number of jobs too -high, or your compile will actually take longer to complete than it would if -you did a "normal" build. - -If you are using <bf>distcc</bf>, and you had two other host machines (red, blue) -participating, you would do something like: -<tscreen><verb> -$ export DISTCC_HOSTS='localhost red blue' -$ make -j 6 CXX=distcc -</verb></tscreen> - -The actual speed-up, if any, is dependant on a number of factors, such as -number of CPUs / hosts, etc. The <bf>distcc</bf> documentation recommends -using a <tt>-j</tt> value of twice the number of CPUs available to keep all -of them busy. - -Some timing information. The following should only be used for -illustration; your actual results may vary. The test involves a complete -<tt>make distclean</tt> to the final binary. -<itemize> -<item>P4 3.2Ghz HT: "standard" make: 12m 49s -<item>P4 3.2Ghz HT: make -j 2: 11m 24s -</itemize> - -In the above example, we see that with a single CPU, a multi-stage -<bf>make</bf> does not significantly decrease compile time. - -Once the compile is done, switch to superuser: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: subsequent configuration steps assume that you are within -the MythTV directory that you <tt>cd</tt>'d to above. -</caption> -</figure> - -<sect2>Enabling real-time scheduling of the display thread. -<p>MythTV supports real-time scheduling of the video output thread. There -are three ways to go about enabling this: You can use rlimits, you can use -the realtime security module, or on older systems you can SUID the -executable. Enabling real-time scheduling is optional, but can make the -video display smoother, especially if you are decoding HDTV. - -<sect3>rlimits -<p>The rlimits method is the preferred method and is included in Linux -2.6.12 and above. Unfortunately, you need PAM version 0.79 or above, which -may not be supported by your distribution yet. Assuming anyone running -<bf>mythfrontend</bf> is in the audio group and rlimits are supported, all -you need to do is place this in your <tt>/etc/security/limits.conf</tt> - -<tscreen><verb> -* - rtprio 0 -* - nice 0 -@audio - rtprio 50 -@audio - nice 0 -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect3>realtime module -<p>The second option is to use the Linux realtime kernel module. -This is will be phased out over time, but is currently supported -by many distributions that do not yet support rlimits. If you are -not using the distribution kernel you must configure your kernel -with: -<tscreen><verb> -Security options : [*] Enable different security models -Security options : [M] Default Linux Capabilties -</verb></tscreen> -You may also need to install the realtime module, using your distribution's -realtime package. Assuming the users who will be running -<bf>mythfrontend</bf> will be in the audio group you can get the GUID of a named -group like so: -<tscreen><verb> -$ grep audio /etc/group -</verb></tscreen> -If the number printed out from the grep was 18, you can now load -this module as root before starting <bf>mythfrontend</bf>: -<tscreen><verb> -# modprobe realtime gid=18 -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect3>run as root option (not safe) -<p>The final and least preferred option is to set the sticky bit -on the <bf>mythfrontend</bf> executable. This <bf>opens a security hole</bf>, -but is the only option on systems that do not support either -rlimits or the realtime module. This does not work on modern -distributions either, and is <bf><em>not recommended</em></bf> -on any system connected to the Internet. This may also make it -impossible to debug MythTV without running <bf>gdb</bf> as root. If you -would still like to do this, you just need to run this as root: -<tscreen><verb> -# chmod a+s /usr/local/bin/mythfrontend /usr/local/bin/mythtv -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect2>Frontend-only configuration <label id="frontend-only"> -<p>Since MythTV uses a client/server architecture, multiple frontend -computers can simultaneously access content on a Myth system. Live TV, -watching and scheduling recordings, etc. are all possible from multiple -frontends. - -To get a better picture of what is needed to run a frontend, note the -following: -<list> -<item>You do NOT need the MySQL server installed on your remote frontend -<item>You do NOT need XMLTV installed on your remote frontend -<item>You do NOT need to run the mythtv-setup program on -your frontend machine -</list> - -Other than the exclusion of the MySQL server and XMLTV, the MythTV -compilation procedure is the same as when you're setting up both a backend -and a frontend. However, you <em>will</em> need to install the database -access libraries. - -Once MythTV is compiled and installed: -<list> -<item> -Run the mythtv-setup program on your Master backend. Under the "General" -menu, change the IP address of the current machine (by default, "127.0.0.1") -to the real external IP address - 127.0.0.1 is the loopback address and no -external machine can access it. Change the Master Server IP setting to the -same IP address as well. -<item> -Run the mythfrontend program on your frontend machine, -and a "Database Configuration" screen should appear. -Set the "Host name" field to point to your Master backend's IP address. -</list> - -<sect1>Gentoo <label id="Gentoo_build"> -<p>Installation of MythTV on Gentoo consists of simply emerging the desired -ebuild because all of the packages are now part of the official Portage tree. -<tscreen><verb> -$ su - -# emerge --sync # make sure portage is up to date. -# vi /etc/make.conf -</verb></tscreen> -Add mysql to your USE variable. i.e. <tt>USE="mysql ...."</tt> -<tscreen><verb> -# emerge mythtv -</verb></tscreen> -<sect>MySQL.<label id="mysql"> -<p>When you install MySQL 5.x you will also want to comment -out "log-bin" in your <tt>my.cnf</tt> configuration file. This option will -quickly fill your "/var" disk partition with many gigabytes of data, -unless you are doing database replication and deleting these files regularly. -<sect1>Distribution-specific information -<sect2>Mandriva -<p>If this is the system maintaining the database, make sure that MySQL is -running and started at boot. Click on Mandriva Control -Center->System->Services, find MySQL and click the "On Boot" button and the -"Start" button if the MySQL status shows that it isn't running yet. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: There have been reports that MySQL isn't starting at boot. -If this is happening to you, try running the following commands. -</caption> -</figure> -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# chkconfig --level 35 mysql on -# /etc/rc.d/init.d/mysql start -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect2>Red Hat Linux and Fedora Core -<p>If this is the system maintaining the database, make sure that MySQL is -running and started at boot. Click on Redhat menu>Server Settings>Services -and enter the root password when asked. Check "mysqld" and then click Start. -Click Save, then close the window. - -This can be done from the command line by typing: -<tscreen><verb> -# /sbin/chkconfig mysqld on -# /sbin/service mysqld start -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect2>Gentoo -<p>After installing MySQL you need to initialize the database by running -<bf>mysql_install_db</bf> as root. -<sect1>Setting up the initial database -<p>This step is only required on the system maintaining the database, which -may or may not be one of your MythTV boxes. If the database is on a -non-MythTV machine you'll need to copy the <tt>database/mc.sql</tt> file to it. - -To setup the initial MySQL databases: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd database -</verb></tscreen> -<sect2>Mandriva and Red Hat Linux/Fedora Core -<p><tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root < mc.sql -</verb></tscreen> -<sect2>Debian 3.0 -<p><tscreen><verb> -$ mysql < mc.sql -</verb></tscreen> -<sect2>Gentoo -<p><tscreen><verb> -$ su -# mysql < /usr/share/mythtv/database/mc.sql -</verb></tscreen> -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: It is good practice to set a root password for MySQL. -Instructions for doing so can be found on MySQL's web site at <url -url="http://www.mysql.com/doc/en/Security.html" -name="http://www.mysql.com/doc/en/Security.html">. -</caption> -</figure> -<sect2>Modifying access to the MySQL database for multiple systems <label -id="modify_perm_mysql"> -<p>If you're going to have multiple systems accessing a master database, -you must grant access to the database from remote systems. By default, the -<tt>mc.sql</tt> script is only granting access to the local host. - -To allow other hosts access to your master database, you can either set it -up for no security at all, or with more granularity. Note that the "%" is -the wildcard character in MySQL. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: The "no security" option is <em>very</em> dangerous unless -you're in a controlled environment. -</caption> -</figure> -This example has no security at all, and allows access from any host. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root mythconverg -mysql> grant all on mythconverg.* to mythtv@"%" identified by "mythtv"; -mysql> flush privileges; -</verb></tscreen> - -For a more secure setup, you can restrict which machines or subnets have -access. If you have a complete DNS system operational, you could do the -following: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root mythconverg -mysql> grant all on mythconverg.* to mythtv@"%.mydomain.com" identified by "mythtv"; -mysql> flush privileges; -</verb></tscreen> - -Finally, if you just want to restrict by IP subnet (in this example, the -192.168.1. network): -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root mythconverg -mysql> grant all on mythconverg.* to mythtv@"192.168.1.%" identified by "mythtv"; -mysql> flush privileges; -</verb></tscreen> - -You'll also need to check that the "networking" feature of MySQL is turned -on. Check that <tt>/etc/mysql/my.cnf</tt> <em>does not</em> contain -<tt>skip-networking</tt>. If it does, remove it. Also verify that -<tt>bind-address</tt> is set to your IP address instead of -<tt>127.0.0.1</tt>. If you change either of these items, restart -<bf>MySQL</bf>. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Your distribution may have a customized MySQL configuration -file; in Mandriva, check <tt>/etc/sysconfig/mysqld</tt> for additional -configuration. - -<sect>Configuring Sound. -<p>If your video doesn't appear to be in-sync with your audio and you're -using an analog video capture card and a soundcard to capture audio, it -could be because you are listening to the real-time audio from your video -card rather than after it's been processed and synchronized to the video by -MythTV. Because MythTV is a personal video recorder, "Live TV" isn't really -live - to let you pause live TV, MythTV is actually encoding the video, -saving to disk, and then playing it back. This procedure puts your MythTV -"live" TV about 2 seconds behind real-time, so it's important that you're -not listening to the live audio. However, if you're having an issue where -the audio and video aren't synchronized by small but varying amount, it's -most likely because the sound driver that you're using doesn't have the -DSP_CAP_REALTIME capability. This was the case with ALSA (0.5), but not -with newer versions. See the <ref id="Troubleshooting_Audio" -name="Troubleshooting Audio"> section for more information if you're having -issues with sound. Also, ensure that no other programs are grabbing the -audio output, like <bf>arts</bf> or <bf>esd</bf>. - -What you need to do is to mute the "line-in" of your sound card and also -set it as the recording source. - -There are two ways to do this. Graphically, and from the command line. - -<sect1>Graphically setting up the mixer -<sect2>Mandriva and Red Hat Linux/Fedora Core -<p>Open Kmix by clicking K->Multimedia->Sound->Kmix for Mandriva, or -<verb>RedHat Menu>Sound & Video>Volume Control</verb> on Red Hat/Fedora. - -Click on Settings->Configure Make sure that "Tick Marks" and "Show -labels" have "X"'s in them. This will make it easier to find the correct -audio source. Click OK. - -On the mixer page, look for Line-In on your sound card. You should see -two LED's - a green one at the top, and a red one at the bottom. The green -one at the top is for muting; you want to make sure that the green LED is a -dark green, meaning that it's "off". You also want to click on the red LED -so that it turns bright red, indicating that it's "ON"; this insures that -the Line-in is used as the source. Click OK, and make sure that you save -the settings so that this is your default. - -<sect3>Using ALSA. -<p>To use ALSA, you'll need to correctly setup your -<tt>asoundrc</tt> file. Configuring this file is beyond the scope of this -HOWTO. Once ALSA is working correctly, change the output sound device in -mythfrontend->setup->Audio from <tt>/dev/dsp</tt> to <tt>ALSA:default</tt>. -This field may be edited to suit your ALSA requirements. - -<sect1>Setting the mixer from the command line -<p>If you have installed the alsa-utils package, then the <bf>amixer</bf> -program can be used to setup the mixer. The "Master" volume setting is only -required on a frontend machine to ensure that the sound channels are unmuted -and configured for outputting sound. The "Line" and "Capture" controls are -required for your sound card to actually capture audio from the external -Line-in if it's connected to an analog frame grabber. Not all sound cards -have a "Capture" control, but if yours does and you don't set it then MythTV -will not capture audio. - -<code> -Note the spelling in the following commands. -</code> -<tscreen><verb> -$ amixer set Master,0 100%,100% unmute -$ amixer set PCM,0 100%,100% unmute -$ amixer set Line,0 75%,75% mute captur -$ amixer set Capture,0 100%,100% captur -$ su -# alsactl store -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -If you have multiple sound cards, then use the <tt>-c</tt> parameter to -specify which card to adjust. Note that the first card will be "0", the -second will be "1", etc. - -That takes care of setting the volume correctly, and the ALSA startup script -will restore the volume after a reboot. If you find that your sound is -distorted, it's possible that the levels in the above examples are too high -for your particular hardware combination. Try reducing the percentages by -5-10% and checking again. Once you're satisfied, re-run the <tt>alsactl -store</tt> command. - -You may also use the <bf>alsamixer</bf> program to set the volume. If you -are using an ALSA version after 1.0.6, use <bf>alsamixer -V all</bf> First, -start <bf>alsamixer</bf> from the command line. You should start out on the -"Master" volume control slider. Use the up and down cursor to set the -master volume to around 75%. Next, use the left and right cursor keys to -move around on the screen until you find the "Line" slider. Press SPACE to -set it as the capture source, set the level to around 50-75% and press "M" -to mute it. You can now press ESC to exit out of the <bf>alsamixer</bf> -program. You can also have MythTV manage all volume and mute settings, but -this will only affect the "Master" or PCM volume, not the capture volume. See -the mythfrontend setup page for options. - -Finally, if you've performed all of the above steps, and you still don't seem to have any sound, it's possible that your video capture device is muting the audio output. -<tscreen><verb> -$ v4lctl -c /dev/video0 setattr mute off -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect>Setting up a remote control. -<p>MythTV does not have native remote control receiver and decoder software -built-in. Instead, remote control functions are implemented by cooperating -with <bf>lirc</bf>, the Linux Infrared Remote Control program. <bf>lirc</bf> -handles the IR hardware and passes keystrokes to MythTV, which then acts as -if the user had pressed the keys on the keyboard. The file -<tt>keys.txt</tt> describes the keys used to control MythTV. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: If you are running Mandriva, you may install -<bf>lirc</bf> by executing: <tt># urpmi lirc lirc-remotes</tt> and bypass -the manual compilation steps described below by jumping to the <ref -id="completing_lirc_install" name="Completing the lirc install"> section. -See the contrib/mandrake91.etc.sysconfig.lircd file for an example of how to -configure lircd. -</caption> -</figure> - -Some IR devices require a kernel recompile, and some don't. However, all at -least require having the kernel source available as a resource for the lirc -build process. - -<sect1>Gentoo -<p>To install lirc on Gentoo, all you need to do is: -<tscreen><verb> -# emerge lirc -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Obtaining and compiling lirc -<p>You're going to need to download and compile <bf>lircd</bf>. Go to <url -url="http://www.lirc.org" name="http://www.lirc.org"> and download lirc; as -of 2006-01-21, the version available is 0.8.0. Grab the remotes.tar.bz2 file as -well. -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xjf lirc-0.8.0.tar.bz2 -$ cd lirc-0.8.0 -$ ./setup.sh -</verb></tscreen> -You're going to need to know what sort of receiver you have and where it's -connected. In the case of the Pinnacle Studio TV card, with the IR receiver -connected to COM1 (/dev/ttys0), once the configuration menu comes up, -perform the configuration by going to Driver Configuration->Other Serial -Port Devices->Pinnacle Systems Receiver->OK and on the next page select -COM1->OK. - -Each remote is different; some remote receivers connect directly to your -capture card and not to a serial port, so make sure that you've got the -correct one. - -You then click "Save Configuration and run configure" to continue. - -Make sure you read the last text generated by the configure step. It will -tell you if you require a kernel recompile, and what the name of your kernel -module will be (if necessary). For instance a home-built receiver may -require a kernel recompile, so you would be notified that you will have to -load the lirc_serial module. If you did not get any such messages skip the -kernel recompile steps below and go directly to making and installing the -lirc driver. - -Once the configuration step is complete: -<tscreen><verb> -$ make -$ su -# make install -# chmod 666 /dev/lircd -</verb></tscreen> - -At this point, if you're using a serial receiver, check that there's a -<tt>lirc</tt> device in <tt>/dev</tt>: -<tscreen><verb> -$ ls -l /dev/li* -lr-xr-xr-x 1 root root 5 Jan 27 09:00 /dev/lirc -> ttyS0 -srw-rw-rw- 1 root root 0 Jan 27 15:01 /dev/lircd= -prw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 Jan 27 09:00 /dev/lircm| -</verb></tscreen> - -As you can see, there's a link from /dev/lirc to ttyS0, a.k.a. "COM1", which is -appropriate for the Pinnacle Systems PCTV Pro. However, you may notice -something like this: -<tscreen><verb> -crw------- 1 root root 61, 0 Dec 31 1969 lirc -</verb></tscreen> -Some IR receivers (including some homebrew units) use a character device as -their data interface as opposed to a link to a serial port. If the <tt>make -install</tt> step has created a character device for you, don't replace it -with a link to a COM port. - -So, if the link or character device was not created (but should have been), -ensure that you ran the <tt>make install</tt> step as root. If it still -doesn't work, then there are three options. The first option is to re-read -the <bf>lirc</bf> documentation to determine whether your IR receiver is a -character device or should be a link to a serial port and to create the -link/character device manually. In this example, the IR device is connected -to ttyS0. If it were connected to "COM2", then use ttyS1, etc. -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# cd /dev -# ln -sf ttyS0 lirc -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: The above example assumes that your receiver uses the -standard serial driver. Some receivers do not, including receivers that -plug into a TV capture card. Check the lirc documentation, but it may be -necessary to replace the link created above with a character pipe: -</caption> -</figure> -<tscreen><verb> -# mknod /dev/lirc c 61 0 -</verb></tscreen> - -See the lirc documentation for additional information. The lirc -installation <em>should</em> create this for you, so manually creating it -indicates that your lirc installation may have other issues. - -The second option is to post your issue to the <em>lirc</em> list, not the -mythtv-users list. The lirc programmers will be the ones that can assist -you best. - -The third option is to dispense with lirc altogether by purchasing an IR -keyboard (various options exist, although Chicony appears to work for some -people) and a learning remote control. The IR keyboard receiver plugs into -the PS/2 keyboard port on your PC and you would train your learning remote -to emulate the various keystrokes from <tt>keys.txt</tt> of your IR -keyboard. Using this method removes lirc entirely from the picture - your -remote will be sending keypresses that your PC "sees" on the keyboard port. - -<sect1>Completing the lirc install <label id="completing_lirc_install"> -<p><figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE to Mandriva 9.1 users</bf>: skip to the manual start paragraph -below. -</caption> -</figure> -<p>If the lirc configure program / compile did not mention anything about a -kernel module, then you are finished. If it did mention a kernel module, you -must edit the <tt>/etc/modules.conf</tt> file. Add this line as the first -thing in the file. It must come first, or it may not work. -<tscreen><verb> -alias char-major-61 XXX -</verb></tscreen> - -replace XXX with the name which you determined earlier, which in this -example was "lirc_serial" -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# modprobe lirc_serial -# /sbin/ldconfig -</verb></tscreen> - -Next, we're going to manually start lircd the first time. Mandriva 9.1 -users, type: <tt># /etc/rc.d/init.d/lircd start</tt> instead of: -<tscreen><verb> -# /usr/local/sbin/lircd -</verb></tscreen> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Read this next section if you're not familiar with how lirc works! - -There are two separate files used by lirc, and both are required for your -remote control to do anything useful. First is the <tt>lircd.conf</tt> file. -<tt>lircd.conf</tt> tells the lirc daemon how to interpret the IR pulses -that it receives from a remote control and what name to assign to each -sequence of pulses. Without getting too involved, a particular series of -pulses may correlate to "Channel Up". The <tt>lircd.conf</tt> file will -then contain a line that looks something like this: - -<tscreen><verb> - ChannelUp 0x0000000000001020 -</verb></tscreen> - -The <tt>lircd.conf</tt> file can have multiple remote controls defined. - -The second file is <tt>lircrc</tt>, which takes the name of the button which -was pressed ("ChannelUp") in the above example, and correlates that to an -action to be performed by a program using the remote control. So in MythTV, -ChannelUp means one thing, while in <bf>mplayer</bf> it means something -different. <tt>lircrc</tt> gives you the flexibility of taking the name of -the button and having it perform different actions depending on which -program you're using at the time. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: The definitions in <tt>lircd.conf</tt> come from the user -community, and there is no standard for the common button names. One -<tt>lircd.conf</tt> file may contain a definition for a button called -"ChannelUp", while another may contain a definition for "Chan+". Your -<tt>lircrc</tt> file must therefore be configured appropriately, or it won't -work. - -If this fails, complaining of a missing <tt>lircd.conf</tt> file, then you -must find or make one. First look for a pre-made configuration file at <url -url="http://lirc.sourceforge.net/remotes/" -name="http://lirc.sourceforge.net/remotes/">. Mandriva 9.1 users, look in -<tt>/usr/share/lirc-remotes</tt>. If you find one your remotes either on the -website or in <tt>/usr/share</tt>, download or copy the file, name it -<tt>lircd.conf</tt> and put it in your <tt>/etc</tt> directory. If you -couldn't find your remote, you must make your own <tt>lircd.conf</tt> file. - -To make your own <tt>lircd.conf</tt> file -<tscreen><verb> -$ irrecord myremote -</verb></tscreen> - -Follow the on-screen directions to train your remote and define keys. If -your remote ends up working well, you should consider submitting your -<tt>lircd.conf</tt> file back to the lirc developers. Once finished: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# cp myremote /etc/lircd.conf -</verb></tscreen> - -now try to start lircd again: -<tscreen><verb> -# /usr/local/sbin/lircd -</verb></tscreen> - -Now, we're going to add the commands necessary for lircd to run each time we -boot. Mandriva 9.1 users, you can execute: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# chkconfig --level 35 lircd on -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -All other distributions: -<tscreen><verb> -# cd /etc/rc.d -# cat >> rc.local -echo "Starting lircd" -/usr/local/sbin/lircd -^D -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -This takes care of the lircd portion, which "listens" for the IR signals. If -everything went well, the install script for lircd put an appropriate -configuration file for your remote into <tt>/etc/lircd.conf</tt> This file -maps the buttons on the remote control to the IR pulses coming from the -receiver. - -The next step is to convert those signals into something that can be used -to control MythTV. MythTV now includes native support for lirc and can -interact directly with - -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythtv-0.21/contrib/configfiles -$ cp lircrc.example ~/.lircrc -</verb></tscreen> -or -<tscreen><verb> -$ cp lircrc.example.pinnaclestudiopctv ~/.lircrc -</verb></tscreen> -if you've got a Pinnacle Studio PCTV remote. -<tscreen><verb> -$ irw -</verb></tscreen> -Start pressing the keys on your remote; <bf>irw</bf> will -print the name of the button as it is defined in your -<tt>/etc/lircd.conf</tt>. If you don't see anything at this point, you need -to troubleshoot further by going back to the lirc home page and investigating -from there. - -If it is working, then press <bf>CTRL-C</bf> to abort the program. Once you -know that your remote is working, you can either recompile MythTV with -native lirc support by enabling it in <bf>configure</bf> or you -need to run the <bf>irxevent</bf> program, which takes the key presses and -sends them to MythTV. If you use native lirc support, you don't need to run -<bf>irxevent</bf>. If you are going to use irxevent, then you need to run -it like this: -<tscreen><verb> -$ irxevent & -</verb></tscreen> -If <bf>irxevent</bf> isn't running, then MythTV will not respond to your remote -control unless you're using native lirc support. - -<sect1>Additional information for lirc -<p>Take a look at the lircrc.example files in the <tt>contrib/configfiles/</tt> -directory. In my case, (Pinnacle Studio card) the channel up and down functions -weren't working, due to the fact that the button names were different than -the default <tt>lircrc.example</tt> file that came with MythTV. - -The <tt>lircrc.example</tt> file has this: -<tscreen><verb> -begin - prog = irxevent - button = ChannelUp - config = Key Up CurrentWindow -end - -begin - prog = irxevent - button = ChannelDown - config = Key Down CurrentWindow -end -</verb></tscreen> -but the <tt>/etc/lircd.conf</tt> that comes in the lircd package -defines the buttons for the Pinnacle Studio PCTV as: -<tscreen><verb> - channel+ 0x0000000000000017 - channel- 0x000000000000001C -</verb></tscreen> -rather than "ChannelUp" and "ChannelDown". I added the -following to my /home/[yourusername]/.lircrc file: -<tscreen><verb> -begin - prog = irxevent - button = channel+ - repeat = 3 - config = Key Up CurrentWindow -end - -begin - prog = irxevent - button = channel- - repeat = 3 - config = Key Down CurrentWindow -end -</verb></tscreen> -which took care of basic functionality. Because the PCTV Studio remote -has additional buttons, look at the -<tt>contrib/configfiles/lircrc.example.pinnaclestudiopctv</tt> for an example of how -to define additional buttons, and how to debug potential button name -conflicts between the <tt>lircrc.example</tt> file and how <bf>your</bf> -remote defines the button names. - -By examining the button names defined in <tt>/etc/lircd.conf</tt> and using -the <bf>irw</bf> program to make sure that your remote is working, you can -create the appropriate mappings in <tt>.lircrc</tt> to get excellent remote -functionality with MythTV. - -Note the <bf>repeat =</bf> parameter. This informs the <tt>irxevent</tt> -program to pass through every third keypress. By default, <tt>lirc</tt> -will only send one keypress to the application, even if you're holding down -the key. The actual <bf>repeat =</bf> number will vary from system to -system, so experiment and see which value works best for you. - -<sect1>Configuring lirc for use with an IR blaster -<p> -<!-- By Carlos Talbot, <url url="mailto:carlos@talbot.net"> --> -Lirc has support for various IR transmitters. A popular model is the Actisys -IR-200L <url url="http://store.snapstreamstore.com/accessories.html" -name="http://store.snapstreamstore.com/accessories.html">. It was -originally designed for IRDA communication, but can be used to transmit A/V remote -control codes. By using the lirc SIR driver, this device can easily be -integrated with MythTV. I have tested this device with an AT&T DCT2000 -digital cable box but the instructions can be used to configure other IRDA -devices and A/V remotes. - -Follow the steps in the previous section. When you run setup.sh, select -option 1, driver configuration. From here select option 6, IrDA hardware. -Select your appropriate device and the corresponding serial port, then Save -configuration & run configure from the main menu. Once configure is done -type: -<tscreen><verb> -$ make -</verb></tscreen> - -Please note: unlike the Pinnacle receiver above you will be compiling lircd -in addition to a kernel module for the SIR transmitter. Depending on whether -you have your serial port driver configured as a kernel module you might see -the following message during make: -<tscreen><verb> -lirc_sir.c:56:2: warning: #warning -"******************************************" - -lirc_sir.c:57:2: warning: #warning "Your serial port driver is compiled into " - -lirc_sir.c:58:2: warning: #warning "the kernel. You will have to release the " - -lirc_sir.c:59:2: warning: #warning "port you want to use for LIRC with:" - -lirc_sir.c:60:2: warning: #warning "setserial /dev/ttySx uart none" - -lirc_sir.c:61:2: warning: #warning -"******************************************" -</verb</tscreen> - -If you do receive this statement make sure to run the <bf>setserial</bf> command -before you load the lirc_sir module. Follow this with the install: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# make install -</verb></tscreen> - -You will notice that lirc installs the kernel module in -<tt>/lib/modules/uname -a/misc</tt>. - -The configuration for starting <bf>lircd</bf> differs if you're going to be -sending and receiving IR versus just receiving. -<tscreen><verb> -# cd /etc/rc.d -# cat >> rc.local -echo "Starting lircd" -setserial /dev/ttySx uart none # (if required) -modprobe lirc_sir -/usr/local/sbin/lircd -^D -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -At this point you have to populate the <tt>/etc/lircd.conf</tt> file with the proper -codes for your A/V remote. You should be able to find your remote within the -lirc remote tar file located at <url -url="http://www.lirc.org/remotes.tar.bz2" -name="http://www.lirc.org/remotes.tar.bz2">. In my case I -extracted the file from remotes/motorola/DCT2000 (gi-motorola-dct2000) - -To test the lirc_sir module you can run <bf>irw</bf> to verify the codes are being -received. If everything is configured correctly -you should see something similar to the following: -<tscreen><verb> -$ irw -0000000000007ff0 00 1 gi-motorola-dct2000 -000000000000bff8 00 2 gi-motorola-dct2000 -000000000000f7f0 00 ENTER gi-motorola-dct2000 -</verb></tscreen> - -Once you've verified lirc is working you can press <bf>CTRL-C</bf> to exit -<bf>irw</bf> and configure the channel changing script. - -The path to the channel changing script will need to be entered on the -mythtv-setup screen for Input Connections. - -This csh script will be called each time MythTV needs to change the channel. -Below is a copy of the script followed by the corresponding perl script. -Make sure both are in your path. Also make sure you leave the #!/bin/csh -setting and not change it to Bourne or bash. This will create a frustrating -symptom to diagnose where MythTV cannot open /dev/device. Unlike Bourne or -bash, csh scripts automatically close parent file descriptors before they -start. -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd /usr/local/bin -# su -# cat > change_channel.csh -#!/bin/csh -echo "changing to $1" -/usr/local/bin/channel.pl $1 & -^D -# chmod a+x change_channel.csh -# exit -$ exit -</verb></tscreen> - -See <tt>contrib/channel.pl</tt> for the actual file. Copy it to -<tt>/usr/local/bin/</tt> - -The last statement within the perl script is the lirc rc command. This is -the command that transmits the code to your cable/DSS box. Make sure to have -the IRDA device within a few feet of the box. - -<sect>Configuring MythTV. <label id="Configuring_mythtv"> -<p>By this point, all of the compile-time prerequisites have been installed, -<bf>mysql</bf> is running and has had its initial database setup. It's now -time to configure MythTV. -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: If you're running Debian unstable and you have compiled -MythTV from source, you will need to install an additional package before -you will be able to run MythTV. Execute the following to install the MySQL -driver for QT. -</caption> -</figure> -<tscreen><verb> -$ su - -# apt-get install libqt3c102-mt-mysql -# exit -</verb></tscreen> -<sect1>Configuring the Master backend system -<p>Open a shell and decide where you will store your video files. This may -be one directory or multiple directories on the same or different -filesystems. There is no default directory used for new recordings, you -<bf>must</bf> create at least one storage directory and configure Myth to -use it by running <bf>mythtv-setup</bf>. If you do not do this, then MythTV -will be unable to record anything. The following example is specific for -<tt>/var/video</tt>, but the same instructions would apply for any directory -name you choose to use. See the <ref id="advancedpartitionformatting" -name="Advanced Partition Formatting"> section for hints on creating a -partition for MythTV. - -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# mkdir /var/video -# chmod a+rwx /var/video -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: The last slash "/" is not required. - -<label id="storagegrouptip"> -<bf>TIP</bf>: Try not to have your video mount point on the same partition -as your root partition, which could lead to the filling up of your root -partition with video data if the mount fails. For example: - -If <tt>/var/video</tt> is created on your root partition and you then -perform a mount of another drive to this directory there won't be any -problems if everything is working the way it should. However, if the mount -fails for some reason, <tt>/var/video</tt> still exists, so MythTV will find -the directory and write files to it. If your <tt>/</tt> mount point is -space limited, <tt>/var/video</tt> will <bf>also</bf> be space limited, and -it won't take long to fill the partition. This will cause a number of -side-effects, most of them bad. Instead, create subdirectories as the -destination for the storage group. - -Your directory structure could then look something like this: -<tscreen><verb> -/mnt/video/drive1/video -/mnt/video/drive2/video -</verb></tscreen> - -Your <tt>/etc/fstab</tt> would look like this: -<tscreen><verb> -/dev/hdb1 /mnt/video/drive1 -/dev/hdc1 /mnt/video/drive2 -</verb></tscreen> - -Because the Storage Group path is <tt>/mnt/video/drive1/video</tt>, if the -mythbackend can only find <tt>/mnt/video/drive1</tt> it will <em>not</em> -write files to that share. - -After you create the desired directory or directories for storing your video -files, you will need to add them to the proper Storage Group using -<bf>mythtv-setup</bf>. This procedure is described below in the <ref -id="storagegroups" name="Storage Groups"> section. - -The first thing to configure is the Master backend system. If you are -running multiple backend systems, the Master backend will make all -decisions about which programs will be recorded on which tuners. If you -have only one backend, then it will be its own master. - -The Master backend will always choose the first available tuner in the same -order as you add cards through "mythtv-setup". In other words, the second -card you add will only be used when there are two overlapping recordings, -the third when there are three, and so on. -<!-- Remove the next part once .21 is released --> Therefore, you will want to have -the greatest amount of disk space on the Master backend because its tuner -will always be the first choice. You will then want to add your <ref -id="nonmaster_backend" name="other backends"> in the order of your -preference for recording. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: It is possible to <em>not</em> have the cards on the Master -backend be the first ones used. However, if you are new to MythTV it is -easier to configure the Master backend first before moving on to the Slaves, -at least until you become more familiar with the MythTV system. See <ref -id="advanced_backend_config" name="Advanced Backend Configurations"> for -information on configuring multiple backend systems in various ways. -</caption> -</figure> - -Because MythTV uses a database to store all configuration variables, -part of the bootstrap of MythTV is to indicate the location of the MySQL -database server. If the frontend, backend and MySQL database server are all -going to be running on the same box, you can continue to the next step. If -not, you'll need to change the Host Name in the "Database Configuration" -screen of the mythfrontend program. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Users that have been running the frontend and the backend on -different machines have stated that they have been having issues with remote -access to the MySQL database. The following instructions may or may not -work. Add the following to <tt>/etc/my.cnf</tt> on the backend machine and -restart MySQL. -</caption> -</figure> -<tscreen><verb> -skip-innodb -set-variable=thread_stack=256k -</verb></tscreen> - -Run the setup program: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mythtv-setup -</verb></tscreen> - -The backend setup program will start and offer you a number of choices. It -is <em>strongly</em> recommended that you go through them in order. - -The first question will ask if you wish to clear out your existing -configurations for your capture cards. Initially, you should say "YES" so -that there are no surprises later. - -The next question will ask you if you wish to clear out your video source -information. You should answer "YES" to this as well. - -Once the graphical setup starts, you'll see that there are six choices - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="add.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="add.png"> -<caption> -The Storage Directories feature is available only in the SVN version of MythTV. -</caption> -</figure> - -<enum> -<item>General -<item>Capture Cards -<item>Video Sources -<item>Input connections -<item>Channel Editor -<item>Storage Directories -</enum> - -Use the arrow keys to move around, and press the space bar to select which -option you wish to configure. - -<sect2>General -<p>The first screen of the General configuration deals with IP addresses of the -system that you're running mythtv-setup on and any master backend you may have. -If you've only got one machine, then the default values are fine and you can -move to the next page by pressing the space bar. If you need to move around -the screen, use the arrow keys to move focus between settings, not the -mouse. - -If you will be deploying multiple backends, or if your backend is on one -system and you're running the frontend on another machine then <em>do -not</em> use the "127.0.0.1" IP address. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: If you modify the 127.0.0.1 address and use a "real" IP -address, you must use real IP addresses in both fields, otherwise your -frontend machines will generate "Unexpected response to MYTH_PROTO_VERSION" -errors. - -Changing any of the port settings is very strongly discouraged. -(If you do accidentally change them, the defaults are 6543 for -the master/backend server, and 6544 for the HTTP requests) - -Once you're satisfied with the values, move the focus down to Next and hit -the space bar. - -The next screen details the Host-specific Backend setup. This is where you -will set the specific directory paths for this particular backend. Make -sure that you've followed the steps at the beginning of this section and -created a directory that exists and that MythTV will have write privileges -to. When you're done, press Next to continue, taking you to the Global -Backend Setup. - -On the Global Backend Setup configure your backend with the appropriate -settings. Use the left and right arrow keys to iterate through the choices -available on each setting, and the up and down keys to move between -settings. Move to Finish when you're done and press the space bar, taking -you back to the main configuration screen. - -<sect2>Capture Cards -<p>You should have no capture cards defined, so the highlight will be on -(New Capture Card). Press space to begin. - -Choose the appropriate settings for your particular tuner. Use the arrow -keys to move around and to make your choices, and press RETURN when -complete. Pressing RETURN will take you back to the Capture Cards screen; -if you have additional capture cards in this machine, press the space bar -when the highlight is on the (New Capture Card) row to define another card. - -If you have made a mistake, you can delete a card by highlighting it and -pressing the 'D' key, or you can highlight it and press the RETURN or 'E' -key to edit it. - -Once you have no additional cards to setup, press ESC. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -<bf>NOTE</bf>: If you have a dual digital/analog card, such as the pcHDTV -cards and some DViCO cards, then you should not configure this as two -separate cards. Configure the digital portion as a DVB card, then click -on the "Analog Options" button within the DVB configuration panel for -the card and configure the analog portion of the card there. -</caption> -</figure> - -<sect2>Video Sources <label id="VideoSources"> -<p>When you start, the highlight should be on (New Video Source). Press the -space bar to begin. The first field asks for the name of the video source. -You may choose something easy to remember, like "Antenna" or "Cable". Once -you've chosen a name, press the down arrow to move to the next field. - -If you're in North America, change the grabber to -"SchedulesDirect.org(Internal)", then continue pressing the down arrow to -move to the next field. Fill in the username (lowercase only) and password -that you have established with Schedules Direct, then move to the "Retrieve -Listings" button and press the space bar. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: You need <bf>wget</bf> version 1.9.1 or higher to use -Schedules Direct. - -The mythtv-setup program will contact the Schedules Direct servers and get -your account information. Once you're done, you may click the Finish button -and skip the next few paragraphs in this document since they only apply to -users that are using the external XMLTV script to get their guide data. - -If you wish to continue using the XMLTV grabber, then move to the Zip/postal -code field and put in the appropriate value. - -If you're outside of North America, then some manual interaction will be -required with XMLTV. You may need to switch from the MythTV setup program -to the console it was run on to interact with XMLTV. - -Once you have chosen your provider, press RETURN to continue. XMLTV will -now begin collecting the initial data for your location. The screen may -blank for a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the load of the -listings provider and the speed of your connection to the Internet. Be -patient! - -You will then be returned to the Video Sources screen. If you have multiple -video sources available, such as Antenna, Cable, etc, go ahead and define -them all, even if they're not all going to be physically connected to the -master backend server. Once you're done, press ESC to return to the main -screen. - -<sect2>Input Connections -<p>The final configuration item is Input Connections. On this screen, you -will associate the various video sources you defined earlier with a physical -input to a encoder card. It's entirely possible that you have multiple -tuners, and each tuner has a different input, so on this screen you let -MythTV know which device will connect to which input source. - -When you start this screen, you should see a listing of the various input -connections available on each of the Capture cards you defined earlier. For -example, you may have a capture card with a tuner, a SVideo and a Composite -connection. If you wanted to associate the tuner (a.k.a., "Television") -with an "Antenna" source you defined in Video Sources, you would move to the -<tt>/dev/videodevice (Television) -> </tt> line and press the space bar. -Using the left and right arrow keys will show you the various choices you -have already created for video source. In our case, you would use the -left/right cursor keys until "Antenna" was shown in the Video Source field. -Press down to move to the next setting. - -On the connection pane there is a "Scan for channels" button, if you are -configuring a digital source such as a DVB card, you need scan for channels -and you must do this before pressing the "Fetch channels from listings -source" button. You may scan for analog channels on an analog input, but -this is not needed. - -<!-- Ugh! Who's been editing the HOWTO? This next section needs some cleanup --> - -The other button is called "Fetch channels from listings source". As long as -you have a real listings source you should fetch channels from them for -analog channels. You can do this for digital sources as well (unless the -listing source is transmitted EIT data). If you are using XMLTV, you may need -to switch from the MythTV setup program to the console it was run on to -interact with XMLTV after pressing this button. It is possible to fetch the -channels on the command line using mythfilldatabase. But if you need to do -this, you will probably need to re-enter the MythTV setup program to -configure the "Starting channel" setting for this source->input connection. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: If you have a Hauppauge PVR-500, you must think of -it has two PVR-150's on a single PCI card. For example, if you have a -single PVR-500 card, it will appear as <tt>/dev/video0</tt> and -<tt>/dev/video1</tt>. Each <tt>/dev/video</tt> device will have a Tuner input. -</caption> -</figure> -Once you're done, press RETURN to go back to the Input Connections screen. -You would then finish associating the video sources to any other hardware -devices you have available. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Don't add a video source to a hardware input if you don't -actually have anything connected there. For example, adding "Cable" to the -Tuner and to the Composite inputs without having something connected to -Composite will lead to blank recordings. -</caption> -</figure> - -Press ESC to return to the main menu, and press ESC again if you have no -further items to configure, thereby returning you to the command line. - -<sect2>Channel Editor -<p>The channel editor is used to globally alter channel information, -including items like hue, contrast, fine tuning and others. Users in North -America shouldn't run the channel editor until you've completed the initial -mythtv-setup and ran <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> at least once to populate the -database. - -<sect2>Storage Groups <label id="storagegroups"> -<p> -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="add.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="add.png"> -<caption> -New in MythTV 0.21 -</caption> -</figure> -<sect3>Introduction. -<p> -Storage Groups are lists of directories that are used to hold MythTV -recording files giving you a flexible way to allow you to add capacity to -your MythTV system without having to use exotic solutions such as LVM, -filesystem expansion or RAID Online Capacity Expansion. You can also use -Storage Groups to organize recordings and to put recordings of a certain -type into one subdirectory. - -Storage Groups do not offer redundancy in case of hard drive failure, but -unlike LVM, if you lose a hard drive, you only lose the recordings that were -on that drive. With LVM, if you lose a hard drive, you will most likely -lose <bf>everything</bf>. - -<sect3>How to use Storage Groups. -<p> -By default, there is only one Storage Group called "Default", and it is -used for all recordings and Live TV. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -<bf>NOTE</bf>: You need to add at least one directory to the Default -Storage Group or else you will not be able to record anything with MythTV. -</caption> -</figure> - -For example, if you have 5 hard drives in your system, your first hard drive -could be your "boot" drive, and the remaining four could be dedicated to -media storage. You could format the drives and mount them as -<tt>/mnt/store/d2</tt>, <tt>/mnt/store/d3</tt>, <tt>/mnt/store/d4</tt> and -<tt>/mnt/store/d5</tt>. - -Within each mount point, it's <em>strongly</em> recommended that you use a -sub-directory and make that the destination path for the Storage Group. See -the <ref id="storagegrouptip" name="Tip"> in the "Configuring the Master -backend" section for additional information. - -You would then add the four subdirectories you created under the mount -points (<tt>/mnt/store/d1/video</tt>, etc) into the "Default" Storage Group. - -At recording time, if there were four simultaneous recordings, MythTV would -put one recording onto each drive. - -Or, say that you originally installed MythTV to a 80GB hard drive, and that -hard drive is now filling up. You could simply add a new drive to your -system, mount it and update the Storage Group to add additional space. - -You may create additional Storage Groups to store specific recordings in -their own directories. Storage Groups are edited via the 'Storage -Directories' section of mythtv-setup. - -You can also create multiple Storage Groups to group recordings together; -recording schedules now have an option to specify which Storage Group to -use. - -MythTV will balance concurrent recordings across the available directories -in a Storage Group in order to spread out the file I/O load. MythTV will -prefer filesystems that are local to the backend over filesystems that are -remote until the local filesystem has 2 concurrent recordings active or -other equivalent I/O, then the next recording will go to the remote -filesystem. The balancing method is based purely on I/O, Myth does not try -to balance out disk space unless a filesystem is too low on free disk space -in which case it will not be used except as a last resort. - -Storage Groups are global, but can be overridden on a slave backend by -creating a local Storage Group by running <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> on the -slave. If a problem occurs and the slave backend is unable to use the -desired Storage Group, it will fail back and try the directories defined in -the master's Storage Group. - -There's also a special 'LiveTV' Storage Group, but the directory list starts -out empty. If you add a directory to the Storage Group, it will be used -instead of putting LiveTV recordings in the Default Storage Group. This -will allow you to put your LiveTV recordings on their own filesystem, which -is similar to the old MythTV method which used a RingBuffer for LiveTV. Of -course, you don't have to do anything, and Live TV recordings will just go -into the Default Storage Group where they'll be the first programs eligible -for expiration if the system needs free space for recordings. - -Usage information for all Storage Group directories is visible on the -mythfrontend status screen as well as the mythbackend status webpage. -MythTV is smart enough to determine which directories are on shared -filesystems so it should not count free or used space multiple times if you -have more than one directory on the same filesystem. - -<sect3>Migrating to Storage Groups. -<p>Migrating to Storage groups is very simple: if you have existing -recordings in a storage directory, then the system will automatically add -that directory to the Default Storage Group. If you then add additional -directories to a storage group, the system is flexible enough to check -<em>all</em> Storage Groups for a file before deciding that it can't be -found, which means that you can use the <bf>mv</bf> command from the Unix -command line to arrange files however you'd like. - -<sect3>Advanced: Algorithm used by the Storage Group -<p>This section details the logic of the Storage Group allocation engine. - -The current load-balancing preferences (in order) are: -<itemize> -<item>Local filesystems over remote -<item>Less-busy (less weight) over more-busy (more weight) -<item>More Free Space over Less Free Space -</itemize> - -The 'business' of a filesystem is determined by weights. The following -weights are added to a filesystem if it is in use for the following things: -<itemize> -<item>recording = +10 -<item>playback = +5 (mythfrontend) -<item>comm flagging = +5 (mythcommflag) -<item>transcoding = +5 (mythtranscode) -</itemize> - -If a recording is due to end within 3 minutes, it is not counted against -the weight of a filesystem. This is done to account for the pre/post-roll -and start-early/end-late settings. - -<sect1>Post-configuration -<p>Run the <tt>mythfilldatabase</tt> program as directed. The master -backend will obtain guide data for all the video sources you defined during -setup. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: If you are using Schedules Direct and watching the output messages -on the console or the log file it is normal to see a "401 Unauthorized" -error followed by a "200 OK" when the connection to Schedules Direct is being -established. -<tscreen><verb> -From : Sun Jun 13 05:00:00 2004 To : Mon Jun 14 05:00:00 2004 (UTC) ---02:58:01-- -http://datadirect.webservices.zap2it.com/tvlistings/xtvdService - => -' -Resolving datadirect.webservices.zap2it.com... 206.18.98.160 -Connecting to datadirect.webservices.zap2it.com[206.18.98.160]:80... -connected. -HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 401 Unauthorized -Connecting to datadirect.webservices.zap2it.com[206.18.98.160]:80... -connected. -HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK -Length: unspecified [text/xml] - - [ <=> ] 114,125 63.57K/s - -02:58:03 (63.53 KB/s) - -' saved [114125] - -Your subscription expires on 08/20/2004 12:00:00 AM -Grab complete. Actual data from Sun Jun 13 05:00:00 2004 to Mon Jun 14 -00:00:00 2004 (UTC) -</verb></tscreen> - -Once <tt>mythfilldatabase</tt> has finished, start the master server before -continuing. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mythbackend -</verb></tscreen> - -mythbackend will print information about connections and what it's doing to -the console. If you'd like to see the options that are available for -mythbackend, type <tt>mythbackend -h</tt> for help. - -As of MythTV v0.21, the available options are: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mythbackend --help -Valid options are: --h or --help List valid command line parameters --l or --logfile filename Writes STDERR and STDOUT messages to filename --p or --pidfile filename Write PID of mythbackend to filename --d or --daemon Runs mythbackend as a daemon --v or --verbose debug-level Use '-v help' for level info ---printexpire List of auto-expire programs ---printsched Upcoming scheduled programs ---testsched Test run scheduler (ignore existing schedule) ---resched Force the scheduler to update ---nosched Do not perform any scheduling ---nojobqueue Do not start the JobQueue ---noautoexpire Do not start the AutoExpire thread ---version Version information -</verb></tscreen> - -Running mythbackend as a daemon and using the logfile option will allow you -to have mythbackend automatically start up during boot. You can follow the -steps outlined in the section called <ref id="mythbackend_autostart" -name="Automatically starting mythbackend at system boot time"> for -configuration steps. - -If you enable the <tt>-l</tt> parameter, you will want to keep your logfiles -rotated (so that they don't fill up a partition). See the section called -<ref id="logrotate" name="Automatically rotating logs"> for more -information. - -<sect1>Configuring a non-master backend <label id="nonmaster_backend"> -<p>Ensure that you've granted access to the master MySQL database for remote -backends as discussed in the section titled <ref id="modify_perm_mysql" -name="Modifying access to the MySQL database for multiple systems"> and that -you have the correct IP address for the database server in the "Database -Configuration" screen of the mythtv-setup application on this slave backend. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Slave backends <bf>must not</bf> run a local MySQL -daemon. By default, they will connect to their local daemon rather than the -central database, causing unexpected behavior such as empty "Watch -Recordings" lists and a failure to locate the Video Sources defined on the -master backend. Modify the <tt>/usr/local/share/mythtv/mysql.txt</tt> file -on all slave backends to ensure that the <tt>DBHostName</tt> has the address -of the MySQL server. - -Caveat: You may make a slave backend the primary MySQL server, or run a -non-MythTV database on a slave backend as long as you have edited the -<tt>mysql.txt</tt> file on <bf>all</bf> systems and made it consistent. -There can be only one authoritative MySQL database in a MythTV system - -errors such as the one above ensue if backends and frontends have differing -ideas of which MySQL database they should talk to. -</caption> -</figure> - -Make sure that the IP addresses on the General setup screen are accurate. -If the slave backend can't communicate with the master backend due to IP -address misconfiguration then MythTV will not function properly. - -Configuration of a non-master backend follows the same general procedure -as that of the master backend, with the exception that you skip over the -"Video Sources" step. All possible video sources need to be defined on the -master backend system; only the master backend will query a listings -provider to obtain guide data for all the non-master backends. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Do not run <tt>mythfilldatabase</tt> on a non-master backend. -</caption> -</figure> -<sect1>Configuring and running mythfilldatabase -<p><figure loc="here"> -<eps file="warning.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="warning.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> might take a while to complete, -depending on any number of factors, most of which you can't control. It's -best to just let the program run to completion. -</caption> -</figure> -<bf>mythfilldatabase --help</bf> will give a full listing of the options -available. - -<bf>mythfilldatabase --manual</bf> is another option; the manual option will -allow you to fine tune channel frequencies and specify which channels will -be added to the database. - -<bf>mythfilldatabase --file</bf> is an option if there isn't an XMLTV grabber -for your country, but you <bf>do</bf> have an XML formatted listings file -created by some other program. - -<bf>mythfilldatabase --xawchannels</bf> is an option if you have used -<bf>xawtv</bf> to fine-tune your channels and would like to import the fine -tuning offsets into MythTV. - -<bf>mythfilldatabase --refresh-today</bf> will only pull guide data for -today (in case of late-breaking changes to the schedule). - -<!-- get more information on the manual setting --> - -<sect2>Periodically running <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> -<p>In order to keep your database filled, <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> should be -run once a day. - -To use MythTV's built-in capability, you'll need to run the -<bf>mythfrontend</bf> Setup option. From the mythfrontend, enter the -Setup>General screen and advance to "Mythfilldatabase", the fourth screen. -Select the checkbox, then complete the options as you see fit. The -<bf>mythbackend</bf> program will now run <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> for you. - -<sect1>Grabbing channel icons for Schedules Direct users -<p>While the Schedules Direct TV listings service has several advantages, it -does not support grabbing logo icons for the stations you receive. However, -there are utilities provided with MythTV which you may use to grab your -initial set of icons and to keep them updated if your lineups change. - -First, you need to generate or obtain an XML file with the information for -your stations. - -If you have XMLTV software installed, there is a perl script in MythTV's -<tt>contrib/</tt> directory which will generate this file for you. Run the -command: -<tscreen><verb> -$ perl mkiconmap.pl -</verb></tscreen> - -You will be asked for your zip code and the service that you use. If there -are no errors, the <tt>iconmap.xml</tt> file that you need for the next step -will be created. - -If you do not have XMLTV software installed and do not want to install it -for the sake of this minor task, there is a generic -<tt>contrib/master_iconmap.xml</tt> which you can copy and use but this may -not be as complete as using the specific information for your service. - -Once you have an <tt>iconmap.xml</tt> file, add the icon information to your -database and grab any new icons with the command: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mythfilldatabase --import-icon-map iconmap.xml --update-icon-map -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect>Configuring mythfrontend. -<p>Once you have completed configuration of your backend systems, the next -step is to configure the frontend client. - -When you start mythfrontend for the first time, it will attempt to connect -to a configuration database on the local machine. If there is none, a -"Database Configuration" screen will appear, and you will need to fill in -some details. The "Host name" field needs the backend or database server's -IP address or DNS name, and the User or password fields may need to be set -to match your database user accounts. After editing those fields, press -Enter twice to write these configurations on your local machine, and attempt -to connect to the database. If you make any mistakes, the screens will pop -up again. - -Now that mythfrontend has started up, you should have a number of -buttons/choices. Before doing anything, go to TV, then to Setup and -configure the frontend client. -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: You should go through the various setup screens in -mythfrontend before using any other modules to ensure that the the database -is correctly initialized. -</caption> -</figure> -<sect1>General -<p>The General screen has configuration items that don't really fit anywhere -else. The first few configuration items ask you to indicate the number of -seconds to record before or after a program, which is useful if the -broadcast network or your system clock are out of sync and will help prevent -you missing the beginning or end of a program. - -To change the value, use the left and right arrow keys to increment and -decrement the number of seconds. When you're satisfied with the result, use -the down arrow to put the input focus on the Next button or press RETURN to -continue to the next page. - -The next page has a number of options to do with how channels are displayed -on your system. The help text will give you more information. Move the -focus to Next and press the space bar to continue. - -The last General page sets up some final configuration items. See the help -text for more information. - -<sect1>Appearance -<p>This set of screens is mostly concerned with how MythTV will look on your -system. From here, you can choose different themes and set the resolution -of your system. - -<sect1>Program Guide -<p>Fairly self explanatory. Note that the alternate program guide does not -use the same font settings as defined in Appearance, so if the EPG is -unreadable this is where you make the adjustments to fonts, number of -elements displayed, etc. - -<sect1>Playback <label id="deinterlace_"> -<p>The one configuration item which may cause problems on your system is the -"Deinterlace playback" setting. MythTV uses a linear blend algorithm for -deinterlacing, which will improve how the image looks on your screen. -Deinterlacing requires that your processor support SSE. (Streaming SIMD -Extensions, aka "MMX2"). Early Intel Celeron (those that don't use the -Coppermine 0.18um core and are usually <600MHz), Pentium Pro and Pentium II -CPUs do not have SSE, so make sure you haven't enabled deinterlacing if -your processor doesn't support it. If you enable it, and your processor -doesn't support SSE, you will get "Illegal Instruction" errors. - -To determine if you've got SSE on an Intel processor, you can: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cat /proc/cpuinfo -[snip] -flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca -cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse -</verb></tscreen> - -Notice the <bf>sse</bf> at the end of the line - this tells you that this -processor will be able to deinterlace correctly. - -On an AMD processor, look for "3dnow" in the cpuinfo line; "3dnow" is AMD's -implementation of SSE instructions, so if your processor has 3dnow you -shouldn't have any issues with deinterlacing. -<sect2>Video Filters -<!-- Submitted by Bruce Markey --> -<p>MythTV provides a means of employing video filters while recording and -during playback. These filters can be used to improve or modify the video -image, including hiding the effects of an interlaced image or reducing the -impact of noise in a poor video signal. The following is a brief -introduction to introduce you to the filters that are available in MythTV -version 0.20 and higher. -<sect2>Applying filters -<p>One or more filters can be included in a "filter chain". The filters to -be used are identified in a "filter string". A filter string is a group of -filter names and parameters separated by commas. To include parameters, the -filter name is followed by "=" and the parameter information. There should -be no spaces in the filter string. Here is an example filter string: - -With parameters: <tt>kerneldeint=10:1,denoise3d=12</tt> - -Without: <tt>kerneldeint,denoise3d</tt> - -Recording filters are set for each individual channel. These may be used -when encoding in software (MPEG-4, RTjpeg) but do not apply when using a -capture card with hardware encoding such as those supported by the ivtv -driver, DVB, HDTV or MJPEG cards. You can run MythTV's "setup" program and -select the "Channel Editor". On the first page for each channel, you can -enter a filter string in the box titled "Video filters". If you are running -"mythweb" on your web server, you can click on "Settings" then "Channels" -and enter filter strings in the "videofilters" column. - -Playback filters are per-host and apply to any recording you watch from the -frontend where filters have been applied. Playback filtering can only -work with software decoding so the viaslice, xvmc, and ivtv outputs ignore -filters entirely. From "mythfrontend" go to Setup->TV Settings->Playback. -Enter your filter string in the box titled "Custom Filters". - -<sect2>Currently Available Filters -<p>"Deinterlace Playback" checkbox. - -This implements special behavior needed for the "bobdeint" filter but can -also be used to choose any of the deinterlace filters. If you prefer, you -may leave this unchecked and include any of the deinterlace filters, other -than "bobdeint", in your custom filter chain. - -o The "invert" filter - -Invert ignores any parameters and inverts the pixel values of the video -frames. In other words, a negative image. This would rarely be useful but -may be a good example to verify that your filter strings take effect. - -o The "linearblend" filter - -It is a simple deinterlacing filter that ignores parameters and works by -blending adjacent lines. It replaces combing in interlaced video with a -less distracting "ghost" image. - -o The "bobdeint" filter - -This filter splits the interlaced image into two separate fields that -can be line doubled then displayed at twice the frame rate. If the -display is at the same refresh rate as the recording (59.92Hz NTSC or -50Hz PAL) this will cause each refresh to show objects in motion in -a new position with no jagged edges. However, if the display is not -synchronous, it will cause flickering or the appearance of the picture -moving up and down by one line. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: This filter requires the frame rate to be doubled -and therefore can only be used with the "Deinterlace Playback" checkbox. -Do not include this in your filter chain. -</caption> -</figure> - -o The "kerneldeint" filter - -Kerneldeint is a more complex deinterlacing filter which applies a filter -kernel using input from several lines. It generally removes combing without -a "ghost" image, sometimes leaving a faint outline of the image from the -other field. It is considered to be less distracting to watch than -linearblend or no filter at all. It accepts one or two integer parameters -separated by a colon. - -The first parameter is the filter threshold and defaults to 12. Adjacent -lines differing by more than the threshold value are filtered. The second -option defaults to 0. If set to a non-zero value, it will cause the filter -to skip chroma, and filter only the luminance. It may be useful on some -capture cards which do not capture the chroma fields of interlaced video -correctly. - -o The "onefield" filter - -This is a simple one-field deinterlacing filter that uses only one field of -the interlaced video. By default it keeps the top field, though passing the -parameter "bottom" will cause it to keep the bottom field instead. - -This filter is primarily useful for those who display 1080i HDTV signals -with a video mode that has 540 pixels vertically. The advantage over other -deinterlacing filters is that scenes with motion never show combing or -ghosting. - -o The "adjust" filter - -This filter adjusts the digital values for luma and chroma to ensure that -they will fall within the ranges specified in the ITU-R601 standard. By -default, this corrects a known problem for the luma range used by bt8x8 -chips which causes video to look washed out. If parameters are passed, there -need to be exactly six. However, passing a single parameter of "-1" will -disable the filter. - -1: luma minimum input value (int) -2: luma maximum input value (int) -3: luma gamma correction (float) -4: chroma minimum input value (int) -5: chroma maximum input value (int) -6: chroma gamma correction (float) - -The default bt8x8 correction values are equivalent to -"16:253:1.0:2:253:1.0". Output ranges are fixed at ITU-R601 values (16-235 -luma, 16-240 chroma). - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: If it is not already specified in the filter chain, this -filter will be automatically applied when recording with the "bttv" driver. - -o The "quickdnr" filter - -A fast temporal denoiser. This can take 1, 2 or 4 parameters, each being a -value from "0" for the least filtering to "255" for the greatest filtering. -With one parameter, the filter will compute the values it should use for all -of its variables. Two parameters will set the filter strength for luma and -chroma independently. If you are interested in how the algorithm works, you -may examine the source code to see how four parameter are used. - -o The "denoise3d" filter - -A slower denoiser that applies a spatial and temporal low-pass filter. The -spatial filter can remove some noise that quickdnr can't, but a more -powerful CPU is needed. This filter accepts 3 float parameters: - -<itemize> -<item>luma spatial filter strength -<item>chroma spatial filter strength -<item>luma temporal filter strength -</itemize> - -Reasonable defaults will be selected for omitted parameters. The chroma -temporal filter strength is calculated from the other filter strengths. - -o The "crop" filter - -Covers edges of video with black bars. This helps improve video quality -when the edges of the frame are distorted. By default, this removes 16 -pixels from each edge. This can optionally take four parameters representing -top:left:bottom:right. The number times 16 is the number of pixels to remove -so, for example, the default is "=1:1:1:1". - -o The "forceyv12" and "forceyuv422p" filters - -These force the filter manager to use the given format. You can use one of -these at the head of a filter chain to change the capture format. The most -likely use would be forceyuv422p to use YUV422P capture on cards with known -chroma interlacing problems with YV12. - -There are some filters included in the MythTV source code that should -not be used: - -o The "forcergb24" and "forceargb32" filters - -The two RGB formats should not be used because there is no conversion filter -for them yet. - -o The "convert" filter - -It exists but don't use it. The filter manager uses this filter -automatically when it is unable to match the input/output formats of two -adjacent filters. - -o The "postprocess" filter - -While this exists in MythTV source code, it is currently not recommended for -use. - -<sect2>Usage Considerations -<p>There are trade-offs to consider when deciding if it would be wise to use -a filter. Any processing will modify the original image so you should assess -if the filter has made a noticeable improvement to the picture in order to -justify the impact of the processing. Adding any filter will inherently -increase CPU usage. The impact can vary dramatically depending on your CPU -type and speed, the resolution of the recording, which filters you are using -and other factors. You can only determine what is right for you through -experimentation. However, as a starting point, here are some filter strings -that you may find useful: - -For typical broadcast stations: "kerneldeint,quickdnr" - -For stations with poor signal quality: "linearblend,denoise3d=12" - -For synchronous TV-out: check Deinterlace with "Bob (2x framerate)" - -<sect1>Recording <label id="Recording"> -<p>Depending on your capture card, MythTV offers different video encoders. -The following types of hardware encoding cards are supported: -<itemize> -<item>MJPEG - Zoran-based cards; see <url url="http://mjpeg.sourceforge.net" name="http://mjpeg.sourceforge.net"> -<item>MPEG-2 - iTVC15/16 based cards (Hauppauge PVR-250/PVR-350); see <url -url="http://ivtvdriver.org" name="http://ivtvdriver.org"> -<item>HDTV - pcHDTV cards; see <url url="http://pchdtv.com" name="http://pchdtv.com"> and -the Air2PC-ATSC-PCI see <url -url="http://www.cyberestore.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=103" -name="http://www.cyberestore.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=103"> -<item>DVB - cards supporting DVB; see <url url="http://linuxtv.org" name="http://linuxtv.org"> -</itemize> -For cards without hardware encoding capabilities (all cards supported by -V4L not listed above), Myth includes two methods for software encoding: -RTjpeg and MPEG-4. RTjpeg has significantly fewer CPU demands than MPEG-4, -but it generates larger files than MPEG-4 for a given recording. - -For DVB and HDTV cards, no further configuration is required after -setting up the card using the 'mythtv-setup' program. -For all other cards, configuration is done through MythFrontend. -Selecting 'Recording Profiles' from the 'TV Settings' screen will list -the profiles currently available for the cards in your system. -Depending on what types of cards you have installed you may see: -<tscreen><verb> -(Create new profile group) -Software Encoders -Hardware MPEG Encoders -Hardware MJPEG Encoders -Transcoders -</verb></tscreen> -The '(Create new profile group)' option will allow you to create custom -profiles in case you have multiple backends. Note that custom profiles -are per backend and card type. If you have 2 MPEG-2 encoders in a given -backend system, creating a custom profile will affect both of them. This -option should not be needed otherwise. - -The 'Transcoders' group is a little different from the others. Selecting -this group will result in a menu with the following options: 'RTjpeg/MPEG-4' -and 'MPEG-2'. These types indicate what transcoder options will be used for -a given input type (i.e. the 'MPEG-2' settings would be used to transcode -MPEG-2 files into MPEG-4. The source of the MPEG-2 stream (DVB, HDTV, or -PVR-x50) does not matter. Configuration of the options is the same as below -(although any resolution settings will be ignored). - -Selecting any of the other options will show a new screen with a list of -four profiles: -<itemize> -<item>Default -<item>Live TV -<item>Low Quality -<item>High Quality -</itemize> - -The Default profile will be used for any recording which does not otherwise -have a specific profile assigned. The 'Live TV' profile will be used when -watching TV. The remaining two profiles are available for customizing to -allow for more precise control over what quality is used for a given -program. - -Selecting a profile will allow you to adjust the relevant options for that -card. The most significant setting is the recording resolution, but you can -also choose encoding format, audio format, and tweak other encoder specific -properties. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: although the width and height can be changed to almost -anything, if you start MythTV and don't see video or you get "segmentation -fault" errors, it is likely that the video4linux (v4l) subsystem did not -like the height and width parameters specified. It's best to leave the -default as-is until you're sure that MythTV is operational. -</caption> -</figure> - -See the <ref id="capture_resolution_" name="What capture resolution should I -use? How does video work?"> section for more information. - -<sect1>Xbox Frontends -<p>MythTV is able to control the LED on the Xbox to indicate backend -recording status. - -To control the LED, you will need the <bf>blink</bf> program from the -xbox-linux project, which is installed as <tt>/bin/led</tt> on GentooX. On -Xebian (the new Ed's Debian) you must install it yourself. On other -distributions it may or may not be installed as a program called -<bf>blink</bf> and should be located in your path. (Type <tt>which -blink</tt> to see if the program is available.) If you do not have -<bf>blink</bf>, you may obtain it from the Xbox-Linux project site at <url -url="http://xbox-linux.sf.net/" name="http://xbox-linux.sf.net/">. The -program you need is part of the <tt>eds_i2c_staff</tt> module in CVS. Note -the spelling. - -Once you have installed <bf>blink</bf> you will need to set permissions. -<bf>blink</bf> needs write permission to the i2c device to function -properly. There are three methods to accomplish this. First, you could run -<tt>mythfrontend</tt> as root, which is the simplest method, but could -potentially be a security risk. Next, you may make the <bf>blink</bf> -binary setuid root, which allows non-privileged users to run a program with -root capability. This is done by typing the command: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# chmod u+s /path/to/blink -</verb></tscreen> -The final technique would be to set the <tt>/dev/i2c/0</tt> device read/write -for all users, but this is the least preferred method. - -Now it's time to setup MythTV for Xbox hardware. Enter Setup -> General. -On the second page check the 'Enable Xbox Hardware' option. Upon reentering -the settings, you should have a new option named 'Xbox'. Within this option -you may select the distribution, LED colors for recording and the update -interval. If you select GentooX as the distribution <bf>led</bf> will be -used as the <bf>blink</bf> binary name, otherwise, <bf>blink</bf> is used. -Colors should be self explanatory. The update interval determines how often -the frontend should poll the backend to determine if the status has changed. - -<sect>Using MythTV. -<p><figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -<bf>NOTE to Red Hat/Fedora 4 users</bf>: Red Hat Linux and Fedora Core ship -with Gnome as the default desktop environment. However, Gnome seems to have -issues with window focus and window switching which sometimes cause -mythfrontend to obscure the video. KDE does not seem to have any such -issues. Therefore you will need to switch to KDE by selecting -RedHatMenu>Extras>System Settings>Desktop Switching Tool and choose "KDE". - -<bf>NOTE to Fedora Core 5 and 6 users</bf>: Fedora 5 and 6 no longer have -this tool in the Menu. Use "switchdesk KDE" from a command line. Read "man -switchdesk" for further information about changing to other desktop -environments. -</caption></figure> -<sect1>Keyboard commands -<p>The <tt>keys.txt</tt> file describes what the various keyboard commands are. -If you have loaded mythweb, you may change the default keys to your liking. -<sect2>mythfrontend -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -Arrow keys | used to move the highlight point around @ -ALT-F4 | exit out of the application @ -Space/Enter | take action on the item under the highlight point @ -P | play in both "Watch a Recording" and "Delete a Recording" @ -D | delete in both "Watch a Recording" and "Delete a Recording" @ -U | to view details for the currently selected show on the Watch - or Delete screens, EPG, "Program Finder", "Fix Scheduling - Conflicts" and search results screens @ -O | to list the upcoming episodes for the currently selected show - on the EPG, "Program Finder", "Program Recording Priorities", - "Fix Scheduling Conflicts" or search results screens @ -I | edit recording options from the EPG, "Program Finder", - "Program Recording Priorities", or "Fix Scheduling Conflicts" - screens. From the Playback and Delete screens, 'I' presents - options for recorded shows such as Auto Expire or Stop Recording. - Pressing 'I' while on the Recording Options screen will take you - to the Advanced Recording Options screen. -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Watching TV or a recording -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -Up or down | keys change the channel @ -num pad | Type a number to enter a channel number or jump amount (HHMM format) @ -P | pause / play. You may also add an explicit keybinding for 'Play' through - MythWeb, returning you to normal speed if you are in slow motion, rewind - fast forward or pause mode. @ -C | change inputs on TV Tuner card @ -ESC | quits @ -I | puts the On-screen Display up again. During playback, 'I' toggles - between position and show description info. If a jump amount is - entered, jump to that position. @ -M | brings up the electronic program guide (Grid) -- see the EPG section @ -Page Up | jump back the configured number of minutes (default is 10) @ -Page Down | jump ahead the configured number of minutes (default is 10) @ -End or Z | skip to next commercial break marker @ -Home or Q | skip back to previous commercial break marker @ -T | toggle close caption support - Pressing 0-9 (preferably 3 times) + T changes teletext page and turns on teletext. @ -F | rotate between the various Picture Adjustments (Colour, Hue, etc.) - While Picture Adjustment is on-screen, use Left and Right arrows to - adjust. These settings adjust the look of the video playback, and are - independent of the G-key settings used at record-time. @ -[ or F10 | decrease volume @ -] or F11 | increase volume @ -| or F9 | toggle mute @ -/ | jump to the next "favorite" channel @ -? | mark/unmark the current channel as a "favorite" @ -U | increase the play speed @ -J | decrease the play speed @ -A | Adjust time stretch (speed up or slow down normal play of audio and video @ -W | cycle through zoom and fill modes: 4:3 aspect ratio, 16:9, 4:3 Zoom - (like Pan and Scan), 16:9 Zoom, and 16:9 Stretch (eliminates black - sidebars in TV signal) @ -F8 | toggle the sleep timer 30m->1hr->1hr30m->2hr->Off @ -CTRL-B | Jump to the beginning of the recording / ringbuffer @ -+ | Switch between audio streams @ -Left | (if a jump amount is entered) to jump back that amount @ -Right | (if a jump amount is entered) to jump ahead that amount @ - | @ - | @ - | <bf>Without the stickykeys option selected</bf> @ -Left | rewind the configured number of seconds (default is 5) @ -Right | fast forward the configured number of seconds (default is 30) @ -< | starts rewind mode as if stickykeys are selected @ -> | starts fast forward mode as if stickykeys are selected @ - | @ - | @ - | <BF>With Stickykeys option selected</BF> @ -Right | starts fast forward mode @ -Left | starts rewind mode @ - | @ - | @ - | <bf>In fast forward or rewind mode:</bf> @ -Left/Right | increases the ff/rew speed @ -0 | plays at normal speed, but leaves the time indicator on screen @ -1 or 2 | plays back more slowly than normal ff/rew speed (1 is slowest) @ -3 | plays back at normal ff/rew speed @ -4-9 | plays back faster than normal ff/rew speed (9 is fastest) @ -Space | exits fast forward or rewind mode @ - | @ - | @ - | <bf>While video is paused:</bf> @ -Left | rewind 1 frame @ -< | rewind 1 second @ -Right | advance 1 frame @ -> | advance 1 second -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Watching TV only -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -G | rotate between the various Picture Adjustments (Colour, Hue, etc.) - for recording. These values affect the look of the resulting .nuv - file, and are independent of the playback picture settings. While - Picture Adjustment is on-screen, use Left and Right arrows to adjust. @ -H | Channel history. Each repeat steps back through the previous channels. @ -O | Turns on 'Browse' mode, allowing user to browse channels and program - info while watching current show FullScreen. @ -Y | switch between multiple capture cards. <bf>NOTE</bf>: - you will lose your LiveTV buffer on your current card. Useful - for different-sourced cards (such as Dish Network on one, HDTV over-the-air on another card.) @ -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>LiveTV Browse Mode -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -Left | browse program prior to current listed program @ -Right | browse program following current listed program @ -Up | browse program on channel above current listed channel/program @ -Down | browse program on channel below current listed channel/program @ -/ | browse program on next favorite channel @ -0-9 | enter a channel number to browse @ -Space/Enter | change channel to channel of current listed program @ -R/r | Toggle recording of current program (cycles through types) @ -ESC/O | Exit Browse mode -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Playback Recording Zoom Mode -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -Left | Move video to Left @ -Right | Move video to Right @ -Up | Move video Up @ -Down | Move video Down @ -PageUp | Zoom In @ -PageDown | Zoom Out @ -Space/Enter | Exit Zoom mode leaving picture at current size and position @ -ESC | Exit Zoom mode and return to original size -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>If you have two or more tuner cards -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -V | toggle Picture-in-picture on or off @ -B | toggles the window focus (lets you change channels on the PiP window) @ -N | swaps the two channels by changing channels on both cards -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Watching a recording only -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -Space/Enter | set a bookmark at that point. Next time you start the - recording, you will automatically jump forward to this point - and clear the bookmark. @ -X | queues the current recording for transcoding @ -O | brings up menu to allow toggling settings such as Commercial - Auto-Skip, Auto-Expire, etc. @ -D | exits the current recording and displays the Delete menu @ -E or M | enters/exits edit mode. @ - | @ - | @ - | <bf>In edit mode</bf> @ -Left/Right | move forward and backward @ -Up/Down | alter the amount of time you jump forward and backward. - Increments are: nearest cutpoint, nearest video keyframe, 1 - frame, 0.5 seconds, 1 second, 20 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, - and 10 minutes. @ -PageUp/PageDown | move forward and backward to the nearest cut point @ -< or > | move forward or backward by 10 times the normal jump amount @ -Space/Enter | allows you to set or delete a cut point @ -Z | loads the commercial skip list (if one exists) into the cutlist @ -C or Q | clear all cut points in the cutlist @ -I | Inverts the cutlist -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>EPG -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -Arrows | are used to move the highlighted program point around @ -A, D, S, W | perform the same as left, right, down and up @ -PageUp/PageDown | move the channel list up or down a page @ -Home/End | move the highlight left or right by one day @ -Ctrl+Left or < | move the highlight left by one page @ -Ctrl+Right or > | move the highlight right by one page @ -9, 3, 7, 1 | (like a numeric keypad) perform the same as PageUp, PageDown, - Home and End @ -I | bring up more information about a show, and allow you to - schedule a recording. If you select "Record this showing" - while watching Live TV you can "Instant Record" a program. @ -Space/Enter | allow you resolve conflicts or change overrides. If the - program is not already scheduled to record, it will instead act like - pressing 'I'. @ -M | when on a channel will change to that channel @ -ESC or C | exits without changing the channel @ -R | change the current item from Recording/Not-Recording. - Successive keypresses cycle through the scheduled recording - type list. @ -X | change the channel to the currently selected channel without - leaving the EPG (Most useful in the alternate EPG) @ -? | mark/unmark the current channel as a "favorite" @ -/ or 4 | toggle the guide listing between all channels and filtered - "favorites" -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Setting Program or Channel Recording Priorities -<p> -<table loc="l"> -<tabular ca="rll"> -Right | increases priority value @ -Left | decreases priority value @ -1 | sorts by title @ -2 | sorts by priority @ -Home/End | toggle sort priority @ -I | edit recording options @ -ESC | commits changes and exits -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Viewing Scheduled Recordings/Resolving Conflicts -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -1 | show all recordings @ -2 | show only important recordings @ -Home/End | toggle show showing all/important @ -I | edit recording options @ -Space/Enter | resolve conflict or override -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Viewing Search Listings -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -Home | change to the previous view if applicable @ -End | change to the next view if applicable @ -M | select another view if applicable. In the - title and description search popup, press - M again to edit or delete the selected view. -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Recording Profiles Setup Screen -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -D | on a custom profile group displays a popup to delete the group@ -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Recording Groups -<p>In the Watch Recordings screen, Recording Groups allow you to separate -programs into user-defined categories, such as "Kids", "Alice", "Bob", etc. -This can be used to reduce clutter, or to segregate content if you use the -PIN function. -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -M | change the view or to set a group password @ -I | move a program from one Recording Group to another -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Watch Recordings Screen -<p> -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -1 or F1 | Meaning of the icons @ -/ | Tags a recording. Tagged recordings can be played - either in order or shuffled and deleted as a group. - You can also change the recording group for several - recordings at once by tagging them and using the - Menu (m) button, selecting "Playlist options", - then "Change Recording Group". @ -? | Clear the tagged list. -</tabular> -</table> -<sect2>Remote Controls -<p> -If you are using MythTV with just a remote control then it is suggested that you -map the remote control keys as described below. Your remote control may not -have the same set of keys as those named below, the names are only a suggestion -that roughly correspond to the function. -<p> -If you are adding new key bindings to the program then consideration of this -suggested list will help users with remote controls. -<p> -This list assumes a minimal remote control that only has 20 keys, nearly all -features can be used with this configuration. If you have more keys then you -can access all of the features. With only 16 keys most features are usable. -<table loc=p> -<tabular ca="rll"> -REMOTE CONTROL | LIRC KEYSTROKE | FUNCTION @ -0 - 9 | 0 - 9 | channel selection, EPG navigation, ff/rew speed setting (with stickykeys) @ -Left Arrow | Left | scroll left, rewind @ -Right Arrow | Right | scroll right, fast forward @ -Up Arrow | Up | scroll up, channel change up @ -Down Arrow | Down | scroll down, channel change down @ -Select / OK / Play | Space | Select item, play (with stickykeys) set bookmark @ -Cancel | Escape | Cancel, quit playback @ -Menu | m | EPG (from watching TV) edit (from playback). @ -Pause | p | Pause @ -Other key 1 | i | Information @ -Other key 2 | c | Change tuner card input -</tabular> -</table> - -<sect1>Using themes with MythTV -<p>MythTV is "themeable", meaning that the visual appearance of the program -can be modified by the user without re-compiling or altering the program -functionality. Download the MythThemes tarball from the website and untar it: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xjf myththemes-0.21.tar.bz2 -$ cd ~/myththemes-0.21 -$ qmake myththemes.pro -$ su - -# make install -# exit -$ -</verb</tscreen> - -The theme will now be available in the mythfrontend Appearance section. - -<sect1>Adding DishTV information to the database -<p>A script for adding Pay Per View information into the MythTV database for -DishTV subscribers is available at <url url="http://www.mythppv.com/" -name="http://www.mythppv.com/">. - -<sect1>Adding support for an external tuner -<p>MythTV supports changing the channel on an external tuner. If you have -an external tuner, such as a DirecTV or digital cable set top box, you -should add <tt>/usr/local/bin/changechannel</tt> to your Input Connections in the -mythbackend configuration GUI. - -However, there is not <bf>changechannel</bf> program per-se, because this is -going to be dependent on what sort of external tuner you have. Look in the -<tt>contrib/channel_changers</tt> directory for a number of programs and -scripts which may be used to change channels. Once you find one which -works, copy it to <tt>/usr/local/bin/changechannel</tt>. - -Feel free to browse some of what sort of hardware is available at <url -url="http://store.snapstream.com/accessories.html" -name="http://store.snapstream.com/accessories.html">, or if you wish to -assemble your own, rather than purchase, the following may be helpful: <url -url="http://www.dtvcontrol.com/" name="http://www.dtvcontrol.com/"> for -cable pinouts. - -<sect1>Using Shutdown/Wakeup -<p>What does the MythTV Shutdown/Wakeup function do? The scheduler on the -Master backend (MBE) keeps track of the idle status of the entire MythTV -system, including the Slave backends (SBE). If it considers the system to be -idle, and thus ready to shutdown, it sets the wakeuptime to the time of the -next recording and then proceeds to shut down all Slave backends and then -itself. Once it is time to begin recording, the Master backend and the Slave -Backends are automatically woken up. This system allows MythTV to record -like a normal VCR, thereby conserving power when not in active use. - -In order to use the Shutdown/Wakeup function there must be some method of -waking up the Master backend. There are any number of solutions, but we -will discuss in detail two possibilities: - -<itemize> -<item>Use another server that runs 24/7 and have it send a WakeOnLAN (WOL) -packet to wake the Master backend. This assumes that you have the WOL tools -installed, and that your Master backend motherboard supports WOL. -<item>Use your motherboard's BIOS wakeup capability. You'll need a motherboard -that supports BIOS wakeup, and some tools. Two that work are: <url -url="http://sourceforge.net/projects/nvram-wakeup" -name="http://sourceforge.net/projects/nvram-wakeup"> and <url -url="http://www.malloc.de/tools/wakeup_clock.html" -name="http://www.malloc.de/tools/wakeup_clock.html"> -</itemize> - -<sect2>A deeper look into the operation -<p>The scheduler keeps track of the idle status of the MythTV system. To -determine whether or not the MythTV system is idle, the following conditions -must be met for a period of time defined in the "Idle timeout (secs)" -parameter. -<itemize> -<item>no client is connected to the server -<item>no recording (neither LiveTV nor a regular recording) is currently taking place -<item>no recording starts within a definable amount of time ("Max. wait for recording (min)") -<item>the "pre Shutdown check-command" returns 0 -</itemize> - -If we get to this idle state the Master backend will set the wakeuptime using the "Set -wakeuptime command", which is the same for WOL and BIOS wakeup. The Master backend will -then shut down the Slave backends and itself using the "Server halt command". - -One caveat is that the scheduler tries to guess if the Master backend was started by a -wakeup call or by the user. If it thinks it was woken up by a user, it -blocks shutdown until a client connects to the Master backend, after which it will -behave as described above. To disable this feature, unset "Block shutdown -before client connected" in the mythfrontend Setup->Setup->General screen. - -Once it is time to startup the system, the Master backend is woken up first and will -wakeup the Slave backends using the "Wake command for slaves". At this time, there is -no support for starting only the required Slave backend, so all Slave backends will startup. - -<sect2>Setting up the MythTV side of this extension. -<p>There are a number of options that are used to control the Shutdown / -Wakeup feature. - -Shutdown/Wakeup Options: -<itemize> -<item>"Idle timeout (secs)" is the time the server waits while idle until a -shutdown occurs. -<item>"Max. wait for recording (min)" is the time the Master backend waits for a recording -without shutting down. For example, this would be used to prevent a 10 -minute system shutdown if a recording is set to start 15 minutes from now. -<item>"Startup before rec. (secs)" Sets how long before a programmed -recording the MythTV system will be woken up. This should be roughly be the -time your systems need to bootup, and if you have Slave backends, you'll -need to ensure this value is long enough for all your machines to perform -their bootup cycle. -<item>"Wakeup time format" is the format of the wakeup time that is given in -the "Set wakeuptime command" as a parameter "$time". You need to set this -according to your wakeup mechanism. If you need seconds since the epoch -(1970-01-01) set the "Wakeup time format" to "time_t". -<item>"Set wakeuptime command" is the command executed to set the new wakeuptime. -<item>"Server Halt Command" is the command executed to shutdown the Master -backend and the Slave backends. -<item>"pre Shutdown check-command" is used to give a -"Go/NO-GO" decision from a non-MythTV source. This command is executed -immediately before the shutdown would occur. The return value is use to make -the following choices: -<itemize> -<item>If it returns a "0" the shutdown will occur as scheduled. -<item>If it returns a "1" the "idle timeout" will be reset and the system -waits again for the timeout. -<item>If it returns a "2" the entire shutdown sequence is reset. This means -that a new client connect is needed before a shutdown occurs, unless you have -the "Wait for client connect" setting disabled, in which case this is the same as -returning "1". An example of a use for this return value is to prevent the shutdown -if a user is currently logged in, or if a specific program (i.e. transcode, -automatic updates, etc.) is currently running. If you don't need it, leave -the field blank. -</itemize> -</itemize> - -The "WakeOnLan settings": -These settings have nothing to do with using BIOS or WOL wakeup, they are -the same for both. -<itemize> -<item>"Master backend" This setting defines timings for the frontends to -wakeup the Master backend using WOL. Useful if your frontend can emit a WOL -packet so you don't need to physically go to the Master backend if you're -trying to watch TV. -<item>"Reconnect wait time (secs)" is the time the frontend waits after -executing the "Wake command" before attempting to retry the connection. This -should be roughly the amount of time your Master backend needs for bootup. -Set to "0" to disable. The frontends will retry to connect for "Count of -reconnect tries" times before giving up. -<item>"Wake command for slaves" is the <em>one</em> command executed to wake -your Slave backends. This should be a script that contains the calls to -wakeup all Slave backend systems. -</itemize> - -<sect3>Using WOL to wake your Master backend. -<p>To use WOL to wake your Master backend you will need a WOL capable Master -backend, a machine that runs 24/7 which can execute an at-job and nc (netcat) -on the Master backend. I use some little bash scripts to make my DSL router -wakeup my mythbox if required. - -Replace $SERVER and $PORT with your own settings! -On my Master backend I have a script that gets called as 'setwakeuptime command' which -looks like the following: -<tscreen><verb> -#! /bin/sh -echo $@ | nc $SERVER $PORT -</verb></tscreen> -This simply cats the parameters (that is $time) to my 24/7 server. On my -$SERVER I have (x)inetd listening on $PORT starting a little script which -cares about setting the at-job. The following additions are necessary on the -$SERVER: - -If you use <bf>inetd</bf>: -<p>In <tt>/etc/inetd.conf</tt> add: -<tscreen><verb> -mythwake stream tcp nowait mythtv /usr/sbin/tcpd /usr/local/bin/mythwake -</verb></tscreen> -If you use <bf>xinetd</bf>, save the following as <bf>mythwake</bf> in your -<tt>/etc/xinet.d/</tt> directory: -<tscreen><verb> -service mythwake - { - socket_type = stream - wait = no - user = mythtv - protocol = tcp - id = mythwake - server = /usr/local/bin/mythwake - } -</verb></tscreen> -and add the following to <tt>/etc/services</tt>: -<tscreen><verb> -mythwake $PORT/tcp -</verb></tscreen> - -Finally, <tt>/usr/local/bin/mythwake</tt> looks like: -<tscreen><verb> -#! /bin/bash -#this should be a command to wake your server -WAKECMD="#!/bin/sh\n /usr/local/bin/wakeMBE" -#first we need to delete all wake jobs in queue -for JOB in atq | cut -f 1 ; do - atrm $JOB; -done -#now we read the date from 'nc' -read date; -#now set the atjob -echo -e "$WAKECMD" | at $date ; -</verb></tscreen> -<bf>SECURITY WARNING</bf>: -Be sure to secure $SERVER:$PORT from untrusted networks, because this -allows 3rd parties to run arbitrary code on your server! - -<sect3>Using BIOS wakeup to wake your Master backend. -<p>Since I don't use this, I cannot say much about this. If your motherboard -supports any wakeup tool you have to call that tool as "Set wakeuptime -command" with the "Wakeup time format" suitable for that tool. -<sect2>Wakeup the MySQL server using WOL -<p>If your MySQL server and your Master backend are not on the same machine, -you can have the Master backend wake your MySQL server using WOL. You will -find the settings for this in the second page of the mythtv-setup program, -or at the end of <tt>mysql.txt</tt>. The meanings are the same as -discussed in "The WakeOnLan settings" above. - -<sect2>Tips/Tricks: -<p>If, for example, one of the Slave backends is also your desktop computer, -you could simply use a little script as 'server halt command' which first -calls <tt>/sbin/shutdown -t TIMEOUT</tt> where TIMEOUT is a value sufficient -for you to react. You could then popup a window using *dialog, asking for -permission to shutdown. If you cancel the shutdown, simply call -<tt>/sbin/shutdown -c</tt>. - -If you get "nvram-wakeup: /dev/rtc: Device or resource busy" your -set-wakeuptime-script should stop the program that uses <tt>/dev/rtc</tt> before -setting the wakeuptime. -<sect1>Controlling the mythfrontend via telnet -<p>To use this feature you must first enable it in Settings>General>General - -The network control listens on port 6546, as demonstrated below: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ telnet basement 6546 -Connected to basement. -Escape character is '^]'. -MythFrontend Network Control -Type 'help' for usage information ---------------------------------- -# help -Valid Commands: ---------------- -jump - Jump to a specified location in Myth -key - Send a keypress to the program -play - Playback related commands -query - Queries -exit - Exit Network Control - -Type 'help COMMANDNAME' for help on any specific command. - -# help jump -Usage: jump JUMPPOINT - -Where JUMPPOINT is one of the following: -channelpriorities - Channel Recording Priorities -channelrecpriority - Channel Recording Priorities -deletebox - TV Recording Deletion -deleterecordings - TV Recording Deletion -guidegrid - Program Guide -livetv - Live TV -livetvinguide - Live TV In Guide -mainmenu - Main Menu -...snip... -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -Please note that this feature only allows one connection at a time, so any -new connections will automatically terminate prior ones. - -<sect>Scheduling Recordings. -<p>The MythTV master backend is responsible for managing the schedule for -all TV tuner cards on the master and any slave. Its job is to search the TV -listing for the shows you have requested and assign recordings to the TV -tuner cards. If none of the shows that you've chosen overlap, it simply -records all of them. However, if there are shows where the beginning -and end times overlap, the scheduler follows rules that you've specified or -makes logical decisions about what would be best if you haven't expressed your -preference. Further, the "Upcoming Recordings" page allows you make specific -decisions about what you really do and don't want to record. - -<sect1>Record Types -<p>When you choose a show that you would like to record from the -Options Page, there are eight different types of rules to help the -scheduler find which showings you would like to record. - -<itemize> -<item>Single Record -- record only this title at this specific time and -this station. This is the best way to be sure that a certain showing will -be recorded. However, if the TV listings change and the show is not broadcast -at that time, the show will not be recorded but will be marked as Not Listed -to let you know that you should investigate. - -<item>Find One -- this will record a title once from any of the times -that appear in the TV listings. This is useful for recording a movie -or special that has multiple showings because it allows the scheduler -to choose one that doesn't conflict. It is not a good choice for -recording a single episode of a series because it records the first -available showing of the title without regard to the episode -information. - -<item>Record Weekly -- this records a show whenever the title is listed -on the same channel, weekday and time. Note that if the TV station -changes the schedule for a special episode, it would not be -recorded. However, you can add a Single record for the special -episode. If there are no matching showings in the TV listings, -a Not Listed item will be added to your schedule for the next -time slot to let you know that you should investigate. - -<item>Find Weekly -- this will record a title once per week from any -of the times that appear in the TV listings beginning from the time of -the showing that was selected when the rule was set. This is useful -for news, current events or other programs where the same episode is -shown several times each week but the listings may not include -descriptive information. This may not be a good choice if there are -different episodes shown during the week. - -<item>Record Daily -- this records a show whenever the title is listed -for the time and station on any day of the week. Here again, a show -will not be recorded if the time was altered by the station. If there -are no matching showings in the TV listings, a Not Listed item will be -added to your schedule for the next time slot to let you know that you -should investigate. - -<item>Find Daily -- this will record a title once per day from any -of the times that appear in the TV listings beginning from the time of -the showing that was selected when the rule was set. This is useful -for news, current events or other programs where the same episode is -shown several times each day but the listings may not include -descriptive information. This may not be a good choice if there are -different episodes shown during the day. - -<item>Channel Record -- records one showing of each unique episode from -any of the times the title is listed on this station. This is perhaps -the most common rule to use for most shows. - -<item>Record All -- records one showing of each unique episode from -any of the times this title is listed on any channel. This can be -useful if a station has sister stations where shows are rebroadcast -allowing the scheduler to record rebroadcasts on the other station -when the original airing cannot be recorded. -</itemize> - -<sect1>Scheduling Options -<sect2>Priority -<p>By default, all shows you select have equal value to the -scheduler. There are a set of rules to make good choices when -two or more shows are in conflict. However, priority values let the -scheduler know what you prefer so that it can set the schedule based -on your preferences. - -Initially, recording rule priority values are set to zero. You may choose -to leave everything at "0" and let the scheduler follow rules to guess -what you might prefer when there are conflicts. However, if you have -one or two favorite shows, you may want to increase the priority -value so the scheduler will know that you would prefer recording -these over other shows. You might use certain values to rate shows -so that all favorites are 2. good shows are 1 and extra 'filler' -shows are all -1 for example. You could sort each title on the "Set -Priorities" page to have a unique value so the scheduler can know -which show you'd prefer versus any other show. The choice and style -are entirely up to you. However, the more information you give to -the scheduler, the more likely it will make the choices you would -prefer in the first place. - -The scheduler choices are based on the total priority for a showing by -adding up all priority factors that match the showing. By default, most -of these factors are "0" but you may use any combination to express your -likes and needs. - -<itemize> -<item>Per record rule -- this is the "priority" selection in the "Scheduling -Options" section of the options page and this value is included for any -showings that match the recording rule. You may choose to only use these -values and not use the other factors for the sake of simplicity and clarity. -<item> -Per record type -- Setup->TV Settings->Recording Priorities->General allows -you to add to the priority based on the type. It may make sense to increase -the value for "Single" so that by default they have an extra advantage over -other shows. The default is +1. You may want to decrease the value for Find -rules so that they will be less likely to interfere with regularly scheduled -shows and will be more likely to record in a non-conflicting time instead. -The default is -1. -<item> -Per channel -- Setup->TV Settings->Recording Priorities->Channel Priorities -can be useful if you believe that you prefer any of the shows on certain -channels. This would give all shows on a channel an advantage by default. -<item> -Input priority -- in the "mythtv-setup" program, the "Input Connections" -section allows you to add additional priority in the "Input priority". -This is simply another priority factor but has an interesting effect. If a -card input has a higher value than the other cards, the scheduler will see -that you would rather record showings of episodes on this input rather than a -showing on other inputs. If you have multiple cards of different quality, -you may want to set input priority to encourage the scheduler to record -shows on your best card(s) whenever possible. This can also be useful if you -have multiple video sources which include the same stations. For example, -with digital and analog cable you could increase the digital cable input -preference by 1 to tell the scheduler that you want to record from the -digital channel whenever possible but the channel on the analog input could -still be used when the digital input is busy. -<item> -Custom Priority -- this allows you to add any specialized factors you -would like in order to influence scheduling decisions. See the -<ref id="Custom Priority" name="Custom Priority"> section below. -</itemize> -For any single showing of any show you've chosen to record, these factors -are added together to find the "total priority". This is the priority that -the scheduler uses to decide which showings are given the first choice when -filling in the schedule. - -The scheduling priority of a show may also be used to determine -auto-expiration of recordings when disk space gets full (see <ref -id="Auto-Expire" name="Auto-Expire">, below). - -<sect2>Duplicates -<p>Singles will record without regard to duplicate matching. - -<p>The standard recurring methods of All, Channel, Weekly and Daily use the -descriptive information in the TV listings to try to record only one showing -of each unique episode. However, This goal is sometimes complicated by the -fact that the stations may not include a description for a specific episode -but use a generic description for the series instead. When there is a -generic description, the default behavior is to assume that it may be an -episode that you have not seen and to record it for you. One of the -duplicate matching options is "Record new episodes only". If this is -selected, listing that have an original air date of more than 14 days -earlier are considered repeats and are not eligible to record. Generally, -generic episodes will be marked as repeats also. - -<p>Because of generic episodes and other situations, MythTV offers an -alternative approach where shows may be recorded by choosing from multiple -showings even when the descriptive information is not reliable. All of the -"Find" record types look for matching titles in the listings. If there is a -showing with specific episode information and that episode has recorded -before, that showing is marked as previously or currently recorded. The -scheduler will then choose to record the earliest non-conflicting showing -from any of other remaining showings regardless of the descriptive -information. Generally, Find One is most useful for movies or specials and -the Find Daily and Find Weekly rules are best for news or current events -shows that are repeated. However, these may be useful in other situations -where the standard recording rules may not work correctly. - -<sect2>Conflicts -<p>As you add more shows that you would like to record, the scheduler -will eventually encounter conflicts. If there are two shows at the -same time and you have two or more TV tuner cards, both shows will -record. However, if there are more shows than cards, the scheduler -will have to decide what it thinks it should not record based on the -information you have given. If you see an unexpected situation you -are not "stuck" with the scheduler's choice. You can still tell the -scheduler exactly which shows you do want to record and/or don't -want to record in any situation. - -<sect2>Scheduling decisions -<p>Here are the actual decisions made by the scheduler as it fills in the -schedule. - -<itemize> -<item>Currently recording beats not currently recording -- A recording -in progress can not be moved to another input or time so it "wins" -its current timeslot. - -<item>Single, Daily, or Weekly rules with no match are marked Not Listed -- -If these or Overrides do not match the current listings because the -listings have changed, they are added to the schedule and marked to -indicate that they will not record. - -<item>Rules that could record beat rules that can not record a showing -- -If two rules match the same showing of a program, a rule marked as inactive -or a showing marked as a repeat, for example, yield to the other rule. - -<item>More specific record type is used in place of less specific -- If -two rules match the same showing of a program, preference is given to -Don't Record then Override, Single, Find One, Record Weekly, Find Weekly, -Record Daily, Find Daily, Channel and finally All. - -<item>Higher total priority beats lower total priority -- This is the -core of the scheduling process. Episodes of the highest priority show -are placed on the first available input followed by the next highest -priority show and so on. - -<item>Future start time beats past start time -- If there is an -episode in progress and also a later showing of the same episode, it -is better to record the complete episode. If there isn't another -showing, it will start recording immediately to record the remaining -portion. This should only happen if you add a new rule while the show -is in progress or if the master backend is started after the start time -of a scheduled show. - -<item>More specific record type beats less specific record type -- If -two shows are on at the same time and have the same total priority but -different types they will be sorted by Single then Find One, Record -Weekly, Find Weekly, Record Daily, Find Daily, Channel and finally -All. This only applies if the priorities are the same. - -<item>If both start times have passed, later start time beats earlier start -time -- This attempts to miss the least amount of time. - -<item>If neither start time has passed, earlier start time beats later -start time -- This helps assure that the earliest showing of an episode -has the advantage. - -<item>Lower input id beats higher input id -- The scheduler fills in -open time slots on the first available input for the video source. The -next input is used when there is another show already placed for the -card of the first input. - -<item>Older record rule beats newer record rule -- If two shows are still -equal after all of these other checks, the show whose record rule was added -first is preferred over a more recent addition. - -<item>Postpone showings to resolve conflicts -- If Reschedule Higher -Priorities is set or if a conflict has the same priority as a show -that was scheduled at the same time, the scheduler will check to see -if a scheduled show can be moved to another input or later matching -showing without creating a new conflict so that the conflicting show -can be scheduled to record. - -</itemize> - -<sect2>Reschedule Higher Priorities - -<p>Setup->TV Settings->Recording Priorities->General has a checkbox for -"Reschedule Higher Priorities" which tells the scheduler to try to be a -little smarter in certain situations. If this is checked, the scheduler will -look for situations where a show cannot record because all inputs for the -channel are used for higher priority shows. It will check to see if any of -the other shows could be recorded at another time so that the conflicting -show can be recorded in its place. - -Generally, this is a good strategy but there are tradeoffs. If a higher -priority show is postponed, you will not get to watch it until it is -recorded in the later timeslot. There is also a risk that the TV listings -may change and the later showing may go away. In this rare case the higher -priority show may never record. On the other hand, if you do not use this -option you will miss recording some lower priority shows unnecessarily -unless you manually make similar changes. - -By using Reschedule Higher Priorities, the scheduler will do a better job of -recording as many of your shows as possible when left unattended. It will -also be easy to see that shows have been marked to record at a later time. -You can then decide for yourself when you would prefer to record the first -showing by clicking "Record anyway". - -<sect2>Controlling Your Schedule -<p>The Manage Recordings->Upcoming Recordings page is your control center -for the MythTV scheduler. Unlike other DVR systems, this one page gives you -all of the information and tools you need to see all of your alternatives -and make whatever adjustments you desire. - -The upper half of the screen has a scrollable box listing items that match -your record rules sorted by time. The lower half shows the details for the -highlighted item. There are two 'views' available. Press "1" to include all -of the items that match record rules even if they do not need to be -recorded. Press "2" to focus on just the things that will record and items -that may need your attention. The message in the upper right-hand corner -will remind you when there are conflicts that would prevent one or more -shows from being recorded. - -The items in the list are colored in the record color for things that -will record, white for things that may need attention, gray for those -that do not need to record and yellow when there is a time conflict. -Items at the top of the list may also be highlighted indicating that the -recording is in progress. - -Along with the channels, start times and titles, the right-hand column has -a status code. Numbers indicate which card number has been assigned to -record the show. Letters are used to indicate the reason that something -will not be recorded. Just below the box is a short status message for the -highlighted item that indicates the type of record rule that was matched, -the "total priority" for this showing and a one or two word explanation of -the status code. If you press SELECT, you will see more information about -the status. - -There are a few status codes that may require your attention. "C" indicates -that there are more overlapping shows to record than there are TV tuners to -record them. "L" indicates that the scheduler found that it may be better to -record a later showing of this episode. These states happen as a result of -your choices and should normally reflect your preferences. However, you may -notice situations where you would like to modify the scheduler's initial -choices. - -The first thing you can do is to highlight an item and press INFO to -see the recording options page. From this page you can change the -record rule type, the duplicate matching rules, or raise or lower the -priority to resolve whatever problem you noticed. - -Additionally, you can treat any individual showing as an exception that you -do want to record or don't want to record. To use these "override" features, -highlight the item and press SELECT. You will see a message explaining the -current status and at least an "OK" button to exit without making changes. - -For items scheduled to record, there will be a button for "Don't record" -which will prevent recording this showing but will still allow the same -episode to record in the future. If there is episode description -information, you may also see a button for "Never record". This prevents -recording this showing and tells MythTV to remember that this is an episode -that you've seen or don't need to see if it is ever in the TV listings -again. - -For items that are not scheduled to record, the message will describe the -reason and in the case of "C" or "L" it will include a list of the shows -that are scheduled to record instead. For any item that could potentially be -recorded there will be buttons for "Edit Options" and "Add Override". "Edit -Options" will allow you to change the options for the existing record rule -such as raising the priority so that the show will record. These changes -would apply to this and all future showings that match this record rule. -"Add Override" will allow you to set options that apply to the specific -showing without affecting the recurring record rule. - -If you return to an override page after an override has already been set, -you will also see a "Clear Override" to undo your changes. This option makes -it very easy to try out some "what if" attempts when deciding on your best -strategy in a difficult situation. - -For a recording in progress, there will be a "Change Ending Time" button. -This will take you to the options page for a Single or Override or create -an Override if it is a recurring rule. Here you can go to the Recording -Options section to change the program end time offset. If you extend the -end time so that it overlaps upcoming recordings, the schedule will change -to accommodate the new end time. This may cause a conflict or later showing -even for a show with higher priority. Therefore, it is a good idea to -check your schedule after changing the end time of a recording in -progress. - -<sect1>Storage Options -<sect2>Recording Profile -<p>Each recording rule can be configured with a different recording -profile. For example, colorful cinematography can be configured with a -"High Quality" profile, while 'talking heads' interviews shows can be -configured with a "Low Quality" profile. These recording profiles need to -be configured before using them (see <ref id="Recording" name="Recording">, -above). - -<sect2>Recording Group <label id="Recording Group"> -<p>For organization of the "Watch Recordings" screen and the MythWeb -interface, recordings can be assigned into "recording groups". - -<sect2><ref id="storagegroups" name="Storage Groups"> -<p>This allows you to select any special "Storage Groups" you may have -created to determine where recordings from this rule should be stored -on your disks. The "Default" storage group is always available. - -<sect2>Playback Group <label id="Playback Group"> -<p>This selects a set of pre-configured playback parameters which can be -created and edited in Setup->TV Settings->Playback Groups. When the -recording is played, the values from this playback group will be -used. This allows you to choose a default time stretch value, skip and -jump amounts appropriate for this type of television program. - -<sect2>Auto-Expire <label id="Auto-Expire"> -<p>MythTV will "autoexpire" old recordings to make room for new recordings -when disk space gets filled up. This option can be set to "Don't allow -auto expire" to prevent these recordings from being automatically deleted -when disk space fills up. - -<p>The default setting is for all scheduled recordings to be eligible -for auto-expiration; this can be changed in the Settings->TV -Settings->General page by manipulating the "Auto Expire Default" -checkbox. - -<p>The default auto-expire policy is "Oldest Show First"; the oldest -recordings are deleted first. The "Lowest Priority First" method -chooses to expire the lowest-priority recordings first. - -<sect2>Episode Limit -<p>An episode limit can also be configured to limit the maximum number -of episodes recorded of a single series, to restrict that series' disk -usage. If this is set, you can further decide what to do when this -limit is reached; either stop recording that series, or to delete the -oldest episodes in favor of the new ones. - -<sect1>Post Recording Processing -<sect2>Commercial Flagging -<p>Select whether or not to automatically flag commercials for these -recordings. Commercial Flagging parameters can be set in -Setup->TV Settings->General. - -<sect2>Transcoding -<p>Select whether or not to automatically transcode recordings to save -disk space. Before using this, you must first enable auto-transcode in -the recording profile and configure the transcoding parameters; see -<ref id="Recording" name="Recording">, above. - -<sect2>User Jobs -<p>User Jobs allow you to configure up to 4 custom commands to run on -recordings. They can be configured in mythtv-setup. The following -tokens have special meaning when used in the User Job commands: - -<itemize> -<item>%DIR% - the directory component of the recording's filename -<item>%FILE% - the filename component of the recording's filename -<item>%TITLE% - the title of the recording (e.g., name of the series) -<item>%SUBTITLE% - the subtitle of the recording (e.g., name of the -episode) -<item>%DESCRIPTION% - description text for the recording (from guide -data) -<item>%HOSTNAME% - the backend making the recording -<item>%CATEGORY% - the category of the recording (from guide data) -<item>%RECGROUP% - the <ref id="Recording Group" name="recording -group"> -<item>%CHANID% - the MythTV channel ID making the recording -<item>%STARTTIME% - the recording start time (YYYYMMDDhhmmss) -<item>%ENDTIME% - the recording end time (YYYYMMDDhhmmss) -<item>%STARTTIMEISO% - the recording start time in ISO 8601 format -(YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS) -<item>%ENDTIMEISO% - the recording end time in ISO 8601 format -<item>%PROGSTART% - the recording's start time (from guide data; -YYYYMMDDhhmmss) -<item>%PROGEND% - the recording's end time (from guide data) -<item>%PROGSTARTISO%, %PROGENDISO% - the recording's start and end -time in ISO 8601 format. -</itemize> - -<sect1>Advanced Recording Options -<sect2>Creating Power Search rules with Custom Record -<p> -MythTV's "Custom Record" feature gives you unlimited control for creating -specialized search recording rules to meet your needs. It allows you to -choose your criteria to search for matching shows based on any of the -information in the program listings, channel information, time functions and -more. This goes beyond the capabilities of any other DVR system and it is -unlikely that this level of scheduling customization will ever be available -in any commercial DVR system. - -<sect2>Getting Started -<p> -Go to Schedule Recordings->Custom Record. This page, helps you build a -database search one clause at a time. Each added clause further limits -which showings will be matched in the TV listings. You can test the -search at any time and when you are done, you can save your search as a -recording rule. - -To familiarize yourself with how you can create custom rules, create a -simple rule to record "Nova" only in primetime. - -The first item at the top of the page allows you to edit an existing rule -or create a new rule. Leave it on "<New rule>". Arrow down to the -third item which says "Match an exact title". Right and left arrows would -allow you to select any of several prefabricated pieces or full examples -but leave it on the default for now. Arrow down to "Add this example -clause" and press SELECT (Enter or Space on a keyboard). The large text -box should now show: -<tscreen><verb> - program.title = 'Nova' -</verb></tscreen> -As you have probably guessed, this says that we want to search for all -programs with the title "Nova" regardless of the time, day, channel, etc. - -If you do not receive a PBS station that carries "Nova" or would like to use -another title, edit the title by pressing the down arrow to highlight the -text box and right arrow over the the word "Nova". If you are using a -keyboard you can simply delete the four letters and type a different title -between the quotes. With a remote control, you can do 'cell phone' style -text entry with the number pad. The delete key is the "X" in the grouping -for "1", zero is grouped with "9" and "0" acts as the "Caps Lock" key. You -can press ENTER in the text box to popup a virtual keyboard. - -Note: the text box honors many familiar Emacs control keys. It is also -possible to cut and paste text into the text box so you can edit with a -favorite editor or insert a rule sent in email or from other sources. - -In any case, choose a title that is shown both in primetime and late night -or daytime. Next, click the "Test" button. You should see a list of the -upcoming episodes for "Nova" just as if you had clicked the Upcoming -button for "Nova" elsewhere in MythTV. - -Press ESC to go back to the Custom Record page. Move to the example -selector then press the right or left arrows until you find "Only in -primetime". Click "Add this example clause". You should now see: -<tscreen><verb> - program.title = 'Nova' - AND HOUR(program.starttime) >= 19 - AND HOUR(program.starttime) < 23 -</verb></tscreen> -Click "Test". You should now see a shorter list with only the showings that -begin between 7PM and 11PM. To create a rule for this, press ESC to go back -to the custom page and move to "Rule Name:" then type "Nova" or anything -else you would like. This is only a label and will not affect the search -results. Once a name has been entered, the "Record" button will light up. -Click this to enter the recording options page. If you named it "Nova" the -title will say "Nova (Power Search)". Set whatever options you would like -then click "Save these settings". You now have a special rule to record -"Nova" but only when it is shown in primetime. - -You can make further modifications to this rule by returning to the Custom -Record page then press the right or left arrow keys on "Edit Rule:" until -you find "Nova". You can experiment and test but the saved rule will not -be updated until you click "Record" then "Save these settings". - -To remove this, or any other rule, you can go to the "Recording Priorities" -page, arrow down to the title, press Enter and change the the recording type -to "Do not record this program" then "Save these settings". - -<sect2>How it Works -<p> -MythTV stores TV program information in a database and uses the Structured -Query Language (SQL) to access the data. Information about each TV program -is stored in the 'program' table and information about each TV station you -receive is stored in 'channel'. These two tables are used in the scheduler -queries and their columns are available to be used in your rules. The rules -you create are stored in 'record'. - -Normal rules in MythTV simply match the title in the rule with the titles -in the 'program' table. MythTV also has search rules for "Titles", -"Keywords" and "People". These store the key phrase in the description -column of the rule and includes them in specialized SQL replacements for -the normal title check. There is also a type called "Power Search" which -takes the raw SQL in the description as the replacement for title -matching. - -Custom Record is a tool to help you build valid SQL for Power Search rules. -You do not need to be a SQL expert to use Custom Record because the -examples are known to work correctly and are usually self-explanatory so you -can choose the pieces you need then modify them. Many powerful solutions to -unique problems are possible by combining the examples. With some creativity -and some knowledge of SQL, the possibilities are limitless. - -<sect2>Common Tricks and Tips -<p> -The example clauses marked "complete example" are actual rules that have -been used to address specific problems. You may find that some of these -are useful for you as-is or with slight modifications. These show off how -powerful custom rules can be but there are also several simple idioms that -you may find useful for many of the shows you would like to record. - -Wait for a known title -- If there is a movie that you anticipate will be -televised in the coming months but is not yet in the listings, you can -select "Match an exact title", edit the movie title, click "Record" then -choose "Record one showing of this title". The rule will wait weeks, months -or years until this title shows up in your listings then it will record one -showing. These rules have no impact on the scheduler throughout the day and -only take a tiny fraction of a second when the master backend starts or when -the listings are updated. - -Silence series out of season -- "Celebrity Poker Showdown", for example, -will have new episodes for a while then long periods where reruns are shown -dozens of times per week. By checking the previously shown flag you can -create a rule that will only match new episodes. Therefore, your schedule -won't be polluted with dozens of entries marked as "Repeat" or "Previously -Recorded". -<tscreen><verb> - program.title = "Celebrity Poker Showdown" - AND program.previouslyshown = 0 -</verb></tscreen> -This allows you to keep rules for your favorite shows that are dormant while -out of season but will spring back to life when new episodes appear. - -Choose showings on certain days -- Several cable stations will show their -highest rated shows a dozen on more times per week. However, the scheduler -only needs two or three choices to do a good job of making a flexible -choice. -<tscreen><verb> - program.title LIKE "Celebrity Fit Club%" - AND DAYNAME(program.starttime) = "Sunday" -</verb></tscreen> -This says to choose any showing of an episode that hasn't been recorded -when it appears on Sunday. This prevents all the other showings during the -week from being listed in the schedule. - -Notice the word "LIKE" and the "%" at the end. This does wildcard matching -so that this would match even if the title ended with "2". "III" or -":Revenge of the Snapple Lady". This can be useful where the title may -change from one season to the next like "Survivor: %", "Big Brother%" or -"The Amazing Race%". - -<sect2>Working with SQL -<p> -As you experiment, it is possible that you may misplace a quote or mistype a -word. If there is a mistake when you press "Test" or "Record" you will see -an error message returned from the database. This will usually give you a -good idea about what needs to be fixed. However, for more subtle MySQL -syntax errors, you can find more information in the documentation at <url -url="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/" -name="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/">. This contains a lot of -information that can be useful for Power Search rules such as the "Date and -Time Functions". There are many other good resources for SQL on the Web. - -While the example clauses demonstrate how to use many of the data columns, -you can get a more complete list of all the columns that are available by -using a MySQL client program: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -mysql> describe program; -mysql> describe channel; -</verb></tscreen> -This will show the names of all of the columns along with their type and -default value. Most are easy to understand but a few need some explanation -in order to use them effectively with Power Search. -<itemize> -<item>"program.category_type" holds one of these exact four strings: "movie", -"series", "sports" or "tvshow". - -<item>"program.airdate" is a string representing the year of release for -movies and may have no meaning for other types of shows. - -<item>"program.stars" is a floating point number from 0.0 to 1.0. On a -four star scale, 1.0 would be four stars, 0.75 would be three stars and so -on. - -<item>"program.originalairdate" if provided is the date when a show -was, or will be, first televised. This may be useful for finding -episodes before or after a certain date such as finding just the -original series of "Battlestar Galactica". - -<item>"program.previouslyshown" is a column created by MythTV to try to -determine if a showing is more than 14 days after its original air date or -if the show was marked as a repeat and did not have a date for the first -airing. If this is "0" it usually means that this is a brand new show or a -rebroadcast within the first two weeks. - -<item>"program.generic" is a column created by MythTV to try mark -showings for a series where the specific episode information is not -included. When these generic showings appear, it is impossible for the -system to determine if they are repeats of the same episode(s) or if -they are all different episodes. - -<item>"program.first" is a column created by MythTV to mark the first -showing in the current listings for each episode, movie or special. -Choosing to match only the "first" showing can be useful for sports -that are brodcast live then repeated. - -<item>"program.last" is a column created by MythTV to mark the last -showing in the current listings for each episode, movie or special. -If a showing is marked both "first" and "last" then it is the only -showing of that program in the current TV listings. - -<item>"program.programid" is the Tribune Media Service database record -identifier for each program description. In general, these start with a two -letter prefix, MV, EP, SP or SH that correspond to the -"program.category_type". For most, the last four digits are "0000" except -EP where the last four digits are the episode number in the series. Note -that these are generated by TMS and not the show's producers but they are -usually in the same order as the original air dates for the episodes. - -<item>"program.videoprop" also "audioprop" and "subtitletypes". -These columns contain bit flags for a variety of attributes that -may be associated with a program. These are filled with information -offered by the TV listings provider. However, your listings source -will not have information for all of the available flags. Therefore, -some of these may not be useful for your search rules. This information -is organized in "sets" and the MySQL function FIND_IN_SET() can be used -to test for any of these flags. For example: -<tscreen><verb> -FIND_IN_SET('SURROUND', program.audioprop) > 0 -</verb></tscreen> -would be true for the programs where the surround sound bit is present. -To see all of the available attribute names: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -mysql> SHOW COLUMNS FROM program LIKE '%prop'\G -mysql> SHOW COLUMNS FROM program LIKE 'subtitletypes'\G -</verb></tscreen> -</itemize> -Finally, if you are doing something very experimental and a column is not -giving you the results you had anticipated, you can always check the MythTV -source code to see exactly how a column is used. The open source for MythTV -is available from <url url="http://www.mythtv.org/" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/"> . - -<sect1>Scheduling with more than one Input -<p> - -MythTV is designed to allow recording television programs from one or more -service providers, or video source, on one or more video input from each -provider. Some inputs may not be allowed to record at the same time as -each other while others may record simultaneously. - -A television station may be broadcast on more than one channel from one -provider or may be available on channels from two or more providers. If a TV -station is available from more than one source, the video quality or type of -broadcast may differ. Therefore, MythTV allows you to control how you would -like the scheduler to select the best channel and input for a show which is -available on more than one input or more than one channel. - -<sect2>Mutually Exclusive Inputs -<p> -A single TV capture card may have video connections to more than -one of its inputs and each input may be from a different service. The card -may only be allowed to record from one of these inputs at one time because -there is only one encoder on the card that actually captures the content. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="BlockDiagramofavideocapturedevice.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="BlockDiagramofavideocapturedevice.png"> -<caption> -</caption> -</figure> - -These are mutually exclusive meaning that only one input or the other -may record at a given time but not both. - -Usually, inputs on different cards can record at the same time -but two or more inputs on the same card cannot. However, there are cases -where inputs on different cards should not be allowed to record at the -same time, for example, a firewire card and s-video analog card connected -to the same set top cable box. - -<tscreen><verb> -| -| coax +--------------+ firewire ------------------+ -| .-=|Cable Provider|=------------=| Card 1 input 1 | HDTV -| | |HD/Cable STB |=--. +-----|||||||||||| -| | +--------------+ | s-video ------------------+ -| | `---------=| input 2 | Digital -|wall | coax | Card 2 | -|=---=^=------------------------------=| input 3 | Cable -| +-----|||||||||||| -</verb></tscreen> - -Input 1 and input 2 receive content from the same set top box and the -channels can not be tuned independently. Therefore only one of these two -inputs should be used at any given time. The solution is to create an "Input -Group" with <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> in "Input connections". Including these -two inputs in the same Input Group will tell the scheduler that these are -mutually exclusive and may not record at the same time. Inputs 2 and 3 are -automatically mutually exclusive because they are on the same card so there -is no need to create an Input Group for these inputs. - -Cards such as the Hauppauge PVR-500 are able to record as two cards -simultaneously because it has two MPEG-2 encoders and each encoder appears -as a separate device. DVB cards may be allowed to capture content from more -than one channel at a time if the channels are in the same MUX. - -<sect2>Stations, Channels and Video Sources -<p> -Although we may be accustomed to thinking of a broadcast station and its -channel number as being synonymous, stations and channels are very different -things. A "station" is in a building with wires and employees. A "channel" -is a carrier frequency or digital ID that carries a broadcast stream. The -same TV station may be broadcast over different frequencies in different -cities or by different providers in the same city. The same frequency will -carry different stations in different cities. In the digital realm of DVB -and ATSC (HDTV), it is even possible for a single frequency to carry -multiple program streams but each of these streams of content are actually -different channels that the receiving devices can 'tune' to independently. - -<itemize> -<item>Station: building -<item>Channel: frequency -</itemize> - -In MythTV, a "video source" is a set of channels from a provider, or over -the air, that can be received by an input. The set defines the channels and -the broadcasters primarily associated with each of those channels. If you -have more than one device or cable from the same provider connected to more -than one card and input, you only need to create one video source in -mythtv-setup then associate that one source with each of these connected -inputs. This will let your MythTV system know that the same channels and -their TV listings are available to be recorded from any of these inputs. - -For example. A MythTV system may have two capture cards. Both have a cable -connected to the coaxial connectors. These cables carry the local cable TV -service. In mythtv-setup, the user should create one "Video source" called -"Cable", for example. Under "Input connections", "Cable" should be -associated with each of the two tuner inputs. The scheduler will then know -that any program on one of the channels from the "Cable" source could be -recorded by either card from the card's tuner input. - -You need to create a different video source for each provider or service -that has a different set of channels. Each input with a connection to that -service should be associated with the video source for that service so the -system will know which set of channels are available for each of your active -inputs. - -Let's say that this user also has one digital cable set top box. The digital -cable service carries channels that are not available over basic cable. The -user would create another source called "Digital". This set top box is -connected to the second card by S-Video so under "Input connections", -"Digital" is associated with the S-Video input of card 2. The system would -then know that programs on channels from the Digital source can only be -recorded from this input. Further, the scheduler understands that it can -only record one show at a time from card 2 so it can assign Cable or Digital -shows to the card but not both at the same time. - -Some TV stations may be broadcast over a channel from the Cable source and -also broadcast over a channel from the Digital source. Note that two -channels carrying the same primary station may not have the same TV listings -due to carrying the primary station part time, including local programming -exclusive to one of the channels, the channels may be in different -timezones, etc. Listings information must be associated with each channel -even if two or more channels report that they carry the same station. - -<sect2>Order of Inputs -<p> -By default the scheduler chooses the first (lowest numbered) input which has -a showing of the scheduled program as it fills the schedule. If a lower -priority show is on at the same time as a higher priority show that has been -assigned to input 1, then input 2 will be used next and so on. Therefore, -configure your best card and input first and next best card and input -second. There may be differences in the type or brand of capture card, -signal quality from the cable, system resources such as disk space, CPU, -etc. By configuring your best input first, more recordings, and your highest -priority recordings, will use that input. - -A common situation is that a newer and better card is added last. For -example, you may initially setup your system with two analog cable cards and -then add a HDTV card. If NBC is on a cable channel and "The Apprentice" is -shown in HDTV on an NBC HD channel, the scheduler would still prefer analog -inputs 1 and 2 over the new HD input 3. - -So, if you'd like the scheduler to prefer a new source, the simplest thing -is to run <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> and "Delete all capture cards" then enter -your cards and inputs in your preferred order. This will not remove your -sources and channels - you want to keep those and only renumber your cards -and inputs. In this example, once the changes have been made and the Master -Backend is restarted, the scheduler would then choose "The Apprentice" in HD -on the new input 1 and only use the analog inputs (now numbered 2 and 3) -when the HDTV input was occupied with another show. - -<sect2>Matching Callsigns -<p> -If a recording rule is a type that can record from any channel, "The -Apprentice" would match for any channel that shows episodes which may -include CNBC or BRAVO. However, for Single, Timeslot, Weekslot or Channel -rules, "The Apprentice" would only match showings on the selected station as -identified by the "callsign". For example, KVBC is an NBC affiliate on -channel 3. Channel 733 is KVBCDT which is HDTV over cable from the same -station. If a Single record rule was set for "The Apprentice" on KVBC -channel 3, it could not record this showing from KVBCDT on 733. If 733 was -chosen when the rule was saved, channel 3 could not be used to record. - -However, the "Channel Editor" in mythtv-setup can be used to change the -Callsign for channel 733 to "KVBC". MythTV would then understand that both -of these channels are from the same broadcast station. Assuming the HDTV -input was input number "1", "The Apprentice" would record on 733. If, -however, this HDTV input already had a higher priority show assigned to it -in that time slot, "The Apprentice" would be assigned to KVBC channel 3 on -input 2. - -Having two channels with the same callsign may affect how program -information is shown in mythfrontend. If two sources have the same callsign -and channel number, the program guide and program lists will only show one -instance of the channel number and callsign. If the same callsign is on two -different channel numbers, both will be shown and if two sources have -different callsigns with the same channel number, both of those will be -shown. - -Continuing with the example above, the Electronic Program Guide would -include rows for both "3 KVBC" and "733 KVBC". If channel 3 KVBC was also -included in the Digital cable source, the EPG would still include just one -line for "3 KVBC" even though there are two different channels, Cable and -Digital, with this identification. Regardless of how these are displayed and -which "KVBC" channel you select to add a rule to record "The Apprentice", -the scheduler will pick the best channel, source and input to record "The -Apprentice" on "KVBC". - -<sect2>Using Priorities to Prefer an Input -<p> -The fundamental concept to keep in mind is that the MythTV scheduler will -choose the lowest numbered input available when showings have the same -priority. If there are factors that cause two showings of the same show to -have different priorities then the higher priority showing will be -considered before the showings with lower priority. - -<sect2>Input Priority -<p> -"Input Connections" in mythtv-setup includes a box to set "Input priority" -which defaults to "0". If a value is set, that amount will be added to the -"total priority" for showings on that input. This can be used to influence -using favored cards or not using less favored cards unless necessary. - -Let's say the "The Apprentice" is on at 8:00pm with a priority of 3. "Who -Cares" is -2 and an episode is shown at 8:00pm then repeated at 11:00pm. The -scheduler would assign "The Apprentice" to card 1 and "Who Cares" to card 2 -at 8:00pm. If the input priority for the input on card 2 was changed to -1, -"Who Cares" would have a total priority of -2 for showings on card 1 and -3 -for showings on card 2. The scheduler would assign "The Apprentice" to card -1 at 8:00pm and "Who Cares" to card 1 at 11:00pm when the better card is -available. If there was another higher priority show at 11pm, the next best -choice for "Who Cares" would be card 2 at 8pm with the priority -3. - -Card 1 and 2 have input priority "0": - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri 0.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri 0.png"> -<caption> -</caption> -</figure> - -<tscreen><verb> - Time Title Priority Card Status - 8:00 The Apprentice +3 1 Will Record - 8:00 Who Cares -2 2 Will Record -11:00 Who Cares -2 1 Earlier Showing -</verb></tscreen> - -Card 2 with input priority "-1": - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri -1.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri -1.png"> -<caption> -</caption> -</figure> - -<tscreen><verb> - Time Title Priority Card Status - 8:00 The Apprentice +3 1 Will Record - 8:00 Who Cares -3 2 Later Showing -11:00 Who Cares -2 1 Will Record -</verb></tscreen> - -Card 2 at "-1" but higher priority shows at both 8 P.M. and 11 P.M.: - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri -1-TDS.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="Card1 Pri 0 Card2 Pri -1-TDS.png"> -<caption> -</caption> -</figure> - -<tscreen><verb> - Time Title Priority Card Status - 8:00 The Apprentice +3 1 Will Record - 8:00 Who Cares -3 2 Will Record -11:00 The Daily Show +1 1 Will Record -11:00 Who Cares -3 2 Earlier Showing -</verb></tscreen> - -Note the two different effects, each of which may be what you desire -depending on circumstance. If input priorities are equal, shows will record -at the earliest time if any input is available. If input priorities differ, -shows may be postponed to a later time in order to record on the best input. - -<sect2>Channel Priority -<p> -Priority can be added for individual channels (remember, frequencies from a -video source, not stations). This can be used to tell the system that you -generally prefer the content of the station on a channel over the formats of -other stations. You may want to raise the priority for ESPN, SciFi, Comedy -Central or lower the priority for CSPAN, CourtTV, etc. If the same station -is on two different channels, you can use channel priority to have the same -effect for these channels as input priority would have for whole inputs. - -For example, say CNN is on analog channel 20 and there is an HD CNN on 750. -You may not want to tie up the HD input for news originating in standard -definition. Under TV Settings->Recording Priorities->Channel Priorities you -could set channel 750 to -1. The scheduler would then prefer to record CNN -shows on any analog channel 20 before considering using 750 only when there -are no analog inputs available. - -<sect2>Preferred Input -<p> -For an even finer grain of control, there is a per rule option to specify -which input should be preferred for showings that match the rule. By -default, this adds +2 to the priority for showings on the specified input. - -For illustration, let's say there will be a Space Shuttle launch on CNN that -will be broadcast in high definition. Adding a rule to record the launch -with priority "0" should default to channel 20 on input 2. Channel 750 would -have this at -1 due to the channel priority set in the previous example. If -on the recording options page for this rule, the "Scheduling Options" had -the input set to prefer the HD input on card 1, then the showing on channel -750 for this input would be increased in value by +2 for a total of +1 and -would be the best choice for this launch coverage. While this one rule -would prefer the HD input with channel 750, all other rules that match shows -on CNN would still prefer channel 20. - -Note that this will not work properly if the preferred input priority does -not out weigh differences in input and channel priorities. The value of the -priority boost when this option is chosen defaults to +2 but can be modified -in TV Settings->Recording Priorities->Set Recording Priorities. - -<sect2>HDTV Priority -<p> -In the preceeding fictious example, the Space Shuttle launch is broadcast in -high definition and a preferred input is selected to give preference to the -HD input. However, TV listings from zap2it.com through the DataDirect -service may allow this to work without having to use this per rule option. - -In Settings->Recording Priorities->Set Recording Priorities there is an -option for "HDTV Recording Priority". This value will be added automatically -if the listings for the show have the "hdtv" flag set. DataDirect will set -this flag for shows known to be broadcast in HDTV on HD channels. However, -the flag is not set for standard definition channels. This is another -example of the listings being different for the same station on a different -channel. If the HDTV priority is set to "+2", the shuttle launch would -automatically have a total priority of +1 so that channel 750 would be -preferred over channel 20 for this HDTV broadcast. - -Channel "750 CNN" at priority "-1" and HDTV broadcast priority at "+2": - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="Card1 HDTV Card2 Cable.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="Card1 HDTV Card2 Cable.png"> -<caption> -</caption> -</figure> - -<sect2>Custom Priority <label id="Custom Priority"> -<p> -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="add.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="add.png"> -<caption> -New for MythTV 0.21</caption> -</figure> - -While Input, Channel, and HDTV Priority can be used for indicating a -preference for certain programs and inputs, there may be circumstances that -cannot be resolved easily with these standard features. MythTV version 0.21 -includes a feature for "power priority". The Custom Priority editor in -mythfrontend's "TV Settings" screen is similar to Custom Record, however, -Custom Priority allows you to create specialized power priority factors to -influence scheduling decisions. - -For example, the 'program.closecaptioned' flag can be used in a -similar way as the 'program.hdtv' flag. - -<tscreen><verb> -Priority Rule Name: Closed Captioned priority -Priority Value: 2 -program.closecaptioned > 0 -</verb></tscreen> - -This will raise the priority of shows marked with "CC" over those that are -not by applying the "Priority Value" whenever the SQL fragment evaluates to -true. If the expression evaluates to false for a showing, the "Priority -Value" is not applied. - -<tscreen><verb> -Priority Rule Name: Priority when shown once -Priority Value: 1 -program.first > 0 AND program.last > 0 -</verb></tscreen> - -The "first" and "last" flags for an episode will only be set for the -same showing when there is only one showing of that episode in the -current TV listings. This rule would raise the priority in these cases -so that these shows would have an advantage to record in their only -available time slot. - -<tscreen><verb> -Priority Rule Name: Input 1 signal quality -Priority Value: -1 -cardinput.cardinputid = 1 AND -channel.channum IN (3, 5, 39, 66) -</verb></tscreen> - -A common issue with two or more analog capture cards is that one of -the cards may have more interference on some channels than the same -channels on other cards. This example gives a disadvantage to the -channels in this list but only for the first input. Therefore, a show -on channel 39 would choose input 2 or 3 if possible but for channels -not in this list, input 1 is still the first choice. - -The Custom Priority editor includes many example fragments and complete -examples that can be used or you can create your own to suit your needs. - -<sect>MythPlugins. <label id="mythplugins_"> -<p>MythTV has a rich set of plugins available. Once you have downloaded -the tarball, untar it and run the <bf>configure</bf> script: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xjf mythplugins-0.21.tar.bz2 -$ cd mythplugins-0.21 -$ ./configure --help - -Usage: configure [options] -Options: [defaults in brackets after descriptions] -NB: all --enable-* options can be reversed with --disable-* - -Generic options: - --help print this message - --enable-all Enable all options - --enable-opengl enable OpenGL (Music and Gallery) [default=no] - -MythBrowser related options: - --enable-mythbrowser build the mythbrowser plugin [default=yes] - -MythDVD related options: - --enable-mythdvd build the mythdvd plugin [default=yes] - --enable-transcode enable DVD ripping and transcoding [default=no] - --enable-vcd enable VCD playing [default=no] - -MythGallery related options: - --enable-mythgallery build the mythgallery plugin [default=yes] - --enable-exif enable reading of EXIF headers [default=no] - -MythGame related options: - --enable-mythgame build the mythgame plugin [default=yes] - -MythMusic related options: - --enable-mythmusic build the mythmusic plugin [default=yes] - --enable-fftw enable fftw visualizers [default=no] - --enable-sdl use SDL for the synaesthesia output [default=no] - --enable-aac enable AAC/MP4 audio file decompression [default=no] - -MythNews related options: - --enable-mythnews build the mythnews plugin [default=yes] - -MythPhone related options: - --enable-mythphone build the mythphone plugin [default=yes] - --enable-festival enable festival TTS Engine [default=no] - -MythVideo related options: - --enable-mythvideo build the mythvideo plugin [default=yes] - -MythWeather related options: - --enable-mythweather build the mythweather plugin [default=yes] -</verb></tscreen> - -The sections detailing configuration of the plugins assume that you are -already in the <tt>~/mythplugins-0.21/</tt> directory. - -Note that a single <bf>configure</bf> script now does configuration for all -modules. By default, it will compile all modules. If you do not wish to -compile a module, either because it is of no use to you, or you do not have -the prerequisites, the simplest course of action is to go through the -various sections below, satisfying the prerequisites, and then compile all -modules at once. - -For example, you would only like to compile and install MythGallery and -MythMusic. For MythGallery, you would like to use the EXIF data in the .JPG -file to present additional information onscreen. For MythMusic, you would -like to enable support for the opengl and FFT visualizations. The command -line would look like: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.21 -$ ./configure --disable-all --enable-opengl --enable-mythgallery --enable-exif --enable-mythmusic --enable-fft -$ qmake mythplugins.pro -$ make -$ su - -# make install -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -For simplicity, the examples below will disable compilation of all other -modules other than the one being discussed. - -<sect>MythWeb. -<p>MythWeb allows you to use a web page to control various aspects of your -MythTV system. MythWeb is a separate application, but it's dependent on -MythTV being installed and operational. - -<sect1>Installation and prerequisites - -<p>Mythweb is a part of the <bf>mythplugins</bf> package. See <ref -id="mythplugins_" name="MythPlugins"> for instructions on downloading the -tarball. The next step depends on whether your distribution has a web server -and if you have PHP support. - -<sect2>Mandriva -<p>Mandriva has <bf>apache</bf> and <bf>PHP</bf> pre-packaged, so -installation is quite simple. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Mandriva 9.1 users, perform the following: -</caption> -</figure> -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi apache2 apache2-mod_php php-mysql -# chkconfig --level 345 httpd on -# /etc/rc.d/init.d/httpd restart -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Completing the installation -<p> -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.21/mythweb -$ su -# mkdir /var/www/html/mythweb -# cp -r . /var/www/html/mythweb -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -By default, MythWeb uses an Apache <tt>.htaccess</tt> file to restrict -access to the website and to configure some variables. - -To create the password file for Apache (if your system doesn't already have -one), you could do something like this: -<tscreen><verb> -# cd /var/www -# htpasswd -c htpasswd mythtv -New password: -Re-type new password: -Adding password for user mythtv -</verb></tscreen> - -See the man page for <bf>htpasswd</bf> for more examples. - -To access the web page, open a web browser and use <bf>http://[name or ip -address]/mythweb/</bf> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Make sure that you have a trailing slash on the URL, -otherwise you will get a <tt>404 Page not Found</tt> error. -</caption> -</figure> -<sect1>Resetting the key binding table -<p>MythWeb allows you to configure which keys are bound to which actions -within MythTV. If you'd like to reset this back to the default, execute the -following command: -<tscreen><verb> -$ echo "delete from keybindings ;" | mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -</verb></tscreen> -<sect1>Resetting the theme. -<p>If you find yourself wedged into a theme that isn't working, open your -web browser and go to site: -<tt>http://mythweb_name_or_ip_address/mythweb/settings.php?RESET_THEME=yes</tt> -<sect>MythGallery. -<p>MythGallery is a photo and slideshow application. MythGallery is a -separate application, but it's dependent on MythTV being installed and -operational. -<sect1>Installation and prerequisites - -<p>MythGallery is a part of the <bf>mythplugins</bf> package. See <ref -id="mythplugins_" name="MythPlugins"> for instructions on downloading the -tarball. - -There are a number of transitions available, some requiring OpenGL -support. You will also need to install a TIFF library. Under Mandriva, you -would perform the following command: -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi libtiff3-devel -</verb></tscreen> -Once you have satisfied the prerequisites for your distribution, install the application: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.21 -$ ./configure --disable-all --enable-opengl --enable-mythgallery -$ qmake mythplugins.pro -$ make -# su -# make install -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> -The configuration for MythGallery is accessed through the main Setup option -in mythfrontend. Make sure you set your pictures directory to wherever -you're storing your photos. - -The controls for MythGallery can be found in the README that comes with the -application. -<sect1>Using MythGallery -<p>When you first start MythGallery, you will see a thumbnail view of any -folders and pictures in the Gallery Directory you specified in setup. If -this is the first time you have accessed this directory, the thumbnails will -be generated on the fly. If the Gallery Dir is writable, these thumbnails -will be cached thus speeding up future access. On the left is a greyed-out -menu of options. - -Use the arrow keys to select a folder or picture to open/view with the -Select key, or use the Menu key to toggle access the menu on the left. The -menu options are as follows: -<itemize> -<item> Slideshow - Will cycle through all the pictures in the current folder. -The currently selected item must be a picture (not a folder) for this to -work. It does not currently traverse subfolders. -<item> Rotate CW - Rotate the current image 90 degrees in the clockwise -direction. This change persists if the current directory is writable. -<item> Rotate CCW - As above except the direction of rotation is counter(anti) -clockwise. -<item> Import - Import pictures into your Gallery Dir. This option is -described in the next section. -<item> Settings - Access the MythGallery settings screen. -</itemize> -<sect1>Importing Pictures -<p>The import path in the setup dialog is a colon separated list of -directories and/or executable files. When the import key is pressed, a new -directory (the destination directory) under the current directory will be -created and the import path will be searched. If the item in the import -path is a directory (the source directory), the contents of that directory -will be copied to the destination directory. If you would like the source -directory to be that of a removable device, it might be a good idea to use -autofs. See the automount howto at <url url="www.linuxdoc.org" -name="www.linuxdoc.org"> for info on how to get it working. - -If the item in the import path is an executable file, MythGallery will -attempt to execute it with the destination directory as its sole argument. -Be careful when using executable scripts that the script runs unattended -(doesn't need user intervention) and returns properly, otherwise it could -create the appearance of MythGallery hanging (e.g. running -<bf>smbclient</bf> and prompting for password). Also be sure that scripts -have executable permissions set. - -Here is an example script that a user may want to run -on import: -<tscreen><verb> -#!/bin/csh - -if ($#argv == 0) then - echo "Usage: $0 dest_dir" - exit -endif - -cd $argv[1] - -# get stuff over the network -wget http://www.somesite.dom/dir/file1.jpg -wget http://www.somesite.dom/dir/file2.jpg -wget http://www.somesite.dom/dir/file3.jpg - -# stuff that requires manual module loading and/or fs mounting -modprobe camera_module -mount /dev/camera /mnt/camera -cp /mnt/camera/* $argv[1] -umount /mnt/camera -rmmod camera_module - -# perform some processing -foreach pname (`ls *.jpg`) - jpegtran -flip vertical $pname > $pname.new - mv $pname.new $pname -end -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect>MythGame. -<!-- Install instructions by Hary Wilke (harywilke at yahoo.com --> -<p>MythGame can used as a frontend to start any emulator that your host OS -runs. This is an example of how to set up xmame on Linux. -<url url="http://www.mameworld.net/" name="http://www.mameworld.net/"> is -an excellent resource for all things mame. - -Installation overview: -<enum> -<item>Setup directory structure -<item>Download and install xmame -<item>Download and place extra files (artwork/catver.ini/etc..) -<item>Download and install MythGame plugin -<item>Setup xmame in MythGame -<item>Hints -</enum> -<sect1>Setup Directory Structure -<p>To keep things organized, create the following directories for <bf>xmame</bf> to use -in <tt>/usr/local/share/xmame</tt>: hiscore, roms, and snaps. - -<tscreen><verb> -$ mkdir -p /usr/local/share/xmame/{highscore,roms,snaps} -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Download and Install xmame -<p><bf>NOTE</bf>: There may be pre-packaged versions of <bf>xmame</bf> -available for your distribution. Check <url -url="http://x.mame.net/download.html" -name="http://x.mame.net/download.html"> for the latest version. - -Download the source to <bf>xmame</bf> from <url -url="http://x.mame.net/download/xmame-0.103.tar.bz2" -name="http://x.mame.net/download/xmame-0.103.tar.bz2"> - -<tscreen><verb> -$ wget http://x.mame.net/download/xmame-0.103.tar.bz2 -$ tar -xjf xmame-0.103.tar.bz2 -$ cd xmame-0.103 -</verb></tscreen> - -Edit the Makefile with your favorite editor. Adjust the options as required for your system. -<tscreen><verb> -$ joe Makefile -</verb></tscreen> - -Then make and install xmame -<tscreen><verb> -$ make -$ su -(enter password) -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -After <bf>mame</bf> has been installed, we need to create some defaults. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mkdir ~/.xmame -$ cp docs/xmamerc.dist ~/.xmame/xmamerc -</verb></tscreen> - -Because some ROMS work better with different display toolkits, or possibly -even older versions of xmame, it's convenient to keep all of your -<bf>xmame</bf> binaries and to rename them to include the version number. -MythGame allows you to match individual roms to preferred binaries. - -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -(enter password) -# mv /usr/local/bin/xmame.x11 /usr/local/bin/xmame-0.103.x11 -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Depending on how you compiled <bf>xmame</bf>, you may have -<bf>xmame.X11</bf>, <bf>xmame.SDL</bf> or <bf>xmame.xgl</bf> based on what -display toolkit you used. Also, you may need to remove and recreate -<tt>xmamerc</tt> after upgrading since some of the default options may have -changed. - -Edit <tt>~/.xmame/xmamerc</tt> to include your paths. -<tscreen><verb> -### Fileio Related ### -rompath /usr/local/share/xmame/roms -snapshot_directory /usr/local/share/xmame/snaps -cheat_file /usr/local/share/xmame/cheat.dat -hiscore_file /usr/local/share/xmame/hiscore.dat -hiscore_directory /usr/local/share/xmame/hiscore -history_file /usr/local/share/xmame/history.dat -mameinfo_file /usr/local/share/xmame/mameinfo.dat -</verb></tscreen> - -Confirm that <bf>xmame</bf> works before running it inside MythTV. Place -your ROM in the <tt>/usr/local/share/xmame/roms</tt> directory you created -earlier. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: There are three public domain ROM sets available at -<url url="http://www.mame.net/downmisc.html" name="http://www.mame.net/downmisc.html"> - -Launch <bf>xmame</bf> with your game of choice. In this example, we are using Gauntlet. -<tscreen><verb> -$ xmame gauntlet -</verb></tscreen> - -Some basic <bf>mame</bf> keyboard commands: -<tscreen><verb> -5 = Insert coin -1 = Player 1 start -arrow keys = movement -left control = button 1 -left alt = button 2 -SPACE = button 3 -ESC = exit -TAB - menu -~ to adjust Volume - < and > -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Download extra files -<p>The following files allow you to add extra functionality. Place them -into <tt>/usr/local/share/xmame</tt> - -- <tt>catver.ini</tt> is a catalog of categories and versions of popular mame ROMs. -<p>Useful for keeping large libraries of ROMs organized. - -It may be downloaded from <url url="http://www.catver.com" -name="http://www.catver.com"> or <url url="http://www.mameworld.net/catlist" -name="http://www.mameworld.net/catlist"> - -- Screenshots aka "snaps" -<p>These may be downloaded from <url -url="http://www.classicgaming.com/mame32qa/" -name="http://www.classicgaming.com/mame32qa/"> - -Screenshots are displayed when you are browsing your ROMS in <bf>mythgame</bf>. -Unzip and place them in <tt>/usr/local/share/xmame/snaps</tt> - -- <tt>history.dat</tt> -<p>Download from <url url="http://www.arcade-history.com/" -name="http://www.arcade-history.com/"> -This file fills in a bit of background about each ROM. - -- <tt>hiscore.dat</tt> -<p>Download from <url url="http://www.mameworld.net/highscore/" -name="http://www.mameworld.net/highscore/"> - -- Cheats -<p>Download from <url url="http://cheat.retrogames.com/" -name="http://cheat.retrogames.com/"> - -<sect1>Download and Install MythGame. -<p><bf>MythGame</bf> is part of the mythplugins package. See the instructions -in the <ref id="DownloadAndCompile" name="Downloading and Compiling"> -section to obtain mythplugins. - -Switch to the mythplugins directory: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.21 -</verb></tscreen> - -Compile and install mythgame: -<tscreen><verb> -$ ./configure --disable-all --enable-mythgame -$ qmake mythplugins.pro -$ make -$ su -(enter password) -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Setup xmame in MythGame -<p>Start <bf>mythfrontend</bf> and navigate to Utilities/Setup > Setup > Media -Settings > Game Settings > Game Players. Select <tt>(New Game Player)</tt>. - -To set up a new player for xmame enter the following: - -<tscreen><verb> -Player Name: xmame-0.103.x11 (Name by which you want your emulator or game called) -Type: xmame (This is used for display purposes only and does not affect the function of your system) -Command: xmame-0.103.x11 -vidmod 1 -fullscreen (Path and name of binary + any optional parameters) -Rom Path: /usr/local/share/xmame/roms (This tells MythGame what directories to scan for roms to be used with this emulator) -ScreenShots: /usr/local/share/xmame/snaps (This tells MythGame what directories to scan for snapshots to be used with these roms) -Working Directory: (Directory to change to before launching game or emulator. Blank in our case ignores this setting) -File Extensions: (List of all file extension to be used for this emulator. Blank menas any file under the Rom Path) -[] Allow games to span multiple roms/disks (will treat game.1.rom game.2.rom game.3.rom as one game) -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Hints: -<p> -<itemize> -<item>Rom name before options: %s can be used as a standin for rom names on the command line. -<item>Multiple disk/rom games: %d1 %d2 etc can be used as standins for multiple disc games on the command line. -<item>Associating a rom with an emulator: Browse to the desired rom and press 'M' to enter the settings page for that rom. -<item>Assign a Game Favorite Status: Browse to the desired game and press "/". -</itemize> - -<sect>MythMusic. -<p>MythMusic has a number of prerequisites that must be satisfied before it -is operational. Depending on your distribution, some of these prerequisites can -be satisfied through the various package managers. If your distribution doesn't -offer pre-compiled versions of the software below, then follow the generic -instructions for manually compiling and installing the software. - -The prerequisites for MythMusic are: -<itemize> -<item>MAD -<item>taglib -<item>libogg and libvorbis -<item>FLAC -<item>libcdaudio -<item>CDParanoia -</itemize> - -<sect1>Manual installation of prerequisites -<p>These instructions are for distributions which don't have pre-compiled -versions of the software necessary to run MythTV. - -Download MAD from <url url="http://www.underbit.com/products/mad" -name="http://www.underbit.com/products/mad"> and install: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xzf mad-0.15.1b.tar.gz -$ cd mad-0.15.1b -$ ./configure -$ make -$ su -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -Download TagLib from <url url="http://developer.kde.org/~wheeler/taglib.html" -name="http://developer.kde.org/~wheeler/taglib.html"> and install: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xzf taglib-1.4.tar.gz -$ cd taglib-1.4 -$ ./configure -$ make -$ su -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -Download libogg and libvorbis from <url url="http://www.xiph.org/downloads" -name="http://www.xiph.org/downloads"> and install in a similar manner -to the above packages. - -Download FLAC from <url url="http://flac.sourceforge.net" -name="http://flac.sourceforge.net"> and install: -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xzf flac-1.1.2.tar.gz -$ cd flac-1.1.2 -$ ./configure -$ make -$ su -# make install -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -Download libcdaudio from <url name="http://libcdaudio.sourceforge.net" -url="http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=27134"> and -install: -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xzf libcdaudio-0.99.12p2.tar.gz -$ cd libcdaudio-0.99.12p2 -$ ./configure -$ make -$ su -# make install -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -Download cdparanoia from <url name="http://www.xiph.org/paranoia/down.html" -url="http://www.xiph.org/paranoia/download/cdparanoia-III-alpha9.8.src.tgz">. -<tscreen><verb> -$ tar -xzf cdparanoia-III-alpha9.8.src.tgz -$ cd cdparanoia-III-alpha9.8 -$ ./configure -$ make -$ su -# make install -# cd /usr/lib -# ln -sf libcdda_interface.so.0.9.8 libcdda_interface.so -# ln -sf libcdda_paranoia.so.0.9.8 libcdda_paranoia.so -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Mandriva -<p>Mandriva has a number of the prerequisites available on the -installation CD. Some of the software you're going to need will have to be -obtained from the "contrib" or "cooker" development repositories. -Applications downloaded from "cooker" come from the development branch, so -there may be issues with some software. It isn't recommended that you mix -cooker and release-level software. - -<p><bf>urpmi</bf> is the simplest tool for installation of packages from the -command line. The difficult part is the configuration, but this has been -made easier at the following website: <url -url="http://addmedia.linuxfornewbies.org/" -name="http://addmedia.linuxfornewbies.org/"> The website will allow -you to choose a mirror site and then present the command-line configuration -text for that mirror. You will most likely need to add a "Contrib" mirror -to your setup. Once you have done that, you can proceed. If <bf>urpmi</bf> -prompts you about other modules that need to be installed to satisfy -dependencies, say "Yes". - -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi libmad0 libmad0-devel libflac4 libflac4-devel libcdaudio1 cdparanoia -# urpmi libcdda0 libcdda0-devel libvorbis0 libvorbis0-devel -# urpmi libcdaudio1-devel libid3tag0 libid3tag0-devel -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect2>Additional options with MythMusic -<p>Additional visualizations have been added to MythMusic. If you wish to -use these, there are some prerequisites you must install prior to compiling. - -<itemize> -<item>fftw -<item>OpenGL -<item>SDL -</itemize> - -<tt>fftw</tt> may be obtained from <url url="http://www.fftw.org/" -name="http://www.fftw.org/">. In Mandriva it may be installed by -typing: -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi libfftw2 libfftw2-devel -</verb></tscreen> - -<tt>OpenGL</tt> should be installed on practically all distributions. -However, you will need the devel module. In Mandriva it may be -installed by typing: -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi libMesaGLU1-devel -</verb></tscreen> - -<tt>SDL</tt> may be obtained from <url url="http://www.libsdl.org" -name="http://www.libsdl.org">. In Mandriva it may be installed by -typing: -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi libSDL1.2 libSDL1.2-devel -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Red Hat Linux 9 -<p>Red Hat provides packages for several of the prerequisites, making -installation very simple. Of the prerequisites, Red Hat provides -packages for Vorbis, cdparanoia, SDL, and OpenGL (which you probably -already have installed). To install these all at once, simply type (all on -the same line): -<tscreen><verb> -$ up2date --solvedeps libvorbis libvorbis-devel vorbis-tools cdparanoia-devel cdparanoia-libs cdparanoia SDL-devel SDL -</verb></tscreen> - -If you get the following message: "None of the packages you requested -were found, or they are already updated" it probably means you already -have all of those packages installed. - -You must install the remaining packages, (MAD, FLAC, libcdaudio and -optionally fftw) manually following the installation directions above. When -installing fftw do not use the rpm package offered on the website because it -will cause an error, so use the source package instead. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: you can use the instructions given at the <ref id="atrpms" -name="automated installation section"> to install all of MythMusic in one -step. -</caption> -</figure> -<sect1>Compiling MythMusic -<p>Once all the prerequisites have been installed, you can proceed with -compiling MythMusic. - -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.21 -$ ./configure --disable-all --enable-mythmusic --enable-fftw --enable-sdl --enable-aac -$ qmake mythplugins.pro -$ make -$ su -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Configuring MythMusic -<p>Configuration of MythMusic occurs in two places. The main mythfrontend -Setup is for global MythMusic configuration. Go to the -Setup/MythMusic/General Setup screen and adjust it for your particular -configuration. - -The second configuration screen is within the MythMusic program and will -allow you rescan your music library, etc. - -Here's some explanation about the Ignore_ID3 and The NonID3FileNameFormat: - -If Ignore_ID3 is set to TRUE, MythMusic will try to determine the -Genre, Artist, Album, Track Number, and Title from the filename of the -mp3 file. The NonID3FileNameFormat variable should be set to the -directory/file format where the mp3 files are stored. For instance, I -store mine in the above shown Genre/Artist/Album/Track format. MythMusic -will then use this information to fill in the proper fields when it -populates the musicmetadata table rather than searching for an ID3 tag in -the mp3 file. - -The files can be laid out in any format, such as: - -Genre/Artist/Album/Title -Artist/Genre/Album/Title -Artist/Album/Title (with Genre left as Unknown) - -The track number is optional but can be specified with the title by using -the TRACK_TITLE keyword instead of TITLE. If TRACK_TITLE is used, -then the filename can have a space, hyphen, or underscore separating the -track number from the track title. Keywords are case insensitive, so if -you specify GENRE it's the same as Genre in the format field. - -The Ignore_ID3 option does not disable the code that determines the track -length, just the portion that tries to read ID3 info. - -<sect1>Using MythMusic -<p>MythMusic is fairly simple to use. It is recommended that you insert the -CD before selecting "Import CD". You should also ensure that your system -doesn't try to automount the CD and begin playing it automatically. - -<!-- -Next stuff is from a message by jasonmiller [jasonmiller@micron.com] -with additional comments by Thor ---> -Here's some information on playlist management: - -Q: How do I create a new playlist? -A: Using the MythMusic "Select Music" menu option, setup the playlist as you -normally would by adding songs or other playlists as needed. When you are -ready to save the new playlist, highlight "Active Play Queue" at the bottom -of the selection tree and hit the "i" key. This will pop up a menu allowing -you to name and save the new playlist. You can also hit Enter to bring up -the popup on the Active Play Queue. This does not work on the playlists -above, as Enter is obviously bound to checking/unchecking the boxes. Any -number (i.e. keypad on remote) will also bring up the menu in both cases. - -Q: How do I enter the playlist name in the text field without a keyboard? -A: Use the keypad number keys (bound to your remote) to select letters -quasi-cell phone style. Keys 2-9 work pretty much like any cell phone text -entry. 1 cycles through a few special characters, delete, and space. 0 is -like a CAPS LOCK. Hard to describe, fairly easy to use. You will soon be -able to specify the cycle timing in a Setup screen. You can type fairly -quickly through a combination of jumping around the number keys AND hitting -a non-number key (right arrow is particularly good for this) to force the -current character. - -Q: How do I edit a playlist? -A: Highlight the playlist in the selection tree and hit the "i" key then -select "Move to Active Play Queue" in the popup. You can now modify the -"Active Play Queue" like normal, adding songs and playlists by selecting -them from the song tree. When you are done, highlight the "Active Play -Queue" in the selection tree and hit the "i" key then select "Save Back to -Playlist Tree". And whatever you were editing as your Active Queue before -you moved an existing playlist "on top" of Active reappears. Think of Active -has having a push on, pop off capability, but with a depth of only 1. - -Q: How do I delete an item from a playlist? -A: Highlight the item in the selection tree and hit the "d" key. - -Q: How do I rearrange the songs in my playlist? -A: Highlight a song and hit the "space" bar, the song will now have pair of -red arrows in front of it. Use the up and down arrow keys to move it around -in the playlist. When you have it where you want it, hit the "space" bar -again. - -Q: How do I delete a playlist? -A: Highlight the playlist in the selection tree and hit the "i" key then -select "Delete this Playlist" from the popup. - -<sect1>Troubleshooting MythMusic -<p>You may run into errors when running MythMusic. -<sect2>When I run MythMusic and try and look up a CD, I get an error message -<p>The full text of the message will say: - -databasebox.o: Couldn't find your CD. It may not be in the freedb database. -More likely, however, is that you need to delete ~/.cddb and ~/.cdserverrc -and restart mythmusic. Have a nice day. - -If you get this message, you should go to the home directory of whatever -user MythMusic is running as and type: -<tscreen><verb> -rm .cdserverrc -rm -rf .cddb/ -</verb></tscreen> - -These files aren't automatically deleted because of a conscious design -decision by the author that programs that automatically delete things are -bad. - -The files are used to locally cache CD lookups. If you are re-inserting -CDs, your machine will not actually have to go out to the Internet to -determine what is on them. However, the URL used to access the freedb -database has recently changed, so the stale information in the files from -previous runs of MythMusic would cause the error above. Once the files have -been deleted the stale information will be gone and your local database -will be rebuilt as you use CDs. - -<sect>MythWeather. -<p> -MythWeather is a part of the <bf>mythplugins</bf> package. See <ref -id="mythplugins_" name="MythPlugins"> for instructions on downloading the -tarball. - -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.21 -$ ./configure --disable-all --enable-mythweather -$ qmake mythplugins.pro -$ make -$ su -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -MythWeather uses MSNBC.com as its source for weather data and weather.com -for its radar image. - -These are the keyboard commands for MythWeather: -<tscreen><verb> -Left Key Goes back one page, and extends the time spent - on the page you are on. -Right Key Goes forward one page, see above. -Space Pause, wait on the current page until space is hit - again. -Numeric Keys You can check other weather by keying in other ZIP codes. -Enter Key Switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Can also - be used a way to force a data update. -"m" Key Resets the location to the database default, then updates the data. -"i" Enter / Save settings -ESC Exit the settings screen without saving / Exit the program -</verb></tscreen> - -MythWeather also has an "Aggressiveness" setting. This affects how long -MythWeather waits for data from the msnbc.com website before timing out. If -you are on a slow connection, or have a slow DNS, or MythWeather just -doesn't seem to be working and you've already tried everything else, then -try increasing the aggressiveness level parameter. This parameter is -inverse; a higher number actually means that MythWeather will be less -aggressive, and will therefore wait longer before timing out. - -MythWeather will print debugging information on the terminal. If you wish -to see additional debugging information while MythWeather is running, run -mythweather from the command line with as <tt>mythweather --debug</tt> - -You may also force mythweather to re-run the configuration by starting it on -the command line as <tt>mythweather --configure</tt>. These two options are -mutually exclusive. - -<sect>MythVideo. -<p>MythVideo is a part of the <bf>mythplugins</bf> package. See <ref -id="mythplugins_" name="MythPlugins"> for instructions on downloading the -tarball. - -MythVideo will allow you to use an external program to watch media files -that are not directly supported by MythTV. - -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.21 -$ ./configure --disable-all --enable-mythvideo -$ qmake mythplugins.pro -$ make -$ su -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -See MythVideo's <tt>README</tt> file for additional information. - -<sect>MythDVD. -<p>MythDVD is a part of the <bf>mythplugins</bf> package. See <ref -id="mythplugins_" name="MythPlugins"> for instructions on downloading the -tarball. MythDVD is an application which rips DVDs and makes them available for -use with MythVideo. You may also transcode the DVD content from MPEG-2 to -other formats which should greatly reduce the amount of space the DVD -material takes up on your hard drive. - -MythDVD has a number of prerequisites to enable transcoding functionality. -If you only wish to play DVDs rather than convert them to something like -MPEG-4 or xvid you may skip the prerequisite installation step. - -<sect1>Manual Compilation of Prerequisites -<p> -<sect1>Pre-compiled binaries -<p>Mandriva users may install the prerequisites this way: -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi libdvdread3 libdvdread3-devel a52dec liba52dec-devel -# urpmi mplayer ogle xine -</verb></tscreen> -Assuming that you've added a PLF mirror, you may also load the rest of the -prerequisites using the following command: -<tscreen><verb> -# urpmi xvid xvid-devel fame libfame0.9-devel transcode libdvdcss -</verb></tscreen> - -In the example below, we have enabled support for transcoding and for VCD -playing. You may remove these options if you don't need them. -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.20 -$ ./configure --disable-all --enable-mythdvd --enable-transcode --enable-vcd -$ qmake mythplugins.pro -$ make -$ su -# make install -</verb></tscreen> -<sect1>Running the Myth Transcoding Daemon -<p>Transcoding ("ripping") a DVD requires you to run the Myth Transcoding -Daemon (mtd). To ensure that mtd is configured correctly, you should first -test it at the command line. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mtd -n -</verb></tscreen> -The last line of text should show something like: -<tscreen><verb> -mtd is listening on port 2342 -</verb></tscreen> -This indicates that mtd is ready for use. Once you've successfully -tested mtd in the foreground, type <bf>CTRL-C</bf> to stop mtd. You may -then start it as a background (daemon) process. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mtd -d -</verb></tscreen> - -Running mtd as a daemon will allow you to automatically start it during the -boot process. For example, you may add <tt>mtd -d</tt> to your -<tt>rc.local</tt> file, or you can adjust the script/steps outlined in the -section called <ref id="mythbackend_autostart" name="Automatically starting -mythbackend at system boot time"> to start mtd instead of mythbackend. - -<sect>MythNews. -<p>MythNews is a part of the <bf>mythplugins</bf> package. See <ref -id="mythplugins_" name="MythPlugins"> for instructions on downloading the -tarball. MythNews is a RSS reader. -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd ~/mythplugins-0.21 -$ ./configure --disable-all --enable-mythnews -$ qmake mythplugins.pro -$ make -$ su -# make install -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect>Troubleshooting. -<sect1>Compiling -<sect2>Compile errors -<p>Some compile errors are worse than others. If you get an error that -doesn't abort the compilation, and says something like: -<tscreen><verb> -cc1plus: warning: changing search order for system directory -"/usr/local/include" -cc1plus: warning: as it has already been specified as a non-system -directory -</verb></tscreen> -then it shouldn't be a problem. - -If you get an error like <tt>/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lXext</tt>, the -compiler is telling you that you don't have XFree86-devel installed, or that -your distribution hasn't set it up correctly. This needs to be fixed before -MythTV will compile. - -<sect2>make: *** No rule to make target /usr/lib/qt3/mkspecs/default/qmake.conf', needed by Makefile'. Stop. -<label id="mkspecs_error"> -<p>This error happens when there's a missing link in the -<tt>/usr/lib/qt3/mkspecs</tt> directory. There are two ways to fix this -error: - -1. Create the link manually: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# cd /usr/lib/qt3/mkspecs -# ln -sf linux-g++ default -</verb></tscreen> -and then restart the compile, - -or - -2. Run <bf>qmake mythtv.pro</bf> in the mythtv directory. Rerunning -<bf>qmake</bf> will create a new Makefile for you, however this still -doesn't fix the root cause of the issue, which is that your distribution -didn't create the symlink for you when the qt3 package was installed. The -first choice is the better solution. - -<sect2>make: *** No rule to make target /mkspecs/default/qmake.conf', needed by Makefile'. Stop. -<p>You didn't set your <tt>QTDIR</tt>. Re-read the section on <ref -id="Setting_up_paths" name="Setting up paths">. - -<sect2>Internal Segmentation Fault. -<p>This is most likely to be caused by an overheating processor rather than -an actual programming fault within gcc. - -<sect1>Debugging <label id="debugging"> -<sect2>MythTV segfaults -<sect2>MythTV isn't doing anything -<sect2>Debugging with GDB -<p>Without details, the developers will not be able to determine if you have -discovered a genuine code-bug, or if the problem is with your system. In -order to determine what's going on, you must recompile MythTV with debugging -support and run MythTV within <bf>gdb</bf>, the GNU debugger. -Note that, on OS X, some data is provided without going through these steps. -See ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MythFrontend.crash.log - -Re-run the <bf>configure</bf> script and add <tt>--compile-type=debug</tt> -to any previous configuration options you may have used. Check the -<tt>config.log</tt> file if you have forgotten. - -Now, you need to clear out the old versions of the software to ensure that -you're running with the debugging code, then compile and install. -<tscreen><verb> -$ make distclean -$ ./configure --compile-type=debug -$ make -$ su -# make install -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -At this point, you now have debug-enabled software ready. To make sure that -you don't forget to type a command required for debugging, it's best to -setup a <tt>gdbcommands</tt> file. This will be read by <bf>gdb</bf> when it's -started. -Put the following into <tt>gdbcommands</tt> in your home directory: - -<tscreen><verb> -handle SIGPIPE nostop noprint -handle SIG33 nostop noprint -set logging on -set pagination off -set args -l myth.log -v record,channel,siparser -run -thread apply all bt full -set logging off -</verb></tscreen> - -Let's assume that the problem you're having is in <bf>mythbackend</bf>. - -<tscreen><verb> -$ gdb mythbackend -x gdbcommands -GNU gdb 6.3-debian -Copyright 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc. -GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and you are -welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under certain conditions. -Type "show copying" to see the conditions. -There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty" for details. -This GDB was configured as "i386-linux".Using host libthread_db library "/lib/tls/libthread_db.so.1". -[Thread debugging using libthread_db enabled] -</verb></tscreen> - -<bf>gdb</bf> will automatically read the commands that you've placed in the -<tt>gdbcommands</tt> file and begin running the program you specified on the -command line. - -If the program appears to be locked up, press CTRL-C to create the backtrace -file. - -All of the output from <tt>gdb.txt</tt> should be posted to the mythtv-dev -mailing list, along with the steps you followed to get the program to crash. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: If you're trimming the <tt>gdb.txt</tt> file to remove -extraneous information from the beginning of the file, make sure you include -at least 10 lines <em>prior</em> to the point where the backtrace actually -begins. This ensures that there is some context to the backtrace, and so -that it's possible to see what exactly caused the segfault. - -<bf>gdb</bf> has a number of options, read the <tt>man</tt> page for more -information. - -Using the <tt>gdbcommands</tt> file in conjunction with a <bf>while</bf> loop -will ensure that <bf>gdb</bf> creates a trace file and then restarts: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ while true; do date >> gdb.txt; gdb mythbackend -x gdbcommands; done; -</verb></tscreen> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: To exit this loop you will need to kill the while loop. - -If you're trying to troubleshoot and you can't get back to the <bf>gdb</bf> window -for some reason, it may be easier to use two systems or to start -mythfrontend from the text console. - -If you're going to troubleshoot from a remote system, connect to the machine -that you're going to test using <bf/ssh</> or <bf>telnet</bf>. Next, type -<tt>$ export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0</tt>. This will allow the graphics to be -displayed on the X console (usually ALT-F6 or ALT-F7) and still give you -output and control of <bf>mythfrontend</bf>, either from the <bf>ssh</bf> -session, or by switching back to the text console by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1. -You can now continue troubleshooting using <bf>gdb</bf> as detailed in the -instructions. - -<sect2>MythTV is crashing your system -<p>When run as a non-privileged user, MythTV <em>can not</em> crash your -system. If your system is crashing when you run MythTV, then you have some -issue with the drivers for your capture card or other hardware, or the CPU -fan has fallen off/broken and your system is overheating when asked to -perform a CPU intensive task like encoding video. - -If you are running as root, which is <bf>strongly discouraged</bf>, it is -possible that your system may crash due to the real-time thread using all -available CPU. You will not be able to interrupt the process, so for all -intents and purposes your computer will have crashed. - -<sect1>Installing -<sect2>When trying to run mythtv-setup, you get an error like this: -"mythtv-setup: error while loading shared libraries:" -<p>You didn't add <tt>/usr/local/lib</tt> to <tt>/etc/ld.so.conf</tt>. See the -section on modifying <ref id="modifying_ld.so.conf" name="/etc/ld.so.conf">. - -<sect1>Using -<sect2>No programs are displayed in "Watch Recordings" -<p>This situation occurs most often with a system that acts as a frontend -and a slave backend. MythTV supports system-global and user-specific -configuration files, with user-configuration files taking precedence. 99% -of the configuration for MythTV is in the MySQL database, but MythTV still -needs to know where the MySQL server is running. This information is in the -<tt>mysql.txt</tt> file. By default, it will be installed to -<tt>/usr/local/share/mythtv</tt>, but a copy placed into <tt>~/.mythtv</tt> -will over-ride the global configuration. - -You must ensure that there aren't multiple, conflicting versions of this -file on your system! -<tscreen><verb> -$ locate mysql.txt -/usr/local/share/mythtv/mysql.txt -/home/mythtv/.mythtv/mysql.txt -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -As you can see, in this example there are two <tt>mysql.txt</tt> files. If -they are not identical, then there may be unintended consequences. - -You may also see this error if you completely fill the <tt>/var</tt> -partition. The most likely <em>mythtv-related</em> reason for this is an -overly large mythbackend or mythfrontend log file in <tt>/var/log</tt>. If -you have logging enabled for the backend, and myth runs for weeks at a time, -this may creep up and surprise you. Note that many system processes also -write to <tt>/var</tt> and the system may not boot if it is unable to write -to <tt>/var</tt> due to a full partition. - -<sect2>MySQL not connecting correctly -<p>Your <bf>MySQL</bf> installation may have networking turned off. -Check that <tt>/etc/mysql/my.cnf</tt> <em>does not</em> contain -<tt>skip-networking</tt>. If it does, remove it. Also verify that -<tt>bind-address</tt> is set to your IP address instead of -<tt>127.0.0.1</tt>. If you change either of these items, restart -<bf>MySQL</bf>. - -<sect2>MySQL database is corrupt -<p>If you have reason to believe that your MySQL database is corrupt, -execute the following commands to attempt to repair it. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Ensure that there are no programs accessing the database -while you attempt to repair it. Make sure that all backend and frontend -programs have exited. - -<tt>mysqlcheck -r -umythtv -p<password> mythconverg</tt> - -<sect2>Using a MPEG-2 encoder card and the video appears "jittery" -<sect2>Using a MPEG-2 encoder card and the video is jumping up and down -<p>This is a different problem than the one discussed in the previous -section. Currently, the ivtv driver or firmware appear to have some issues -if the vertical capture resolution is not the full screen height. If you -are having a jitter problem then ensure that you are capturing either 480 -lines (for NTSC) or 576 lines (for PAL). The default capture profiles may -need to be edited for your setup. Go to Settings->TV Settings->Recording -Profiles and adjust the <bf>Default</bf> and <bf>Live TV</bf> options to -480 or 576 from their defaults. - -<sect2>Screen goes blank but returns when mouse is moved or keyboard is used -<p>This is due to DPMS, the Display Power Management System, which is used -to save power by turning off your monitor when the system decides that it's -not being used or due to a screensaver that has defaulted to a blank screen. -MythTV now has DPMS support built-in, and should intelligently handle the -screen. Continue reading if you wish to override DPMS and force it off. - -Since it's likely that watching TV will not generate keyboard or mouse -events for a time, you need to turn off DPMS and the screensaver. There are -a few ways to do this. You may also need to check your BIOS for power -saving modes and disable screen blanking there as well. - -Edit your <tt>/etc/X11/XF86Config-4</tt> or <tt>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</tt> -file, and look for: -<tscreen><verb> -Section "ServerFlags" - #DontZap # disable <Ctrl><Alt><BS> (server abort) - #DontZoom # disable <Ctrl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching) - AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse doesn't work - - Option "blank time" "0" - Option "standby time" "0" - Option "suspend time" "0" - Option "off time" "0" - Option "NoPM" "1" -EndSection -</verb></tscreen> - -Also, look for: -<tscreen><verb> -Section "Device" - Identifier "device1" - VendorName "nVidia Corporation" - BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce 256 (generic)" - Driver "nv" - Option "DPMS" -EndSection -</verb></tscreen> - -In this case, you would need to either delete the <tt>Option "DPMS"</tt> -line, or change it to <tt># Option "DPMS"</tt> to comment it out. The next -time you start XFree this change will take effect. - -Finally, check: -<tscreen><verb> -Section "Monitor" - Identifier "monitor1" - VendorName "Plug'n Play" - HorizSync 30-85 - VertRefresh 50-160 - - # Sony Vaio C1(X,XS,VE,VN)? - # 1024x480 @ 85.6 Hz, 48 kHz hsync - ModeLine "1024x480" 65.00 1024 1032 1176 1344 480 488 494 563 -hsync -vsync - - # TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output. - # 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync - ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630 - - # 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync - ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616 -EndSection -</verb></tscreen> - -Ensure that there isn't an <tt>Option "DPMS"</tt> in the Monitor -configuration. - -You can also turn off DPMS from the Command Line, but this will not survive -a reboot. -<tscreen><verb> -$ xset -dpms -</verb></tscreen> - -Using <tt>xset +dpms</tt> will turn it back on. - -Another technique to try, which will turn off the screensaver: -<tscreen><verb> -$ xset s off -</verb></tscreen> -You may also combine the command to turn off DPMS and the screensaver: -<tscreen><verb> -$ xset -dpms s off -</verb></tscreen> - -Finally, depending on your distribution, you may be able to turn it off from -within the control panel. -<sect1>Miscellaneous -<sect2>mythfilldatabase failing -<p>If mythfilldatabase suddenly appears to be failing, there are at least -two things to check. - -First, if you are in North America, ensure that your DataDirect subscription -is still valid, otherwise, check to see what version of XMLTV you're -running and that it's the latest version. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: It is highly recommended that you run the latest -version of XMLTV available. Your listings provider may have made changes -which negatively impact XMLTV. -</caption> -</figure> - -<sect2>Fast CPU, choppy or jittery video <label id="Setting_DMA"> -<p>First, you should check that your kernel has been enabled for DMA: -<tscreen><verb> -[mythtv@pvr mythtv]$ dmesg |grep DMA - ide0: BM-DMA at 0xd800-0xd807, BIOS settings: hda:DMA, hdb:DMA - ide1: BM-DMA at 0xd808-0xd80f, BIOS settings: hdc:DMA, hdd:pio -hda: 156301488 sectors (80026 MB) w/2048KiB Cache, CHS=9729/255/63, UDMA(33) -hdb: 80043264 sectors (40982 MB) w/2048KiB Cache, CHS=4982/255/63, UDMA(33) -</verb></tscreen> - -From the listing above, you can see that hda, hdb and hdc are set for DMA, -and hdd is set for pio. If your kernel is not reporting DMA being enabled, -you may need to recompile your kernel. Check your motherboard's chipset -(look in the "ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL support" section in "make menuconfig") for more -information. - -Next, check that the hard drive has DMA enabled. Use the <bf>hdparm</bf> -program to check and enable DMA. -<tscreen><verb> -# hdparm -d /dev/hd? -</verb></tscreen> will tell you the DMA status for your hard drives. If you run -<bf>hdparm</bf> with the <tt>-d1</tt> parameter, it will turn DMA on. - -<!-- Next section adopted from a post by Dwaine Garden -dwainegarden@rogers.com to the mailing list. --> - -You may also setup your PC to do this at boot time, either by adding the -command to your <tt>/etc/rc.local</tt> file, or by adding files to -/etc/sysconfig. - -On Mandriva and other distributions, if you install <bf>hdparm</bf> from an RPM you -will most likely get a <tt>/etc/sysconfig/harddisks</tt> file installed. -This file will be parsed by the <tt>/etc/rc.sysinit</tt> script. If you use -the default <tt>harddisks</tt> file, your changes will affect all IDE devices -(including CD ROMs). If you wish to use different parameters for various -devices, rename and/or copy the file to <tt>harddiskhda</tt>, -<tt>harddiskhdb</tt>, etc. Edit the file to your liking and on the next -reboot your setting will be preserved. - -<sect2>Frontend appears to be slow at jumping / seeking. -<sect2>On-screen Display shows incorrect program length. -<p>This may occur when MythTV doesn't have an accurate seek table. Run -<bf>mythcommflag --rebuild</bf> - -<sect2>Troubleshooting audio <label id="Troubleshooting_Audio"> -<!-- By Bruce Markey --> -<p> -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: the following instructions do not apply to PVR-250/350 -encoders; the MPEG-2 file will have the audio embedded in the stream so it -is not accessible using <tt>/dev/dsp</tt>. -</caption> -</figure> - -Audio appears to be one of the bigger issues that users run into on the -mailing list. If the audio isn't configured correctly, then MythTV will -often appear to hang, when in fact it is trying to manipulate the audio -subsystem and failing. You may or may not receive error messages indicating -that the source of the error is the audio subsystem. - -You can not use <bf>xawtv</bf> to determine if your audio is working -correctly, since <bf>xawtv</bf> is simply using the analog sound patched -through line-in to line-out. It doesn't need to digitize the sound unless -you are using the recording function. - -A better test to verify that sound will work for MythTV (and recording with -<bf>xawtv</bf> for that matter) is to startup <bf>xawtv</bf>, mute the -line-in then run <tt>aplay /dev/dsp</tt>. You should hear the recorded audio -slightly delayed behind the real-time video. You should see messages about -"underrun". These can be ignored but they do confirm that the driver is -loaded and there is an active device. Once this test succeeds, MythTV -should work correctly because it writes to and read from /dev/dsp in -the same way that <bf>aplay</bf> does. - -To record audio along with video the audio signal must be digitized by a DSP -so that the audio data can be stored in a file. On playback, the audio data -is written to /dev/dsp and converted back to an analog signal. This analog -signal should then be sent to your speakers. Here is what is needed in -<bf>alsamixer</bf>. If you are using an ALSA version after 1.0.6, use -<bf>alsamixer -V all</bf>: - -CAPTUR source - the analog source to be sent to the DSP. This should be set -to the input source from the tuner card to the sound card. In most cases -this is Line but this could also be Aux, CD, Mic, etc., depending on how you -connect the input cable. This source should be muted to prevent patching -through the analog sound. The volume of this source will not affect the -record level. - -Capture mixer - this sets the level for the analog to digital recording. -While a volume of 100% is recommended for testing, distortion may occur. -Lowering this level to 75% to 85% may result in better audio quality. -"Capture" should be marked as the CAPTUR destination. - -PCM mixer - this sets the level for the digital to analog playback. While a -volume of 100% is recommended for testing, distortion may occur. Lowering -this level to 75% to 85% may result in better audio quality. - -Master mixer - sets the level for the analog signal sent to line-out or the -speakers. - -You may also want to ensure that <tt>/dev/dsp</tt> , or whatever device file -is being used, hasn't already been grabbed by another process, like -<bf>esd</bf> or <bf>artsd</bf>. If the device file isn't available, then -MythTV won't work. You may wish to run <bf>configure</bf> and enable -support for these. - -If you wish to see what application is grabbing a resource, you can use the -<tt>fuser</tt> command: -<tscreen><verb> -# fuser -v /dev/dsp -</verb></tscreen> - -To disable aRts in KDE, go to KDE->Control Center->Sound->Sound System and -uncheck the "Start aRts soundserver on KDE startup" box. Run <tt># killall -artsd</tt> from the command line to stop the artsd program. - -If you're using multiple sound cards and multiple tuners, use <tt>alsamixer --c 1</tt> to work with the second sound card. The first card is #0, the -second card is #1, etc. - -<sect2>Mythbackend reports that your card is not reporting full duplex capabilities -<sect2>The mythbackend program told me to look at this section -<p>mythbackend does a check to see if your sound device is capable of full -duplex operation. If it's not, it's most likely that you're going to run -into issues when you try to record and play sound at the same time. If your -backend is a separate machine than your frontend, then there's no problem, -since you're only going to be doing one thing at a time with the card. -Likewise, if you're running the frontend and backend on the same machine, -but you're using btaudio or a hardware encoder card such as the Hauppauge -PVR-250, DVB cards or HDTV capture cards as your recording source and you're -only using the playback function of your sound card, then you also shouldn't -have an issue, since the sound card isn't being asked to perform two -functions at once. - -If you can't get your sound card to go full-duplex and need it to, then check -your distribution for updated sound drivers. If your sound card is not -capable of full-duplex operation, either because the drivers don't support -it, or it has been designed that way, then you're pretty much out of luck -and will either need to purchase a new sound card, or will need to get -btaudio <ref id="btaudio" name="operational">. - -<sect2>My remote doesn't work / works sometimes and not others / "ghost" keypresses -<p>This can be due to a number of factors. The simplest case is the -"ghost" keypresses. For me, it was due to compact fluorescent lights in -the same room as the IR receiver, which the receiver was picking up as -keypresses. Once the lights were switched to incandescent bulbs, the ghost -went away. - -You may have an issue with <bf>lirc</bf> misinterpreting IR commands from a -different remote. I also have an issue where the TiVo "Peanut" remote will -eventually cause <bf>lircd</bf> to stop responding; even though <bf>lircd</bf> -is configured for the Pinnacle Systems remote, the TiVo remote IR patterns -are being seen by the IR receiver. - -If your remote has been properly configured, and <bf>irw</bf> and -<bf>irxevent</bf> are working correctly, then it's highly likely that your -window manager is not giving focus correctly to the various Myth programs as -they run. The following window managers are known to work correctly: - -<itemize> -<item>fvwm -<item>blackbox (using "Sloppy Focus" and "Focus New Windows") -</itemize> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: You do not need to use <bf>irxevent</bf> if you are using -MythTV's native LIRC support, so the window manager focus issue does not -apply in that case. - -<sect2>Where's "canada-cable"? -<sect2>Channels are off by one -<p>There is no such thing as "Canada Cable"; Canada uses the same -frequencies as the United States. "Canada Cable" was a hack that some -people used when they would discover that their channels were off-by-one, -i.e. when tuning to channel 42, they might get channel 41 or 43. This is -actually due to the tuner on the video capture device being mis-detected. -You must manually specify the tuner type in your <tt>/etc/modules.conf</tt>. -See the video4linux mailing list (<url -url="https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/video4linux-list" -name="https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/video4linux-list">) for -more information. - -<sect2>Mythweb is showing a db_open error when I connect to it -<!-- Fix by Chris Ripp [chris@ripp.net] post to mailing list --> -<p>Find your <tt>php.ini</tt> file. Make sure you've got a line in it like this: - -<tt>extension=mysql.so</tt> - -Restart <bf>apache</bf> for it to take effect. - -<sect2>Mouse pointer disappears when placed over the MythTV windows -<p>This is the intended behavior. The MythTV interface is meant for use -with a remote control or a keyboard. - -<sect2>What does "strange error flushing buffer" mean on the console? -<p>Nothing, really. It's just lame (the mp3 encoder) complaining for some -obscure reason. This seems to be fixed in more recent versions of the -libmp3lame library. - -<sect2>Can't change the channel when watching Live TV. -<p>Something's wrong with your program database. Did mythfilldatabase run -with no major errors? Or, MythTV may not have permissions to the -appropriate video4linux devices. See the section titled <ref id="devperms" -name="Device Permissions"> for an example. - -<sect2>Screen goes black when you try to play something -<p>MythTV prints error and status messages to the shell that was used to -start the application. If nothing seems to be happening when you try to -view a program, try switching back to the shell and look for error messages -there, or, if you're running from a startup script, check the log file. - -<sect2>Poor performance with NVidia cards and XvMC -<p>XvMC is a NVidia driver feature which is supposed to help with decoding -video. Users have reported that rather than speeding up their video it -appears to be doing the opposite. You may want to check that your color -depth is set for 24bpp. - -<sect2>Computer is loading a media player application when you insert a CD or DVD -<p>You need to disable any sort of auto-running media player in your -environment, otherwise MythDVD or MythMusic will not be able to work -properly. - -In KDE, you may want to perform the following: -<tscreen><verb> -$ rm ~/.kde/Autostart/Autorun.desktop -</verb></tscreen> -<sect>Miscellaneous. -<sect1>I'd like to watch the files without using MythTV / I'd like to convert the files to some other format -<p>First, check if the <bf>mytharchive</bf> plugin does what you want. If not, then -read on: - -MythTV comes with a utility called <bf>mythtranscode</bf> which can -decode nuv files into raw format for use with other applications. This -command-line utility was not designed to be used by the end-user, but -instead to be called by other applications or scripts. Programs like -<bf>nuvexport</bf> (<url url="http://forevermore.net/myth/" -name="http://forevermore.net/myth/">) are better suited for the end user. -However, since <bf>mythtranscode</bf> can be a useful tool, directions on -using it follow. - -<bf>mythtranscode</bf> creates raw streams, which means that they do not -contain any container information such as resolution, frame-rate, or audio -sampling rate. In order to process the output, you must supply this -information to the processing utility. <bf>mythtranscode</bf> provides the -relevant information on STDOUT. - -There are two modes in which <bf>mythtranscode</bf> can create raw streams. -The first has no synchronization and assumes that the processing utility -will read audio and video at a constant rate. This method is useful when a -single application will be processing the raw output, such as -<bf>mencoder</bf> or <bf>ffmpeg</bf>. The second method assumes that two -separate applications will be processing the audio and video streams -independently, and there is no rate control between them which means that -the two programs don't coordinate their efforts to maintain synchronization. - -<sect2>mythtranscode example -<p>First, start <bf>mythtranscode</bf>. You will need to determine the -channel and the start time manually. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mythtranscode --chanid 1036 --starttime 2003-10-20T15:30:00 --profile \ -autodetect --fifodir . & -</verb></tscreen> - -When <bf>mythtranscode</bf> begins executing, it will create two FIFOs -("audout" and "vidout") in the directory specified (in this case ".", -meaning the current directory) and will print out information about the -video stream. - -The next step is to start the processing application. The following assumes -that the stream is NTSC 640x480 with 32Kbps audio. - -To use <bf>mencoder</bf> you would enter a command like: -<tscreen><verb> -mencoder -audiofile audout -audio-demuxer 20 -rawaudio rate=32000 \ --rawvideo on:w=640:h=480:fps=29.97 -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -o out.avi \ -vidout -</verb></tscreen> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: You must use mencoder 1.0PRE1 or later. <bf>mencoder</bf> -version 0.9x <em>WILL NOT WORK!</em> -</caption> -</figure> -Using ffmepg: -<tscreen><verb> -ffmpeg -f u16le -ar 32000 -ac 2 -i audout -f rawvideo -s 640x480 -r 29.97 \ --i vidout -vcodec mpeg4 -b 2000 -acodec mp3 -ab 128 out.avi -</verb></tscreen> - -Or to play directly using mplayer (again 1.0PRE1 or later is needed): -<tscreen><verb> -mplayer -audiofile audout -audio-demuxer 20 -rawaudio rate=32000 \ --rawvideo on:w=640:h=480:fps=29.97 vidout -</verb></tscreen> - -If you wanted to write the raw data to separate audio and video files for -later processing, the following would work (note the use of --fifosync -for rate-control): -<tscreen><verb> -$ mythtranscode --chanid 1036 --starttime 2003-10-20T15:30:00 \ ---profile autodetect --fifodir . --fifosync & -$ cat audout > audio.raw & -$ cat vidout > video.yuv -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Using a different window manager -<p>MythTV is not dependent on any particular window manager. If you wish to -run a lightweight window manager, the <tt>contrib/configfiles/</tt> directory has an -example of a <tt>.twmrc</tt> and <tt>.fvwmrc</tt> file you may use. - -<sect1>What capture resolution should I use? How does video work? -<label id="capture_resolution_"> -<!-- Lots of the following is from a Bruce Markey mailto:bjm@lvcm.com post -to the mailing list, 2003-01-21. Updated 2005-02-09 bjm --> -<p>While MythTV allows you to set various GUI and capture resolutions, not -all combinations make sense. - -First, analog video signals have a defined vertical resolution. In NTSC, -the video standard specifies that there are 525 vertical scan lines. Once -the "extra" lines are removed (they're used to synchronize the video signal, -and encode closed captioning data), you have 480 horizontal lines stacked -vertically. - -In PAL, there are 625 "raw" lines of resolution, with a net of 576 -horizontal lines stacked vertically. - -Horizontally, the maximum value allowed for a Bt8X8 chip is 720. However, -due to limitations in the chip and other limitations of broadcast -television, there may not be a noticeable improvement in image quality -beyond 400 or 500 pixels. - -With this in mind, there are certain commonly accepted values for -resolution. While other values may be accepted for the vertical -resolution, they will cause scan lines to be repeated or dropped. - -From "best" to "worst", in NTSC: -<itemize> -<item>720x480 "DVD" resolution. ReplayTV High and medium resolution -<item>704x480 DVD standalone recorder standard resolution -<item>640x480 4:3 -<item>544x480 TiVo Best resolution -<item>480x480 SuperVCD (SVCD) Video CD resolution, TiVo High resolution -<item>352x480 ReplayTV "Standard" quality, TiVo Basic and Medium resolution, DVD "LP" resolution -<item>320x480 -<item>544x240 -<item>480x240 -<item>352x240 Video CD (VCD) resolution -<item>320x240 -</itemize> - -As you can see, the lower quality values are half of the better ones. -720x240 is possible, but isn't a good tradeoff relative to the number of -vertical lines lost. In a PAL country, the you would use values like -720x576 or x288. - -The higher resolutions will be more CPU intensive if you're using software -encoding (PVR-250/350 will have minimal host CPU impact even if you're using -720x480). If the CPU is overtaxed, frames will be dropped causing uneven -motion. You will likely see the best results at resolutions which average at -least 10% CPU idle time. You can use system tools such as <tt>top</tt> or -<tt>sar</tt> to check the CPU % idle while recording. If the CPU average -usage is consistently exceeding 90%, frames will need to be dropped during -peak times when more than 100% of the available CPU would be needed to -process all of the frames. - -If you'd like to read more on this, go to the vcdhelp website at <url -url="http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/userguides/94382.php" -name="http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/userguides/94382.php">. - -<sect1>MythTV GUI and X Display Sizes -<p>MythTV is designed to be run as dedicated full screen TV application -but can also be run as a desktop application on a computer monitor. Here -are a few consideration for configuring sizes to best suit you needs. - -<sect2>X Dimensions -<p>For output to a Television, common resolutions are 640x480, 800x600, and -some rare devices support 1024x768. Generally, higher resolutions are -better. However, you may find that you prefer the picture quality at one of -the lower resolutions. Everything in MythTV is scalable and should 'fit' -regardless of the resolution you choose. - -Edit your X configuration file, usually <tt>/etc/X11/XF86Config-4</tt> for -XFree, or <tt>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</tt> for Xorg, so that the resolution you -want to use is listed first in the lists under "Screen". If this resolution -is higher than the resolutions supported by your output device, you will see -a 'panning' effect where moving the mouse to the edge will scroll around a -desktop area which is larger than the display size. If this happens, edit -your X configuration file to match the display size then restart X. - -<sect2>MythTV Dimensions -<p>From "mythfrontend" go to Setup->Appearance. -The default for the height and width is "0" - this will cause -MythTV to automatically size itself to full screen. - -If the MythTV GUI width and height are not 0, mythfrontend uses these GUI -dimensions and is anchored to the upper left corner of the X Desktop. If -the GUI X and/or Y are not 0, the upper left corner is positioned at the -specified coordinates. If the "Run the frontend in a window" box is checked, -the window will have a frame and can then be dragged to any position on the -desktop. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: When the GUI is full screen, you may see windows rapidly -flipping on top of each other. If this happens you will need to set your -window manager to 'Click to Focus' for windows to stack properly. -</caption> -</figure> -The fonts for the GUI and OSD will scale to whatever sizes you use. Most -font sizes can be changed in setup selections or in the .xml files under -<tt>/usr/local/share/mythtv/</tt> . Make sure to use fonts large enough -to be read on a TV screen from a distance. - -The full screen TV size is based on the X display size. For Xinerama, you -can specify a screen in Setup->General. The TV picture will be stretched -to fit the entire GUI area regardless of the <ref id="capture_resolution_" -name="capture resolutions"> used. However, during playback, the "W" key can -to used to correct differences between 16:9 and 4:3. - -<sect2>Overscan Dimensions -<p>Because picture edges can be ragged and screen edges aren't straight, -Television is designed to project an image larger than the physical screen. -This is called "overscan". Underscan is fitting the entire image inside the -screen. Underscan is useful for computer monitors so that toolbars and -scrollbars at the edges can be seen. - -For best results, match the X display area as close as possible to the edges -of the physical screen. This can only be adjusted by your tv-out device or -by the settings for the television set. Many sets have these adjustments in -a 'service mode'. If you cannot make these adjustments, there will be black -borders around the edges of the X desktop, MythTV GUI and TV playback. - -MythTV has settings for "Overscan" in Setup->Playback. These can not, and do -not, cause the image to display beyond the edge of the X display area. The -purpose of these settings are to cut off rough edges and to expand the image -so that objects will appear to be the same size as a normal overscanned TV -picture. - -<sect1>Saving or restoring the database <label id="backupdb"> -<p>See the <bf>mysqldump</bf> manpage for more information. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysqldump -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -c > mythtv_backup.sql -</verb></tscreen> - -To restore: (assuming that you've dropped the database) -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root -mysql>create database mythconverg; -mysql>exit -$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg < mythtv_backup.sql -</verb></tscreen> - -You may need to alter the MySQL permissions if this database is being shared -with multiple systems. See the <ref id="modify_perm_mysql" name="Modifying -access to the MySQL database for multiple systems"> section for more -information. - -<sect1>Deleting the MySQL database -<p><figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Performing this step will remove the entire database. -You will lose all of your settings and will need to re-run the mc.sql script -to setup the database structure before running the mythtv-setup program. -</caption> -</figure> -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root -mysql> drop database mythconverg; -mysql> quit -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Moving your data to new hardware -<p>This assumes that you will be moving your data to newer / bigger hardware -and don't want to lose your programs. - -The first step is to create a database backup as demonstrated in an earlier -section. - -Next, you will extract only the data that is relevant to the programs: -<tscreen><verb> -$ grep "INSERT INTO record " mythtv_backup.sql > restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO recorded " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO oldrecorded " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO recordedprogram " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO recordedrating " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO recordedmarkup " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO recordedseek " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -</verb></tscreen> - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: Newer versions of <bf>mysqldump</bf> place backticks around -the table names. Backticks are not the same as apostrophes! On a typical -North American keyboard, backticks are located to the left of the "1" key, -on the same key as the tilde. Also, because the <bf>bash</bf> shell may try -to interpret the backticks, make sure you use a \ before each one. - -If your <tt>restore.sql</tt> file is empty, you'll need to re-run the -commands like this: -<tscreen><verb> -$ grep "INSERT INTO \`record\` " mythtv_backup.sql > restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO \`recorded\` " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO \`oldrecorded\` " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO \`recordedprogram\` " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO \`recordedrating\` " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO \`recordedmarkup\` " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -$ grep "INSERT INTO \`recordedseek\` " mythtv_backup.sql >> restore.sql -</verb></tscreen> - -Note the space after the table name and the ">>" to append to the file for -all but the first <bf>grep</bf>. "recordedmarkup" and "recordedseek" are -huge and there may be hundreds of thousands of lines if you had lots of -hours of recordings. - -After you have moved the data files to the new hardware, configure MythTV -using the <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> program as you normally would with a -standard MythTV installation. - -At this point we will restore the information about your programs back into -the database: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg < restore.sql -</verb></tscreen> - -After successful insertion of the data you may delete the -<tt>restore.sql</tt> file. - -<sect1>btaudio <label id="btaudio"> -<p>btaudio allows you to obtain the audio data from your tuner card directly -over the PCI bus without using a sound card. This is useful if you would -like to use multiple tuner cards in a system without adding a sound card for -each one, or if your existing sound card is not capable of full-duplex -operation. - -In order to use btaudio, your tuner card will need certain hardware -installed on it, and that hardware must be wired correctly. The chip that -will allow you to use the btaudio module is the MSP34xx. However, having a -MSP34xx is no guarantee that you will be able to use the btaudio module. - -As of 2003-03-31, this is the current list of cards and their status: -Works with btaudio: - -<itemize> -<item>Hauppauge WinTV-radio with dbx-TV stereo, model 401 -<item>Hauppauge WinTV-Theater, model 495, 498 (Europe) -<item>ATI TV Wonder -</itemize> - -The following cards do not work: -<itemize> -<item>Pinnacle Studio PCTV Pro - note: this has a MSP34xx, but it's not -wired correctly to the BT878 chip. -<item>ATI TV Wonder VE -<item>Leadtek Winfast 2000 XP (PAL, UK and NTSC) -<item>I/O Magic PC-PVR. No MSP34xx chip. -</itemize> - -The following cards have been reported to work, but have issues: -<itemize> -<item>Avermedia AVerTV Studio (no digital DSP output, "whiney noise" on -analog) -</itemize> - -Once btaudio loads, it should register additional <tt>/dev/dsp</tt> and -<tt>/dev/mixer</tt> devices. Typing <tt>$ dmesg</tt> will let you know -what's going on. - -<sect1>Removing unwanted channels -<p>If <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> grabbed a channel which you do not want to -include in your TV listings, you can remove the entries from the grabber -configuration and the MySQL database. This often happens with premium -channels; for example, HBO or Showtime may be available on your cable TV -system, but is scrambled because you're not a subscriber to that channel. -Since you can never watch it, you want to get rid of it. - -If you are using the DataDirect service, login to your account at -<url url="http://labs.zap2it.com/" name="http://labs.zap2it.com/"> to -modify your lineup. Uncheck the boxes for any unwanted channels, and they -will no longer be included in your download. - -If you are using a grabber from XMLTV, comment out the channel from the -<tt>~/.mythtv/<sourcename>.xmltv</tt> file by inserting the word "not -" (including the space) in front of the unwanted entry. This will prevent -<bf>xmltv</bf> from grabbing future listings. - -Next, delete the unwanted item from the channel table so that it will not -appear in the EPG or when changing channels. To delete the data from the -database we need to perform some steps. First, assuming that HBO is channel -15, we need to find out the internal <tt>chanid</tt> used by MySQL: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root mythconverg -mysql> select chanid from channel where channum=15; -+--------+ -| chanid | -+--------+ -| 1015 | -+--------+ -1 row in set (0.00 sec) -mysql> delete from channel where chanid = 1015; -</verb></tscreen> - -Old program data will be removed over the course of a week. However, you may -want to immediately delete any current program listings for the channel that -has been removed: -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root mythconverg -mysql> delete from program where chanid = 1015; -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>NFS -<p>You may want to use a central server to store your files. - -On the host machine, (in this case, the hostname is "masterbackend") you'll -want to edit your <tt>/etc/exports</tt> file and use something like: -<tscreen><verb> -/var/video (rw) -</verb></tscreen> - -To export the <tt>/var/video</tt> directory with read / write privileges. - -On the "slave" machine, you'll want to edit the <tt>/etc/fstab</tt> file and -add something like: -<tscreen><verb> -masterbackend:/var/video /var/video nfs rsize=8192,wsize=8192,hard,intr,nfsvers=3,actimeo=0 -</verb></tscreen> - -Then run <tt># mount -a</tt> to re-read the file to mount the file system. - -In this case, the source is a machine called "masterbackend" which is -exporting the directory "/var/video", which we're mounting locally at -"/var/video". The rsize and wsize options are used to increase the -performance of NFS; "hard,intr" is there because that's the recommendation -of the NFS-HOWTO, the nfsvers is required for filesizes over 2GB and actimeo -is used to turn off file attribute caching. Attribute caching for a shared -media point causes problems; you always want to see the latest state of the -directory and files. See <url -url="http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Optimizing_Performance" -name="http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Optimizing_Performance"> for -additional information regarding performance optimization. - -<sect1>Automatically starting mythfrontend at system boot time -<p>Here's an example submitted to the mythtv-dev list by Pat Pflaum -<url url="mailto:pat@netburp.com" name="mailto:pat@netburp.com"> using fvwm: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cat > .xinitrc -fvwm & -mythfrontend -^D -$ cat > .fvwmrc -Style myth* NoTitle, NoHandles, Sticky, WindowListSkip, SloppyFocus, GrabFocus, BorderWidth 0 -^D -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -The following also works with blackbox: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cat > .xinitrc -xset -dpms s off & -irxevent & -mythfrontend & -blackbox -</verb></tscreen> - -Make sure that your <tt>.blackboxrc</tt> file has: -<tscreen><verb> -session.screen0.focusNewWindows: True -session.screen0.focusModel: SloppyFocus -</verb></tscreen> in it. - -<label id="mythbackend_autostart"> -<sect1>Automatically starting mythbackend at system boot time -<sect2>Red Hat And Mandriva -<p>Here's a method for automatically starting mythbackend submitted by Mike -Thomson (<url url="mailto:linux@m-thomson.net" name="mailto:linux@m-thomson.net">) and Stu Tomlinson (<url -url="mailto:stu@nosnilmot.com" name="mailto:stu@nosnilmot.com">). - -Copy the files from the MythTV <tt>contrib</tt> directory or from Mike's web -site (<url url="http://m-thomson.net/mythtv/" -name="http://m-thomson.net/mythtv/">) as follows: - -<tt>etc.rc.d.init.mythbackend</tt> should be made executable and copied to -<tt>/etc/rc.d/init.d/</tt>: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd contrib -$ su -# chmod a+x etc.rc.d.init.d.mythbackend -# cp etc.rc.d.init.d.mythbackend /etc/rc.d/init.d/mythbackend -</verb></tscreen> - -<tt>etc.sysconfig.mythbackend</tt> should be copied to -<tt>/etc/sysconfig/</tt>: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd contrib -$ su -# cp etc.sysconfig.mythbackend /etc/sysconfig/mythbackend -</verb></tscreen> - -Edit <tt>/etc/sysconfig/mythbackend</tt> if you want to change the defaults -(the userid that should start mythbackend, location of the logfile and (if -required) the name and location of the mythbackend binary). - -Use <bf>chkconfig</bf> to make sure the script is called when -entering runlevels 3, 4 or 5: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# chkconfig --level 345 mythbackend on -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -<label id="logrotate"> -<sect3>Log files -<p>By default, the log file for mythbackend will be written to -<tt>/var/tmp/mythbackend.log</tt>. This has been tested and is known to work -on Mandriva and Red Hat, but many people prefer to place logs under -<tt>/var/log/</tt>. - -To do this, create a group called <tt>mythtv</tt> (or anything you prefer) -and add your usual MythTV users to that group. If you changed the user that -starts mythbackend from the default of root you <em>must</em> perform this -step. - -Create the directory <tt>/var/log/mythtv</tt> and set its -permissions as follows: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# mkdir /var/log/mythtv -# chown root:mythtv /var/log/mythtv -# chmod 0775 /var/log/mythtv -# exit -$ ls -ld /var/log/mythtv -drwxrwxr-x 2 root mythtv 4096 Apr 28 21:58 /var/log/mythtv/ -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -<!-- From an email by chris at cpr.homelinux.net on 2006-09-01 --> -Create a <tt>mythtv</tt> file in <tt>/etc/logrotate.d</tt>: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# cat > /etc/logrotate.d/mythtv -# Set default values for all log files first... - -# Rotate the logs once a week, or more frequently if they -# exceed 10Mb in size (size is checked daily). -weekly -size 10M - -# 'copytruncate' is used for logs generated by -# currently-running programs that should not be restarted -# (and can't be signalled to start a new log) after the -# rotation. It duplicates the existing log file and then -# sets the length of the existing file to 0. The only time -# this would break would be if the program writing the log -# was using lseek. -copytruncate - -# After rotating the files, leave the most recent rotated -# copy alone but gzip everything else to save space. -compress -delaycompress - -# If a log isn't present then don't worry about it. -missingok - -# Don't rotate an empty file. -notifempty - -# end of the global options - -/var/log/mythtv/mythbackend.log /var/log/mythtv/mythfrontend.log { - # Keep logs until they are 2 months old or the number of - # logs reaches 12. If the log files stay small, the age will - # kick in first and you'll only have 8 log files. If they - # get larger than 10Mb then you won't keep all 60 days. - rotate 12 - maxage 60 -} - -# Different options for mythfilldatabase: -/var/log/mythtv/mythfilldatabase.log { - rotate 2 -} -^D -# -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect3>Mandriva -<p>Mandriva adds one more twist in the form of the <tt>msec</tt> utility, -which runs regularly and (at the default or any higher security level) sets -permissions on many files, including those under <tt>/var/log</tt>. - -To tell msec about the MythTV log files and their directory, you need to -edit the <tt>/etc/security/msec/perm.local</tt> file to include the -following: -<tscreen><verb> -# /etc/security/msec/perm.local -# Local overrides to the msec program -# -# Full file path user.group permissions -/var/log/mythtv/ root.mythtv 775 -/var/log/mythtv/* root.mythtv 664 -</verb></tscreen> - -A copy of the above has been included in the contrib/ directory. You may -add it by typing: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cd contrib -$ su -# cat etc.security.msec.perm.local >> /etc/security/msec/perm.local -# exit -</verb></tscreen> - -Finally run the <tt>msec</tt> tool to check and implement your -changes. -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# msec -# exit -$ -</verb></tscreen> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: msec can only <em>reduce</em> the permissions of files, so if -you don't get the results you expect, check that you're not asking -<tt>msec</tt> to add missing permissions to the files or directories you -created. -</caption> -</figure> -<sect2>Gentoo -<p>The portage file for MythTV has scripts that will allow you to run -mythbackend at startup. - -To run mythbackend as a daemon which starts at boot time: -<tscreen><verb> -# rc-update add mythbackend default -</verb></tscreen> -To stop mythbackend as a daemon: -<tscreen><verb> -# /etc/init.d/mythbackend stop -</verb></tscreen> - -To obtain a list of options: -<tscreen><verb> -# /etc/init.d/mythbackend -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect1>Advanced Backend Configurations <label id="advanced_backend_config"> -<p>MythTV is flexible in the way that you define multiple backend tuner -configurations. The only hard-and-fast rule is that the Master backend -<em>must</em> have a capture device defined, but shouldn't imply that the -capture device in the Master backend must be the first capture card defined in the -database. - -One example of an advanced configuration is the round-robin scheme. Rather -than defining all of the cards on the master, you could first go into -mythtv-setup on the master to define globals such as the general configuration -and the channel lineup but not the host-specific configuration item like the -capture card. In this example, we will use a 4 tuner configuration, where two -slaves have one card each and the master has two. -<enum> -<item>Add the first capture card on one of the slaves. Complete the -configuration, connecting the input source to the card. This will get -cardid #1 in the database. Exit mythtv-setup. -<item>Configure the first capture card on the master backend. This will get -cardid #2 in the database. Exit mythtv-setup. -<item>Configure the first capture card on the second slave. This will be -cardid #3 in the database. Exit mythtv-setup. -<item>Configure the second capture card on the master backend. This will -get cardid #4 in the database. Exit mythtv-setup. -</enum> - -Using this scheme, the master backend will not use both capture cards until -one of the following happens: -<itemize> -<item>There are four recordings scheduled for the same time -<item>Both slaves are unavailable -</itemize> - -The scheduler in MythTV checks whether an encoder is available; if a slave -backend isn't running, its encoder isn't available, so the scheduler will -look for the next available encoder. This makes MythTV very flexible; slave -tuners can come and go, and as long as there are enough tuners for what -you'd like to record it doesn't matter which tuner in particular is going to -be used. - -Using this round-robin scheme along with a shared storage directory like -NFS and enabling the Master Backend Override setting will allow you to view -content even if the slave backend that recorded a program is not available. - -<sect1>Using the transcoder -<!-- Aran Cox, spin667 at mchsi.com --> -<p>MythTV's built-in transcoder re-encodes recordings from one codec to -another. The transcoder has three primary uses; it can transcode MPEG-2 -files captured using a hardware encoder (PVR cards, DVB cards, ATSC HD, -etc.) to MPEG-4, it can be used to transcode RTjpeg files (usually only used -on systems that can not real-time encode to MPEG-4 using a framegrabber) to -MPEG-4, and finally it can be used to remove commercials from a MPEG-2 file -while leaving the file in MPEG-2 format. - -When MythTV transcodes a file to MPEG-4 or RTjpeg the resulting file format -is NuppelVideo (nuv). NuppelVideo is a container which provides a method of -keeping the audio and video in sync throughout the recording, which is why -it is used instead of the <tt>.avi</tt> format. You may have difficulty -playing <tt>.nuv</tt> files in non-MythTV systems. - -<!-- If -you want something more portable you can look at some of the other sections -in this HOWTO. --> - -The original file is removed when the transcoding process is complete. -Unless you're sure that you will be satisfied with the result you may want -to enable the <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> option which causes <bf>mythbackend</bf> -to keep the original file after transcoding. This option is on the second -page of the General section in mythtv-setup. Enabling this allows you to -compare the two files and restore the original if you like. Outside of the -initial setup phase it usually isn't necessary to leave this option enabled. -A recording can be transcoded in two ways: - -<itemize> -<item>Automatically transcode the file once it has completed -recording.</item> -<item>Manually choosing to transcode a recording, usually after -importing a cutlist or manually marking commercials to be -removed.</item> -</itemize> - -The second method can be used on files that have already been transcoded (or -files which were are already in the desired format), so only the frames -immediately following a cut section will be re-encoded, resulting in a -minimal loss of quality when removing commercials with the added benefit of -being extremely quick. - -The current transcoding system has a lot flexibility, but there are -a number of steps involved in setting it up. In order to -automatically transcode a given recording you must do the following: -<enum> -<item>Configure recording profile for your capture source and enable -transcoding on one or more profiles.</item> -<item>Configure one or more transcoding profiles.</item> -<item>Create or alter existing scheduled recordings to enable -transcoding for that recording.</item> -</enum> - -<sect2>Configuring Recording Profiles to Allow Transcoding - -<p>Enter the Utilities/Setup > Setup > TV Settings > Recording Profiles -section in <bf>mythfrontend</bf>. Choose the option that corresponds to -your capture source (ignore the Transcoders for now.) Choose the quality -profile you are interested in using for transcoding. Ensure that "Enable -auto-transcode after recording" is checked. <!-- This option might ought to -be called "allow auto-transcode" as we'll soon see though. You might want to -verify that the other settings for this profile are correct while your here. ---> - -<sect2>Configure Transcoding Profiles - -<p>Enter the Recording Profiles > Transcoders menu. There are three quality -settings to choose from and a two special Autodetect settings. Later, when -scheduling recordings you'll have to choose one of Autodetect, High, Medium, -and Low Quality transcode settings in addition to the recording profile we -set up above. If you choose the Autodetect transcoding profile for a -recording, MythTV will use the "Autodetect from RTjpeg/MPEG-4" profile for -recordings which are RTjpeg/MPEG-4 files. Otherwise, it will use the -"Autodetect from MPEG-2" profile provided it's an MPEG-2 recording. If you -choose one of the others (High, Medium, Low) it will use the settings in -that profile regardless of the codec of the original recording. - -There are a number of options for transcoding but the simplest is to enable -lossless transcoding (the first option) which subsequently removes all other -options. Enabling lossless encoding simply removes commercials (if you've -marked them) and attempts to clean up MPEG-2 streams. Note that with this -option MythTV will not apply any sort of filters and will only attempt to -normalize the stream into something cleaner and less likely to have trouble -with other less forgiving MPEG-2 hardware/software (including players, video -editors, etc.) - -If you enable resizing of the recording the next page has the settings for -choosing the final resolution. MythTV will scale the video as appropriate, -not crop it to this resolution. - -The final two pages allow configuration of the video and audio codecs. -Although RTjpeg is an option for video codec there is no reason to transcode -<em>to</em> this format because it will produce larger files than MPEG-4 and -the recording will take <em>more</em> CPU power to play back. The MPEG-4 -settings are described in the documentation for the <bf>ffmpeg</bf> project -at <url url="http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/ffmpeg-doc.html" -name="http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/ffmpeg-doc.html">. It's a matter of -trial and error to discover which settings achieve a good compromise between -size and quality. - -If you wish to return to the default settings, they are Bitrate: 2200-2500, -MaxQ: 2, MinQ: 15, MaxQDiff: 3, and "Scale bitrate for frame size" is -enabled. The other options are unchecked. <!-- If you're getting weird -results from MPEG-4 transcoding try setting as above and go from there. --> - -<sect2>Create/Alter Scheduled Recordings to Enable Transcoding - -<p>Transcoding is actually enabled on a per-recording basis. Two things -must be true before any given recording will be auto-transcoded, however. -The first is that the recording must have been made with a recording profile -that has auto-transcode enabled. Under "Storage Options" for the recording -you must set the "Record using the "X" profile" to the profile you -configured in the first step. In addition, under the "Post Recording -Options" section of the recording you must also set "Transcode new -recordings." This is also where you specify the Transcoding profile to use -(Auto, High, Medium, Low.) - -It may not be obvious from above but the flexibility of this system is -primarily to make it possible to auto-transcode a show recorded via one -source (ie: pcHDTV 3000), and not transcode that same show if it's recorded -on another kind of card (ie: PVR-250.) There are other uses however. You -could have a PVR-250 and a V4L card. You may want to transcode the MPEG-2 -from the PVR-250 but there is no need to transcode the recordings made with -the V4L card, as it's already likely to be MPEG-4. - -As an example, you could configure the Default profile for "Hardware DVB -Encoders" (the profile group used for DVB cards, including ATSC cards like -the pcHDTV 3000) to "Enable auto-transcoding". In the Default profile for -MPEG-2 Encoders (PVR cards) you'd leave "Enable auto-transcoding" unchecked. -For programs that are available on both kinds of cards you'd set the -recording profile to Default and enable auto-transcoding in the record -settings. Then you pick your transcoding profile. The result is that when -a program is recorded on your DVB card, it will get transcoded. When it -plays on a channel available via your PVR card, it won't be. - -<sect2>Manual Transcoding - -<p>Manually transcoding is activated while watching a show by hitting 'x', -from the OSD menu by choosing the Transcode option, or by choosing Job -Options/Transcode from the info menu from the Watch or Delete -Recordings screens. - -The transcoding profile used for manual transcoding is whatever was set when -the recording was originally configured, even if you didn't enable -auto-transcoding. The only way to change what transcoding profile will be -used is to alter the transcoder column in the recorded table in the -database. The transcoder column contains a number which corresponds with -the id column in the recordingprofiles table. You can find out the id -number for each profile in the transcoder group with an SQL command like: - -<tscreen><verb> -mysql> select r.* from recordingprofiles r,profilegroups p where p.name='Transcoders' and p.id=r.profilegroup; -+----+----------------+------------+------------+--------------+ -| id | name | videocodec | audiocodec | profilegroup | -+----+----------------+------------+------------+--------------+ -| 21 | RTjpeg/MPEG4 | MPEG-4 | MP3 | 6 | -| 22 | MPEG2 | MPEG-4 | MP3 | 6 | -| 27 | High Quality | MPEG-4 | MP3 | 6 | -| 28 | Medium Quality | MPEG-4 | MP3 | 6 | -| 29 | Low Quality | MPEG-4 | MP3 | 6 | -+----+----------------+------------+------------+--------------+ -5 rows in set (0.01 sec) - -mysql> -</verb></tscreen> - -Armed with the knowledge of what the profile ID's are you can also choose to -run mythtranscode from the command line and explicitly specify the transcoder -profile. Run <tt>mythtranscode --help</tt> for usage information. - -<sect1>Changing your hostname -<!-- Edited instructions from a post by Alan Snyder ax763 at yahoo.com --> -<p>If you need to change the name of the computers used with MythTV you'll -need to perform a sequence of steps. There are a number of pieces of -information that MythTV keeps track of which are tied to the hostname of the -box, so changing the hostname involves altering the name in the -operating system and in the MySQL database. In the examples below, the old -name of the system was "frontend1" and we're going to change it to -"kidsroom". - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: Changing the hostname using direct SQL update commands will -break things. You <em>MUST</em> use this indirect method. -</caption> -</figure> - -1. Stop all backends. If you run <bf>mythbackend</bf> from a terminal -session, press control-c. If your backends are started with an init -script, you would do something like the following: -<tscreen><verb> -$ su -# /etc/init.d/mythbackend stop -</verb></tscreen> - -2. Change the hostname. - -For Red Hat and derived distributions, edit the -<tt>/etc/sysconfig/network</tt> file. Look for -<tt>HOSTNAME=frontend1</tt> and change this to -<tt>HOSTNAME=kidsroom</tt> or whatever you'll be using. For other -distributions, refer to the documentation, such as the -<verb>hostname(1)</verb> man page. - -<p> -To alter the -hostname in the current session, run: -<tscreen><verb> -# hostname kidsroom -</verb></tscreen> - -3. Dump the database. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysqldump -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -c > mythtv_backup.sql -</verb></tscreen> - -4. Rename the host in the database. First, ensure that the new hostname -you'll be using isn't already in the database. -<tscreen><verb> -$ grep kidsroom mythtv_backup.sql -</verb></tscreen> -Now we're actually going to change the name. The following should all be -typed on the same line: -<tscreen><verb> -$ cat mythtv_backup.sql | sed s/\'frontend1\'/\'kidsroom\'/g >> mythtv_restore.sql -</verb></tscreen> -If you don't feel comfortable using <bf>sed</bf>, you can open the -<tt>mythtv_backup.sql</tt> file in a text editor and perform a global search -and replace. When saving the file, make sure you use the new name, -<tt>mythtv_restore.sql</tt> or the rest of the steps below will fail. - -5. Drop and recreate the database. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u root -mysql>drop database mythconverg; -mysql>create database mythconverg; -mysql>exit -</verb></tscreen> - -6. Restore the database using your edited version. -<tscreen><verb> -$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg < mythtv_restore.sql -</verb></tscreen> - -If you are running slave backends or frontends, don't forget to re-enable -access as detailed in <ref id="modify_perm_mysql" name="Modifying access to -the MySQL database for multiple systems">. - -7. Start the backends. If you use init scripts, do the following, otherwise -start them from terminal consoles. -<tscreen><verb> -# /etc/init.d/mythbackend start -</verb></tscreen> - -8. Quit and restart all frontends. Delete the <tt>mythtv_backup.sql</tt> -and <tt>mythtv_restore.sql</tt> files. - -<sect1>Can I run MythTV on my TiVo? -<sect1>Can I run MythTV on my ReplayTV? -<p>No. - -While it is true that the TiVo runs the Linux kernel, and TiVo has released -their changes to the kernel under the GPL, the TiVo is <em>not</em> a -general-purpose computer, and there is no programming information available -for the custom hardware contained within a TiVo. TiVo is under no -obligation to release the source code to their <em>application</em>. - -The ReplayTV runs VxWorks, a Real Time Operating System from Wind River -Systems. -<sect1>Can a wireless connection be used between the frontend and the backend? -<p>Yes, assuming that your wireless connection has sufficient bandwidth to -maintain the datarate between the frontend and the backend. 802.11b should -be sufficient if the encoded bitrate of the content is less than the -datarate of your wireless connection, which in the case of 802.11b would be -approximately 4 Mbps. (The advertised rate of 11Mbps gives an actual -throughput of 4 Mbps.) 802.11a and 802.11g, if operating in their high-speed -modes, or proprietary 802.11b "Turbo" schemes should be adequate. Multiple -wireless frontends, poor signal strength or other factors can severely -impact the viewing experience on the frontend. - -<sect1>How can I burn shows that I have recorded to a DVD? -<p>Use the mytharchive plugin. - -<sect1>Using the DBoxII within MythTV -<p>The configuration of the DBoxII for use within MythTV is tricky (as of -May 16 2005), that's why it's covered here. Your DBoxII has to be running -linux and the Neutrino GUI instead of the stock BetaNova firmware. For -further information, please refer to <url url="http://www.tuxbox.org" -name="http://www.tuxbox.org">. Additionally, you need to enable the SPTS -mode in Neutrino. - -<itemize> -<item>Add a new "Capture Card" in the setup. The "Card type" is "DBOX2 Input", -the other values have to be adjusted according to your setup. -The default values, except for the "DBOX2 host ip", should work fine. -<item>Define a new video source. It doesn't need to be configured, -you just need to define it. MythTV grabs the EPG from the DBoxII. -<item>Connect the DBoxII to the newly defined input source in "input connections". -<item>Since channel scanning is not implemented yet, you need to define channels -in the "Channel Editor". Make sure that you use the same value for -"Channel Name" as on the DBoxII. You can get a list of available -channels from the web interface of Neutrino at http://ip-of-your-box:80/. -Associate the channel with your new video source and repeat when needed. -</itemize> - -You may leave the Setup now and proceed as usual. - -<sect1>What do the icons on the Watch Recordings screen mean? -<p>Press "1" or F1 to get a popup. -<sect1>What do the letters mean when I change channels? -<p>These letters let you know what's going on with the backend as it tries -to tune to a channel. - -Lower case = seen - -Upper Case = seen & good -<itemize> -<item>l/L = Lock : This could be seen by PVR-250/BTTV users -<item>a/A = PAT : Any recording transmitted in MPEG -<item>m/M = PMT : Any recording transmitted in MPEG -<item>g/G = MGT : ATSC only -<item>v/V = VCT : ATSC only -<item>n/N = NIT : DVB only -<item>s/S = SDT : DVB only -</itemize> -<sect1>What is the difference between the various Hauppauge PVR models? -<p>This is covered in the hardware section, and extensively covered on the -Hauppauge website. (<url -url="http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/compare_pvr.html" -name="http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/compare_pvr.html">) Please check the -Hauppauge website for the most accurate information. - -A PVR-150 comes in a number of versions: -<itemize> -<item>The PVR-150 (Model 1045) is the retail kit. It comes with a remote -control and an IR Blaster. It does not have a radio tuner. -<item>The PVR-150 MCE (Model 1042) will usually come in a plain white box and is -sold as an OEM device. It does not come with a remote control, since it's -usually used as the second, third, etc capture device. -<item>The PVR-150 MCE Kit (Model 1062) does not have a radio tuner and -comes with a Microsoft Media Center remote control instead of Hauppauge's. -<item>The PVR-150 low profile (Model 1086) is a low-profile card. It has a -radio tuner and is approximately half the height of a standard card. -However, it comes with a low-profile PCI bracket, so it is not suitable for -use in a standard PCI slot without removing the bracket, which may not be -worth the trouble. -</itemize> - -A PVR-250 (Model 980) is a retail kit which comes with an IR receiver and a -remote control. - -The PVR-250 MCE (Model 975) contains a FM radio tuner. The PVR-250 MCE does -not contain a IR receiver or a remote. - -The PVR-250 Rev 1 contained an MPEG-2 decoder. However, this function was -not connected to any output jacks, and there doesn't appear to be any way to -pull decoded video from the card, so it's a fairly useless feature. - -The PVR-350 (model 990) has the features of the PVR-250 as well as being -able to decode MPEG-2. The encode and decode functions may be used -simultaneously. The MPEG-2 decoder function gives superior video quality -compared to what you'll find on a standard video card. However, the decoder -function is only available once Linux has started, so you will not see any -boot-time messages. Also, the card is not capable of resolutions higher -than 720x480, so it cannot be used with HDTV. Make a conscious decision -(and ask for advice on the mailing list) that you want to tradeoff potential -HDTV use in the future compared to video quality. - -The X-driver for the PVR-350 support playback using Xv efficiently but does -not support any other 2D or 3D acceleration. For some application this may -place a large load on the host CPU, some will run without any problem and -others (mplayer, xine, xmame etc.) should be configured to utilize the Xv -interface. - -Note that for the PVR-350 there are some <ref id="PVR-350" name="considerations"> -regarding the way audio is handled. - -The PVR-500 is a dual-encoder version of the PVR-150 card, so you can -simultaneously record two different programs at the same time, because there -are two encoder chips on the PCI card. Hauppuage has also installed an -onboard splitter, so you can use one COAX to feed both tuners. Current -versions of the PVR-500 should come with an adapter to allow you to connect -a second S-Video or composite input, but this will take up a second PCI -slot. Early adopters may need to purchase this item separately. - -<sect1>Changing channels on an external Set Top Box -<p>If you need to use an external Set Top Box (STB), such as for satellite -TV or for digital cable you will need some way for MythTV to tell the STB to -switch to a new channel. There are several methods: -<enum> -<item>Use an IR blaster. An IR blaster is an infrared transmitter connected -to your computer. When MythTV needs to change channels it will send IR -pulses, thereby emulating a remote control. -<item>Use a direct serial connection. Some STB's have a serial port on the -back, although it may not look like a serial port. It may look like a phone -jack, or a strange VGA connector. It may be labeled "Low Speed Data". A -direct serial connection is more reliable than an IR blaster. Not all STB's -that have a Low Speed Data port have it enabled; you may need to convince -your service provider to turn it on. Stating that you have a Tivo may help; -the Tivo has a direct-connect capability. -<item>Use a firewire connection. There is a <tt>6200ch.c</tt> in the MythTV -contrib directory which may work for you. -</enum> -<sect1>Configuring one machine to flag all commercials -<p>Commercial flagging can be CPU intensive. By default, the backend that -created a recording is the one which will flag commercials. You may wish to -use a different machine to run commercial flagging. - -On the slower machine: - -Start the mythtv-setup program. Advance through the pages until you get to -the Job Queue page. Turn off the setting that says "Allow Commercial -Detection jobs", thereby preventing any commercial flagging jobs from -running on this machine. - -Next, make sure that "Run Jobs only on original recording host" is turned -OFF so that new jobs are allowed to run anywhere. - -Restart <bf>mythbackend</bf> since it only reads this setting when it starts -up. - -On the faster machine: - -Start the <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> program. Advance through the pages until -you get to the Job Queue page. Ensure that "Allow Commercial Detection -jobs" is turned ON for this machine. - -Run <bf>mythjobqueue</bf>. <bf>mythjobqueue</bf> will examine the JobQueue -and run any jobs it finds. <bf>mythjobqueue</bf> should be left running so -that it will pick up any new commercial flagging jobs that are added to the -queue, otherwise new jobs will be added to the queue and your programs won't -be flagged until you run manually run <bf>mythjobqueue</bf>. - -Using this technique it's possible to add commercial flagging machines as -needed, even on systems that aren't running a backend. It's also possible -to run the commercial flagger in a virtual machine environment such as -VMWare. - -<sect>Example Configurations. -<sect1>Logical Volume Manager (LVM) <label id="LVM"> -<!-- Contributed by Martin Smith martin at spamcop.net --> -<!-- XXXXX REMOVE ME FOR 0.22 --> -<p>LVM greatly increases the flexibility you have in managing your storage -than traditional physical partitions. This section will provide some brief -notes on how to use LVM to create storage space for your video files and how -to add additional disk space in the future. There's lots more that can be -done with LVM, so check the LVM HOWTO <url -url="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/" -name="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/"> document for details. - -<p><figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -<bf>NOTE</bf>: If you are running MythTV 0.21 and you are using LVM to -create one large filesystem to store your recordings, it's no longer -recommended that you go the LVM route. The preferred solution is to use <ref -id="storagegroups" name="Storage Groups">. They're more flexible and less -likely to lose all of your recordings if you have a drive failure. -</caption> -</figure> - -If you don't understand how to partition a drive, or how to change the -partition type you should stop and look at documentation on how to perform -these steps. - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption> -<bf>BIG FAT WARNING</bf>: Using an incorrect parameter can make your files -inaccessible, prevent your computer from booting, etc. Be careful! -</caption> -</figure> - -Make sure your kernel configuration includes LVM support or that it's -available as a module. Today, most vendors include this by default. You'll -also want to ensure that you have a copy of the LVM utilities; check your -distribution, or get the latest versions from <url -url="http://www.sistina.com/products_lvm.htm" -name="http://www.sistina.com/products_lvm.htm"> and build them manually. - -Check that the <bf>vgscan</bf> program is being run at some point during -your boot sequence - most distributions do this by default. Look for a -message during boot up that looks like this: <tt>vgscan -- reading all -physical volumes (this may take a while...)</tt> If you don't see any -messages during boot, you may need to install a LVM init script or confirm -that you have all of the LVM packages installed from your distribution. - -LVM uses a few concepts you should be familiar with before starting. -<itemize> -<item>PV (Physical Volume). The actual partition on the hard drive. -<item>VG (Volume Group). The aggregation of all the PVs make a VG. -<item>LV (Logical Volume). Subdivision of the pool of space available in -the VG into individual chunks, like /usr, /var/video, etc. -</itemize> - -The following example assumes that you want to create a LVM partition from a -chunk of space in /dev/hda5, using a reiserfs filesystem and mounted on -/var/video. You later decide to extend this filesystem by adding a new disk: -/dev/hdb. - -You need to create at least one LVM partition for a physical volume. Use -<bf>fdisk</bf> or your favorite partition editor to set the type to LVM -(0x8e). If you're using an entire disk, create one big partition rather than -using the device itself. e.g. use /dev/hdb1 not /dev/hdb. - -In the following example, you have a 15GB disk. The first 6GB are set as -your boot partition. <tt>/dev/hda2</tt> was added as an extended partition, -and within that partition you created the <tt>/dev/hda5</tt> linux (ext2) -partition. - -<tscreen><verb> -# fdisk /dev/hda - -The number of cylinders for this disk is set to 1823. -There is nothing wrong with that, but this is larger than 1024, -and could in certain setups cause problems with: -1) software that runs at boot time (e.g., old versions of LILO) -2) booting and partitioning software from other OSs - (e.g., DOS FDISK, OS/2 FDISK) - -Command (m for help): p - -Disk /dev/hda: 15.0 GB, 15000330240 bytes -255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1823 cylinders -Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes - - Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System -/dev/hda1 * 1 764 6136798+ 83 Linux -/dev/hda2 765 1823 8506417+ 5 Extended -/dev/hda5 765 1823 8506417 83 Linux - -Command (m for help): t -Partition number (1-6): 5 -Hex code (type L to list codes): 8e - -Command (m for help): p - -Disk /dev/hda: 15.0 GB, 15000330240 bytes -255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1823 cylinders -Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes - - Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System -/dev/hda1 * 1 764 6136798+ 83 Linux -/dev/hda2 765 1823 8506417+ 5 Extended -/dev/hda5 765 1823 8506417 8e Linux LVM - -Command (m for help): w - -# -</verb></tscreen> - -Create the LVM physical volume from the partitions (repeat if you have -multiple partitions to use): -<tscreen><verb> -# pvcreate /dev/hda5 -</verb></tscreen> -Create a LVM volume group out of this physical volume called "VGforMyth" that is -allocated in chunks that are a multiple of 64MB -<tscreen><verb> -# vgcreate VGforMyth -s 64m /dev/hda5 -</verb></tscreen> -Create a logical volume of 5GB called "video" and then create the reiserfs -filesystem and mount it: -<tscreen><verb> -# lvcreate --name video --size 5G VGforMyth -# mkreiserfs /dev/VGforMyth/video -# mount /dev/VGforMyth/video /var/video -</verb></tscreen> -Now create a 3GB volume for mythmusic files if you like: -<tscreen><verb> -# lvcreate --name music --size 3G VGforMyth -# mkreiserfs /dev/VGforMyth/music -# mount /dev/VGforMyth/music /var/music -</verb></tscreen> -Display the volume group status: -<tt># vgdisplay -v</tt> - -Now, lets suppose you want to add a 60GB hard disk to the system as hdb and -allocate 50GB of it to video storage. - -First, create a single partition /dev/hdb1 covering the whole disk and make -it type 0x8e using your partition editor. - -<tt># fdisk /dev/hdb</tt> -.... create partition, set type, save and reboot if it says you have to - -Create the new LVM physical volume: - -<tt># pvcreate /dev/hdb1</tt> - -Add the new physical volume to the volume group: - -<tt># vgextend VGforMyth /dev/hdb1</tt> - -<figure loc="here"> -<eps file="stop.eps" height="1cm"> -<img src="stop.png"> -<caption><bf>NOTE</bf>: You may get errors at this point stating that there are no -physical volumes available for adding to the LV, even though you know for a -fact that there are. You may need to specify the physical volume in the -<tt>/dev/ide/host/bus/target/lun/etc</tt> format. -</caption> -</figure> -Once you've completed one of the following two procedures, use <bf>df</bf> -to check that you've got more space. - -Make the logical volume used for video bigger: - -<tt># lvextend --size +50G /dev/VGforMyth/video</tt> -<sect2>ReiserFS -<p>Unmount, resize and remount the filesystem. Technically, you don't need to -unmount and remount the ReiserFS. -<tscreen><verb> -# umount /var/video -# resize_reiserfs /dev/VGforMyth/video -# mount /dev/VGforMyth/video /var/video -</verb></tscreen> - -<sect2>ext2 or ext3 -<p>LVM comes with a program called <bf>resize2fs</bf>. - -Unmount, resize and remount the filesystem. The filesystem <em>must</em> be -unmounted during this procedure. -<tscreen><verb> -# umount /var/video -# resize2fs --size +50G /dev/VGforMyth/video -# mount /dev/VGforMyth/video /var/video -</verb></tscreen> -<sect2>xfs -<p>XFS does not need to be unmounted to extend the size: -<tscreen><verb> -# xfs_growfs /var/video -</verb></tscreen> -<sect1>Advanced Partition Formatting <label -id="advancedpartitionformatting"> -<p>The partitions that your distribution sets up for you may not be -optimized for large files. Using LVM in conjunction with the following -techniques can be quite useful. - -Unlike a typical filesystem, a MythTV video partition is usually a very -large filesystem filled with a fairly small number of large files. -Filesystem I/O is usually not an issue, even in multi-tuner and/or -multi-frontend setups. - -There is however, one aspect of filesystem performance that can have a -bearing on the performance of MythTV. In Linux, deleting a file will -utilize I/O bandwidth until the deletion has been completed. If deleting -the file takes long enough, the video capture buffer may overrun, thereby -resulting in dropped frames. Some filesystems are faster at deleting files -than others and, for multi-gigabyte MythTV video files, these differences -can be significant. - -Fortunately, there are published tests (<url -url="http://aurora.zemris.fer.hr/filesystems/big.html" -name="http://aurora.zemris.fer.hr/filesystems/big.html">) that provide -insight into filesystem performance under conditions relevant to MythTV -usage. In addition, some limited testing (archived at <url -url="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/52672" -name="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/52672">) -with very large files (10 gigabytes) was reported in the MythTV Users -mailing list. - -<sect2>Ext2 -<p>Ext2 was the defacto standard Linux filesystem for many years. It is -stable, provides good I/O performance and can quickly delete large files. -The primary disadvantage of Ext2 is that it is not a journaling filesystem, -so a file system consistency check (fsck, which is normally only performed -after a system crash) can take many hours on a filesystem the size of a -typical MythTV partition. - -<sect2>Ext3 -<p>Ext3 is Ext2 with a journal, so your biggest gain is that in case of a -crash and reboot you won't have to wait very long for your partition to be -remounted. - -There are options available when formatting an Ext3 partition, as in: -<tscreen><verb> -# mkfs.ext3 -T largefile4 /dev/hdb1 -</verb></tscreen> - -This example assumes that <tt>/dev/hdb1</tt> has already been created using -<bf>fdisk</bf>. If you're using LVM, <tt>/dev/hdb1</tt> may be something like -<tt>/dev/VGforMyth/video</tt>. - -The "-T largefile4" option creates one inode per 4 megabytes, which can -provide a few percent more storage space. However, tests indicate that -using the "-T largefile4" option can drastically increase the amount of time -required to delete a large file and thus it should only be used with encoder -settings that produce small video files (YMMV). - -You can check on your filesystem using the <bf>dumpe2fs</bf> program. See -the man page for details. -<sect2>ReiserFS -<p>The Reiser filesystem is another journaling filesystem commonly -distributed with Linux. It is known to be an extremely efficient filesystem -and it especially excels at managing partitions containing a large number of -small files. However, tests indicate it is not the fastest at deleting very -large files. For that reason, it may not be the best choice when using -encoder bitrates that produce very large files. - -<sect2>JFS -<p>JFS (Journaling File System) is a journaling filesystem originally -developed by IBM for AIX which was later released as open source. While not -as common as Ext3 or ReiserFS, it is distributed with RedHat 9 (RH9), Fedora -Core and Mandriva as well as other distros. According to tests, JFS is the -file deletion speed king, deleting virtually any file in under one second, -even files as large as 10 gigabytes. - -<sect2>XFS -<p>XFS is a journaling file system originally developed by SGI for Irix, and -later released as open source. While not a part of the default RedHat Linux -9 or Fedora Core installation (although it is a part of Mandriva and Fedora -Core 2+), it can be easily installed via ATrpms. XFS provides deletion -speeds for large files only slightly slower than JFS. According to the test -results shown at (<url -url="http://aurora.zemris.fer.hr/filesystems/big.html" -name="http://aurora.zemris.fer.hr/filesystems/big.html">), XFS provide -higher I/O rates than JFS, albeit at a higher CPU loading. This may cause -issues if you do not have the spare CPU capacity to handle XFS, potentially -leading to dropped frames. - -<label id="migratingtoSD"> -<!-- Mostly from a post by Bruce Markey --> -<sect1>Migrating from DataDirect Labs to Schedules Direct - -<p>MythTV v0.20.2 or later is required to natively support Schedules Direct. -Code has been included to make the transition as simple as possible. - -<bf>You do not need to delete your existing video sources or add new ones!</bf> - -The following steps should work for most users: -<itemize> -<item>Create a Schedules Direct account and use the same information as your -existing lineups at Zap2It Labs. Do not add or delete channels at this -time. -<item>Shut down any running <bf>mythfrontend</bf> and <bf>mythbackend</bf> programs. -<item>Perform a backup of your existing database. See <ref id="backupdb" -name="Saving or restoring the database"> for instructions. -<item>Run <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> -> Video Sources. Change the grabber to -Schedules Direct, update the username and password fields with the account -information you created at Schedules Direct and select "Retrieve Lineups". -Click Finish. -<item>Exit <bf>mythtv-setup</bf> and run <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf>. Check -if there were any errors. -<item>Restart your <bf>mythbackend</bf> and <bf>mythfrontend</bf> programs. -</itemize> - -<sect1>Caching support for Schedules Direct -<p>MythTV 0.20.2 or later supports caching of downloaded information from -Schedules Direct, so devices that share a common source do not require -multiple downloads. - -Before beginning, perform a backup of your existing database. See <ref -id="backupdb" name="Saving or restoring the database"> for instructions. - -In the following scenario, assume that you have the following: -<enum> -<item>A PVR-150 MPEG-2 encoder card connected directly to a CATV source. -<item>A PVR-250 MPEG-2 encoder card connected via S-Video to a CATV Set Top Box. -</enum> - -What we are going to do is to create a single lineup at Schedules Direct and -then create two Video Sources which use the same login information but have -different channels associated with them. - -On your Schedules Direct account, create a lineup that has all of the -channels that you can receive. Because we have a Set Top Box (STB), choose -a Digital lineup. Yes, this means that you may have 900 channels in this -lineup, but that's OK. - -Use the Schedules Direct channel editor and unselect any channels that you -can't tune without the STB. This will usually be channels higher than 125, -but check your CATV provider lineup if you're not sure. Once you've -deselected them (using a click on the first channel you can't receive and -then a shift-click on the last channel you can't receive will deselect all -the channels in between those two.) click the Save Changes button at the -bottom of the screen. - -In <bf>mythtv-setup</bf>, create a Video Source with an appropriate name. -"SD-Analog Only" will be used in this example. Click "Retrieve Lineups" -and select the digital lineup you just created at Schedules Direct. - -Click "Finish" to return to the Video sources selector and then press the -ESC key to go back to the main screen. - -Now choose Input Connections. Select the PVR-150 which is connected -directly to the CATV. Set the Video Source to "SD-Analog Only" and click -"Fetch channels from listings source". - -Set the start channel to an appropriate value. - -<bf>NOTE</bf>: There is a bug where the "Fetch" command may not work; you -can tell that the Fetch did not retrieve any channels in one of two ways: in -the text-mode console, you will see a connection to Schedules Direct, but it -doesn't appear to retrieve any channel information: -<tscreen><verb> -2007-08-25 15:03:05.526 New DB DataDirect connection -2007-08-25 15:03:05.526 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: localhost -2007-08-25 15:03:05.536 DataDirect: Your subscription expires on 11/23/2007 01:12:10 PM -2007-08-25 15:03:05.707 New DB connection, total: 3 -2007-08-25 15:03:05.707 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: localhost -2007-08-25 15:03:05.708 sourceid 2 has lineup type: CableDigital -2007-08-25 15:03:06.623 Data fetching complete. -2007-08-25 15:03:06.624 DataDirect: Deleting temporary files -</verb></tscreen> - -or, the "Please add channels to this source" message in the "Starting -channel" field stays on the screen. - -If either of these happens, save the information on this screen by clicking -the "Finish" button. Exit back to the Input connections screen by pressing -ESC, then select this Input Connection again. This time the Fetch will work -and the "Please add channels to this source" message will disappear. - -If you look at the text-mode console, you'll see this if the channel -retrieval is working: -<tscreen><verb> -2007-08-25 15:04:32.437 New DB DataDirect connection -2007-08-25 15:04:32.437 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: localhost -2007-08-25 15:04:32.447 DataDirect: Your subscription expires on 11/23/2007 01:12:10 PM -2007-08-25 15:04:32.622 New DB connection, total: 3 -2007-08-25 15:04:32.622 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: localhost -2007-08-25 15:04:32.623 sourceid 2 has lineup type: CableDigital -2007-08-25 15:04:33.418 DataDirect: Adding channel 41 'AMC' (AMC). -2007-08-25 15:04:33.422 DataDirect: Adding channel 32 'A & E Network' (AETV). -2007-08-25 15:04:33.425 DataDirect: Adding channel 66 'Black Entertainment Television' (BET). -2007-08-25 15:04:33.427 DataDirect: Adding channel 180 'Bravo' (BRAVO). -2007-08-25 15:04:33.430 DataDirect: Adding channel 51 'ABC Family' (FAM). -2007-08-25 15:04:33.432 DataDirect: Adding channel 146 'Country Music Television' (CMTV). -2007-08-25 15:04:33.435 DataDirect: Adding channel 39 'CNBC' (CNBC). -2007-08-25 15:04:33.437 DataDirect: Adding channel 36 'Cable News Network' (CNN). -2007-08-25 15:04:33.440 DataDirect: Adding channel 35 'CNN Headline News' (CNNH). -</verb></tscreen> - -Repeat the Input Connection configuration for any other capture devices that -are connected directly to the CATV system. You do not need to click Fetch -once you've done one successful download of the channel information - the -Starting channel should be automatically populated. - -Go back to Schedules Direct and re-enable the channels that you had -previously deselected, then click Save Changes. - -Create a new Video Source, here called "SD-All Digital Channels". Perform -the same "Retrieve Listings" you did before. - -Go back to the Input Connections screen, select the PVR-250 which is -connected to the STB, assign the "SD-All Digital Channels" video source and -perform a retrieve channels. This will pull down the complete channel -listing, but only for <em>this</em> device. - -When <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> runs, it will cache the "big" download which -is appropriate for the STB, and then copy the information to the channels -that can only be accessed without the STB. But by default -<bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> is going to notice that the "Analog only" video -source is missing the channels that are in the Digital lineup you created at -Schedules Direct, so we need to override the addition of new channels. - -When you run <bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> to populate your database, you'll -need to run it like this: - -<tscreen><verb> -$ mythfilldatabase --remove-new-channels -</verb></tscreen> - -You will also need to modify how the <bf>mythbackend</bf> calls -<bf>mythfilldatabase</bf> when it performs its automatic listings update. - -In <bf>mythfrontend</bf>, select "Setup" -> "General". - -Continue press ENTER until you reach the Mythfilldatabase configuration -screen. In the "mythfilldatabase Arguments" field, type ---remove-new-channels - -then press the TAB key until you reach Finish, then press ENTER to save. -You can then press ESC until you return to the main screen. -</article> -<!-- Revision History - -v0.21.00, 2008-03-10. Initial version for 0.21. Update link to ATSC -devices. Add note that ivtv driver is in kernel. Add note that xbox -mini-distribution site appears dead. Update information on HVR-1600. -Update minimum MySQL version. -v0.21.01, 2008-06-03. Add mythbuntu. -v0.21.02, 2008-06-04. Update minimyth link. ---> - -<!-- -To create documentation, run "make" in the docs/ subdirectory ---> - -<!-- Basic Style Guide for the HOWTO. - -Paths are specified with <tt> - -Program names are specified with <bf> - -Use full close tags, such as </tt> rather than the "/>" shortcut. - -For a URL link, the url= and name= should be the same. This ensures that -users who are reading the text version of the document will see what the URL -is. - -For "Notes", the format is <bf>NOTE</bf>: text here. - -label id's must be contained on one line. If they break across the right -margin the wrapped text will be considered as text and not a destination. - -Don't make a section "a" if there's no section "b". Same for numbers; no -number 1 if there's no number 2, etc. - -Itemized and enumerated items should be full sentences, and should end with -a period. - -All major sections end with a period; subsections don't. - -Dates must be in ISO8601 format YYYY-MM-DD. - ---> |