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diff --git a/abs/core/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO-23.html b/abs/core/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO-23.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8b7439e --- /dev/null +++ b/abs/core/local-website/htdocs/mythtv-doc/mythtv-HOWTO-23.html @@ -0,0 +1,1193 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN"> +<HTML> +<HEAD> + <META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="LinuxDoc-Tools 0.9.21"> + <TITLE>Installing and using MythTV: Miscellaneous. </TITLE> + <LINK HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-24.html" REL=next> + <LINK HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-22.html" REL=previous> + <LINK HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23" REL=contents> +</HEAD> +<BODY> +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-24.html">Next</A> +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-22.html">Previous</A> +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23">Contents</A> +<HR> +<H2><A NAME="s23">23.</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23">Miscellaneous. </A></H2> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.1">23.1</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.1">I'd like to watch the files without using MythTV / I'd like to convert the files to some other format</A> +</H2> + +<P>First, check if the <B>mytharchive</B> plugin does what you want. If not, then +read on:</P> +<P>MythTV comes with a utility called <B>mythtranscode</B> 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 +<B>nuvexport</B> ( +<A HREF="http://forevermore.net/myth/">http://forevermore.net/myth/</A>) are better suited for the end user. +However, since <B>mythtranscode</B> can be a useful tool, directions on +using it follow.</P> +<P><B>mythtranscode</B> 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. <B>mythtranscode</B> provides the +relevant information on STDOUT.</P> +<P>There are two modes in which <B>mythtranscode</B> 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 +<B>mencoder</B> or <B>ffmpeg</B>. 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.</P> + +<H3>mythtranscode example</H3> + +<P>First, start <B>mythtranscode</B>. You will need to determine the +channel and the start time manually. +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mythtranscode --chanid 1036 --starttime 2003-10-20T15:30:00 --profile \ +autodetect --fifodir . & +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>When <B>mythtranscode</B> 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.</P> +<P>The next step is to start the processing application. The following assumes +that the stream is NTSC 640x480 with 32Kbps audio.</P> +<P>To use <B>mencoder</B> you would enter a command like: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +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 +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P> +<FIGURE> +<EPS FILE="stop.eps"> +<IMG SRC="stop.png"> +<CAPTION><B>NOTE</B>: You must use mencoder 1.0PRE1 or later. <B>mencoder</B> +version 0.9x <EM>WILL NOT WORK!</EM></CAPTION> +</FIGURE> + +Using ffmepg: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +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 +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>Or to play directly using mplayer (again 1.0PRE1 or later is needed): +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +mplayer -audiofile audout -audio-demuxer 20 -rawaudio rate=32000 \ +-rawvideo on:w=640:h=480:fps=29.97 vidout +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>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): +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mythtranscode --chanid 1036 --starttime 2003-10-20T15:30:00 \ +--profile autodetect --fifodir . --fifosync & +$ cat audout > audio.raw & +$ cat vidout > video.yuv +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.2">23.2</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.2">Using a different window manager</A> +</H2> + +<P>MythTV is not dependent on any particular window manager. If you wish to +run a lightweight window manager, the <CODE>contrib/configfiles/</CODE> directory has an +example of a <CODE>.twmrc</CODE> and <CODE>.fvwmrc</CODE> file you may use.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="capture_resolution_"></A> <A NAME="ss23.3">23.3</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.3">What capture resolution should I use? How does video work? </A> +</H2> + +<P>While MythTV allows you to set various GUI and capture resolutions, not +all combinations make sense.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>In PAL, there are 625 "raw" lines of resolution, with a net of 576 +horizontal lines stacked vertically.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>From "best" to "worst", in NTSC: +<UL> +<LI>720x480 "DVD" resolution. ReplayTV High and medium resolution</LI> +<LI>704x480 DVD standalone recorder standard resolution</LI> +<LI>640x480 4:3</LI> +<LI>544x480 TiVo Best resolution</LI> +<LI>480x480 SuperVCD (SVCD) Video CD resolution, TiVo High resolution</LI> +<LI>352x480 ReplayTV "Standard" quality, TiVo Basic and Medium resolution, DVD "LP" resolution</LI> +<LI>320x480 </LI> +<LI>544x240</LI> +<LI>480x240 </LI> +<LI>352x240 Video CD (VCD) resolution</LI> +<LI>320x240</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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 <CODE>top</CODE> or +<CODE>sar</CODE> 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.</P> +<P>If you'd like to read more on this, go to the vcdhelp website at +<A HREF="http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/userguides/94382.php">http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/userguides/94382.php</A>.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.4">23.4</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.4">MythTV GUI and X Display Sizes</A> +</H2> + +<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.</P> + +<H3>X Dimensions</H3> + +<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.</P> +<P>Edit your X configuration file, usually <CODE>/etc/X11/XF86Config-4</CODE> for +XFree, or <CODE>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</CODE> 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.</P> + +<H3>MythTV Dimensions</H3> + +<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.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P> +<FIGURE> +<EPS FILE="stop.eps"> +<IMG SRC="stop.png"> +<CAPTION><B>NOTE</B>: 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 +<CODE>/usr/local/share/mythtv/</CODE> . Make sure to use fonts large enough +to be read on a TV screen from a distance.</P> +<P>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 +<A HREF="#capture_resolution_">capture resolutions</A> used. However, during playback, the "W" key can +to used to correct differences between 16:9 and 4:3.</P> + +<H3>Overscan Dimensions</H3> + +<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.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="backupdb"></A> <A NAME="ss23.5">23.5</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.5">Saving or restoring the database </A> +</H2> + +<P>See the <B>mysqldump</B> manpage for more information. +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mysqldump -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -c > mythtv_backup.sql +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>To restore: (assuming that you've dropped the database) +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mysql -u root +mysql>create database mythconverg; +mysql>exit +$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg < mythtv_backup.sql +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>You may need to alter the MySQL permissions if this database is being shared +with multiple systems. See the +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-6.html#modify_perm_mysql">Modifying access to the MySQL database for multiple systems</A> section for more +information.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.6">23.6</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.6">Deleting the MySQL database</A> +</H2> + +<P> +<FIGURE> +<EPS FILE="stop.eps"> +<IMG SRC="stop.png"> +<CAPTION><B>NOTE</B>: 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> + +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mysql -u root +mysql> drop database mythconverg; +mysql> quit +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.7">23.7</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.7">Moving your data to new hardware</A> +</H2> + +<P>This assumes that you will be moving your data to newer / bigger hardware +and don't want to lose your programs.</P> +<P>The first step is to create a database backup as demonstrated in an earlier +section.</P> +<P>Next, you will extract only the data that is relevant to the programs: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ 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 +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P><B>NOTE</B>: Newer versions of <B>mysqldump</B> 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 <B>bash</B> shell may try +to interpret the backticks, make sure you use a \ before each one.</P> +<P>If your <CODE>restore.sql</CODE> file is empty, you'll need to re-run the +commands like this: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ 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 +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>Note the space after the table name and the ">>" to append to the file for +all but the first <B>grep</B>. "recordedmarkup" and "recordedseek" are +huge and there may be hundreds of thousands of lines if you had lots of +hours of recordings.</P> +<P>After you have moved the data files to the new hardware, configure MythTV +using the <B>mythtv-setup</B> program as you normally would with a +standard MythTV installation.</P> +<P>At this point we will restore the information about your programs back into +the database: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg < restore.sql +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>After successful insertion of the data you may delete the +<CODE>restore.sql</CODE> file.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="btaudio"></A> <A NAME="ss23.8">23.8</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.8">btaudio </A> +</H2> + +<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.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>As of 2003-03-31, this is the current list of cards and their status: +Works with btaudio:</P> +<P> +<UL> +<LI>Hauppauge WinTV-radio with dbx-TV stereo, model 401</LI> +<LI>Hauppauge WinTV-Theater, model 495, 498 (Europe)</LI> +<LI>ATI TV Wonder</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>The following cards do not work: +<UL> +<LI>Pinnacle Studio PCTV Pro - note: this has a MSP34xx, but it's not +wired correctly to the BT878 chip.</LI> +<LI>ATI TV Wonder VE</LI> +<LI>Leadtek Winfast 2000 XP (PAL, UK and NTSC)</LI> +<LI>I/O Magic PC-PVR. No MSP34xx chip.</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>The following cards have been reported to work, but have issues: +<UL> +<LI>Avermedia AVerTV Studio (no digital DSP output, "whiney noise" on +analog)</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>Once btaudio loads, it should register additional <CODE>/dev/dsp</CODE> and +<CODE>/dev/mixer</CODE> devices. Typing <CODE>$ dmesg</CODE> will let you know +what's going on.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.9">23.9</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.9">Removing unwanted channels</A> +</H2> + +<P>If <B>mythfilldatabase</B> 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.</P> +<P>If you are using the DataDirect service, login to your account at +<A HREF="http://labs.zap2it.com/">http://labs.zap2it.com/</A> to +modify your lineup. Uncheck the boxes for any unwanted channels, and they +will no longer be included in your download.</P> +<P>If you are using a grabber from XMLTV, comment out the channel from the +<CODE>~/.mythtv/<sourcename>.xmltv</CODE> file by inserting the word "not +" (including the space) in front of the unwanted entry. This will prevent +<B>xmltv</B> from grabbing future listings.</P> +<P>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 <CODE>chanid</CODE> used by MySQL: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ 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; +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>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: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mysql -u root mythconverg +mysql> delete from program where chanid = 1015; +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.10">23.10</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.10">NFS</A> +</H2> + +<P>You may want to use a central server to store your files. </P> +<P>On the host machine, (in this case, the hostname is "masterbackend") you'll +want to edit your <CODE>/etc/exports</CODE> file and use something like: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +/var/video (rw) +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>To export the <CODE>/var/video</CODE> directory with read / write privileges.</P> +<P>On the "slave" machine, you'll want to edit the <CODE>/etc/fstab</CODE> file and +add something like: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +masterbackend:/var/video /var/video nfs rsize=8192,wsize=8192,hard,intr,nfsvers=3,actimeo=0 +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>Then run <CODE># mount -a</CODE> to re-read the file to mount the file system.</P> +<P>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 +<A HREF="http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Optimizing_Performance">http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Optimizing_Performance</A> for +additional information regarding performance optimization.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.11">23.11</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.11">Automatically starting mythfrontend at system boot time</A> +</H2> + +<P>Here's an example submitted to the mythtv-dev list by Pat Pflaum +<A HREF="mailto:pat@netburp.com">mailto:pat@netburp.com</A> using fvwm: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ cat > .xinitrc +fvwm & +mythfrontend +^D +$ cat > .fvwmrc +Style myth* NoTitle, NoHandles, Sticky, WindowListSkip, SloppyFocus, GrabFocus, BorderWidth 0 +^D +$ +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>The following also works with blackbox: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ cat > .xinitrc +xset -dpms s off & +irxevent & +mythfrontend & +blackbox +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>Make sure that your <CODE>.blackboxrc</CODE> file has: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +session.screen0.focusNewWindows: True +session.screen0.focusModel: SloppyFocus +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> + in it.</P> +<P> +<A NAME="mythbackend_autostart"></A> </P> +<H2><A NAME="ss23.12">23.12</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.12">Automatically starting mythbackend at system boot time</A> +</H2> + +<H3>Red Hat And Mandriva</H3> + +<P>Here's a method for automatically starting mythbackend submitted by Mike +Thomson ( +<A HREF="mailto:linux@m-thomson.net">mailto:linux@m-thomson.net</A>) and Stu Tomlinson ( +<A HREF="mailto:stu@nosnilmot.com">mailto:stu@nosnilmot.com</A>).</P> +<P>Copy the files from the MythTV <CODE>contrib</CODE> directory or from Mike's web +site ( +<A HREF="http://m-thomson.net/mythtv/">http://m-thomson.net/mythtv/</A>) as follows:</P> +<P><CODE>etc.rc.d.init.mythbackend</CODE> should be made executable and copied to +<CODE>/etc/rc.d/init.d/</CODE>: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ 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 +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P><CODE>etc.sysconfig.mythbackend</CODE> should be copied to +<CODE>/etc/sysconfig/</CODE>: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ cd contrib +$ su +# cp etc.sysconfig.mythbackend /etc/sysconfig/mythbackend +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>Edit <CODE>/etc/sysconfig/mythbackend</CODE> 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).</P> +<P>Use <B>chkconfig</B> to make sure the script is called when +entering runlevels 3, 4 or 5: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ su +# chkconfig --level 345 mythbackend on +# exit +$ +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P> +<A NAME="logrotate"></A> </P> +<H3>Log files </H3> + +<P>By default, the log file for mythbackend will be written to +<CODE>/var/tmp/mythbackend.log</CODE>. This has been tested and is known to work +on Mandriva and Red Hat, but many people prefer to place logs under +<CODE>/var/log/</CODE>.</P> +<P>To do this, create a group called <CODE>mythtv</CODE> (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.</P> +<P>Create the directory <CODE>/var/log/mythtv</CODE> and set its +permissions as follows: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ 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/ +$ +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>Create a <CODE>mythtv</CODE> file in <CODE>/etc/logrotate.d</CODE>: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ 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 +# +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> + +<H3>Mandriva </H3> + +<P>Mandriva adds one more twist in the form of the <CODE>msec</CODE> utility, +which runs regularly and (at the default or any higher security level) sets +permissions on many files, including those under <CODE>/var/log</CODE>.</P> +<P>To tell msec about the MythTV log files and their directory, you need to +edit the <CODE>/etc/security/msec/perm.local</CODE> file to include the +following: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +# /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 +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>A copy of the above has been included in the contrib/ directory. You may +add it by typing: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ cd contrib +$ su +# cat etc.security.msec.perm.local >> /etc/security/msec/perm.local +# exit +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>Finally run the <CODE>msec</CODE> tool to check and implement your +changes. +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ su +# msec +# exit +$ +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P> +<FIGURE> +<EPS FILE="stop.eps"> +<IMG SRC="stop.png"> +<CAPTION><B>NOTE</B>: 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 +<CODE>msec</CODE> to add missing permissions to the files or directories you +created.</CAPTION> +</FIGURE> +</P> +<H3>Gentoo</H3> + +<P>The portage file for MythTV has scripts that will allow you to run +mythbackend at startup.</P> +<P>To run mythbackend as a daemon which starts at boot time: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +# rc-update add mythbackend default +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> + +To stop mythbackend as a daemon: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +# /etc/init.d/mythbackend stop +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>To obtain a list of options: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +# /etc/init.d/mythbackend +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> + +<H2><A NAME="advanced_backend_config"></A> <A NAME="ss23.13">23.13</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.13">Advanced Backend Configurations </A> +</H2> + +<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.</P> +<P>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. +<OL> +<LI>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.</LI> +<LI>Configure the first capture card on the master backend. This will get +cardid #2 in the database. Exit mythtv-setup.</LI> +<LI>Configure the first capture card on the second slave. This will be +cardid #3 in the database. Exit mythtv-setup.</LI> +<LI>Configure the second capture card on the master backend. This will +get cardid #4 in the database. Exit mythtv-setup.</LI> +</OL> +</P> +<P>Using this scheme, the master backend will not use both capture cards until +one of the following happens: +<UL> +<LI>There are four recordings scheduled for the same time</LI> +<LI>Both slaves are unavailable</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.14">23.14</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.14">Using the transcoder</A> +</H2> + +<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.</P> +<P>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 <CODE>.avi</CODE> format. You may have difficulty +playing <CODE>.nuv</CODE> files in non-MythTV systems.</P> + +<P>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 <B>mythtv-setup</B> option which causes <B>mythbackend</B> +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:</P> +<P> +<UL> +<LI>Automatically transcode the file once it has completed +recording.</LI> +<LI>Manually choosing to transcode a recording, usually after +importing a cutlist or manually marking commercials to be +removed.</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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: +<OL> +<LI>Configure recording profile for your capture source and enable +transcoding on one or more profiles.</LI> +<LI>Configure one or more transcoding profiles.</LI> +<LI>Create or alter existing scheduled recordings to enable +transcoding for that recording.</LI> +</OL> +</P> + +<H3>Configuring Recording Profiles to Allow Transcoding</H3> + +<P>Enter the Utilities/Setup > Setup > TV Settings > Recording Profiles +section in <B>mythfrontend</B>. 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. </P> + +<H3>Configure Transcoding Profiles</H3> + +<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.</P> +<P>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.)</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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 <B>ffmpeg</B> project +at +<A HREF="http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/ffmpeg-doc.html">http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/ffmpeg-doc.html</A>. It's a matter of +trial and error to discover which settings achieve a good compromise between +size and quality.</P> +<P>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. </P> + +<H3>Create/Alter Scheduled Recordings to Enable Transcoding</H3> + +<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.)</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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.</P> + +<H3>Manual Transcoding</H3> + +<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.</P> +<P>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:</P> +<P> +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +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> +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>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 <CODE>mythtranscode --help</CODE> for usage information.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.15">23.15</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.15">Changing your hostname</A> +</H2> + +<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".</P> +<P> +<FIGURE> +<EPS FILE="stop.eps"> +<IMG SRC="stop.png"> +<CAPTION><B>NOTE</B>: Changing the hostname using direct SQL update commands will +break things. You <EM>MUST</EM> use this indirect method.</CAPTION> +</FIGURE> + </P> +<P>1. Stop all backends. If you run <B>mythbackend</B> from a terminal +session, press control-c. If your backends are started with an init +script, you would do something like the following: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ su +# /etc/init.d/mythbackend stop +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>2. Change the hostname.</P> +<P>For Red Hat and derived distributions, edit the +<CODE>/etc/sysconfig/network</CODE> file. Look for +<CODE>HOSTNAME=frontend1</CODE> and change this to +<CODE>HOSTNAME=kidsroom</CODE> or whatever you'll be using. For other +distributions, refer to the documentation, such as the +<PRE> +hostname(1) +</PRE> + man page.</P> + +<P>To alter the +hostname in the current session, run: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +# hostname kidsroom +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>3. Dump the database. +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mysqldump -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -c > mythtv_backup.sql +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>4. Rename the host in the database. First, ensure that the new hostname +you'll be using isn't already in the database. +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ grep kidsroom mythtv_backup.sql +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> + +Now we're actually going to change the name. The following should all be +typed on the same line: +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ cat mythtv_backup.sql | sed s/\'frontend1\'/\'kidsroom\'/g >> mythtv_restore.sql +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> + +If you don't feel comfortable using <B>sed</B>, you can open the +<CODE>mythtv_backup.sql</CODE> file in a text editor and perform a global search +and replace. When saving the file, make sure you use the new name, +<CODE>mythtv_restore.sql</CODE> or the rest of the steps below will fail.</P> +<P>5. Drop and recreate the database. +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mysql -u root +mysql>drop database mythconverg; +mysql>create database mythconverg; +mysql>exit +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>6. Restore the database using your edited version. +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +$ mysql -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg < mythtv_restore.sql +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>If you are running slave backends or frontends, don't forget to re-enable +access as detailed in +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-6.html#modify_perm_mysql">Modifying access to the MySQL database for multiple systems</A>. </P> +<P>7. Start the backends. If you use init scripts, do the following, otherwise +start them from terminal consoles. +<BLOCKQUOTE><CODE> +<PRE> +# /etc/init.d/mythbackend start +</PRE> +</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE> +</P> +<P>8. Quit and restart all frontends. Delete the <CODE>mythtv_backup.sql</CODE> +and <CODE>mythtv_restore.sql</CODE> files.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.16">23.16</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.16">Can I run MythTV on my TiVo?</A> +</H2> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.17">23.17</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.17">Can I run MythTV on my ReplayTV?</A> +</H2> + +<P>No.</P> +<P>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>.</P> +<P>The ReplayTV runs VxWorks, a Real Time Operating System from Wind River +Systems.</P> +<H2><A NAME="ss23.18">23.18</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.18">Can a wireless connection be used between the frontend and the backend?</A> +</H2> + +<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.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.19">23.19</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.19">How can I burn shows that I have recorded to a DVD?</A> +</H2> + +<P>Use the mytharchive plugin.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.20">23.20</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.20">Using the DBoxII within MythTV</A> +</H2> + +<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 +<A HREF="http://www.tuxbox.org">http://www.tuxbox.org</A>. Additionally, you need to enable the SPTS +mode in Neutrino.</P> +<P> +<UL> +<LI>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.</LI> +<LI>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.</LI> +<LI>Connect the DBoxII to the newly defined input source in "input connections".</LI> +<LI>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.</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>You may leave the Setup now and proceed as usual.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.21">23.21</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.21">What do the icons on the Watch Recordings screen mean?</A> +</H2> + +<P>Press "1" or F1 to get a popup.</P> +<H2><A NAME="ss23.22">23.22</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.22">What do the letters mean when I change channels?</A> +</H2> + +<P>These letters let you know what's going on with the backend as it tries +to tune to a channel.</P> +<P>Lower case = seen</P> +<P>Upper Case = seen & good +<UL> +<LI>l/L = Lock : This could be seen by PVR-250/BTTV users</LI> +<LI>a/A = PAT : Any recording transmitted in MPEG </LI> +<LI>m/M = PMT : Any recording transmitted in MPEG </LI> +<LI>g/G = MGT : ATSC only</LI> +<LI>v/V = VCT : ATSC only</LI> +<LI>n/N = NIT : DVB only</LI> +<LI>s/S = SDT : DVB only</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<H2><A NAME="ss23.23">23.23</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.23">What is the difference between the various Hauppauge PVR models?</A> +</H2> + +<P>This is covered in the hardware section, and extensively covered on the +Hauppauge website. ( +<A HREF="http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/compare_pvr.html">http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/compare_pvr.html</A>) Please check the +Hauppauge website for the most accurate information.</P> +<P>A PVR-150 comes in a number of versions: +<UL> +<LI>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.</LI> +<LI>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.</LI> +<LI>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.</LI> +<LI>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.</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>A PVR-250 (Model 980) is a retail kit which comes with an IR receiver and a +remote control.</P> +<P>The PVR-250 MCE (Model 975) contains a FM radio tuner. The PVR-250 MCE does +not contain a IR receiver or a remote.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>Note that for the PVR-350 there are some +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-3.html#PVR-350">considerations</A> +regarding the way audio is handled.</P> +<P>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.</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss23.24">23.24</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.24">Changing channels on an external Set Top Box</A> +</H2> + +<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: +<OL> +<LI>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.</LI> +<LI>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.</LI> +<LI>Use a firewire connection. There is a <CODE>6200ch.c</CODE> in the MythTV +contrib directory which may work for you.</LI> +</OL> +</P> +<H2><A NAME="ss23.25">23.25</A> <A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23.25">Configuring one machine to flag all commercials</A> +</H2> + +<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.</P> +<P>On the slower machine:</P> +<P>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.</P> +<P>Next, make sure that "Run Jobs only on original recording host" is turned +OFF so that new jobs are allowed to run anywhere.</P> +<P>Restart <B>mythbackend</B> since it only reads this setting when it starts +up.</P> +<P>On the faster machine:</P> +<P>Start the <B>mythtv-setup</B> 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.</P> +<P>Run <B>mythjobqueue</B>. <B>mythjobqueue</B> will examine the JobQueue +and run any jobs it finds. <B>mythjobqueue</B> 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 <B>mythjobqueue</B>.</P> +<P>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.</P> + +<HR> +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-24.html">Next</A> +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO-22.html">Previous</A> +<A HREF="mythtv-HOWTO.html#toc23">Contents</A> +</BODY> +</HTML> |