The

Pamphlet

of

KnoppMyth

R5 Edition















Cecil H. Watson


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 3

Introduction 3

What is Linux? 3

What is Knoppix? 3

What is a PVR? 3

What is MythTV? 4

What is KnoppMyth? 4

Hardware 5

Introduction 5

MythTV's Architecture 5

TV Tuner 5

Recommendation 5

KnoppMyth Reference Platform 7

KnoppMyth 9

Installation 9

Frontend 10

Auto Install 11

Auto Upgrade 11

Manual Install 12

Manual Upgrade 12

Configuration 13

Additional Software 15

FAQs 15

Where to find help 15

Appendix A:Hardware Recommendations 15

Tier 1 systems 15

Appendix B:Multiple System Entertainment Configuration 19

LinHES 19

Appendix C:Supported Capture Cards 20

Analog V4L capture card 20

BTTV based tuners 20

MJPEG capture card 26

MPEG-2 encoder card 26

DVB DTV capture card 27

pcHDTV DTV capture card 31

FireWire cable box 31

USB MPEG-4 encoder box 31

DBox2 TCP/IP cable box 31

Acknowledgments



Many thanks to my parents Hugh and Cornelia Watson Sr. for getting us our first computer. Special thanks to R. Dale Thomas who provided the first mirror for KnoppMyth. Shortly after meeting Dale, he joined me in developing KnoppMyth. Without his help, KnoppMyth wouldn't be what it is today. Of course KnoppMyth wouldn't be KnoppMyth without Knoppix and MythTV. Klaus, Isaac thank you very much. Many thanks to Xsecrets, tjc, Liv2Cod, Human and all members of the forum. My thanks to the entire Open Source community. When the source is open, the possibilities are endless.



Introduction



What is Linux?

Linux is a kernel. The kernel is the heart of an operating system. Combined with utilities and programs, the kernel is packaged in what is called a distribution. A Linux distribution can perform the same functions as other more famous operating systems you may have heard of. Linux is used in everything from embedded devices to super computers.

What is Knoppix?

Knoppix is a distribution that runs “live” from the CD. This means, you don't have to install it to the hard drive to try Linux. Knoppix can be used as a rescue disk and more!

What is a PVR?

A personal video recorder or PVR is a device that records television programs. A PVR is sometimes referred to as a digital video recorder or DVR. A PVR stores the programs on a hard drive in a digital format. Using a PVR, you can do things like pause live TV and more.

What is MythTV?

MythTV is an open source PVR project. In addition to the traditional PVR functions, it has the following modules :



What is KnoppMyth?

KnoppMyth is a Linux distribution that was originally a remaster of Knoppix. Knoppix can be changed to remove or include what you desire. This process is called remastering. With the release of KnoppMyth R5, KnoppMyth is no longer remastered but built from scratch using Debian GNU/Linux and the wonderful programs from Knoppix. KnoppMyth is geared at setting up a PVR in a quick and easy manner. Given hardware that is supported by Linux, you can setup your own PVR that not only equals but surpasses many commercial offerings.



KnoppMyth includes MythTV and all its official plugins. In addition, KnoppMyth includes Apache, NFS, Samba, and various other daemons. Everything one needs to easily setup a power home entertainment system is included. In addition to the official plugins, KnoppMyth includes:



Hardware

Introduction

The most integral step in creating stable PVR is choosing the right hardware. Before purchasing hardware or using existing hardware, you should have an idea of how you intend to set up your home entertainment system.

MythTV's Architecture: MythTV has a frontend/backend architecture, which means frontend (user interface) is separate from the backend. This means you can have multiple systems communicating with one another to form a powerful yet easy-to-use home entertainment system.


TV Tuner: In order to watch TV on a computer, you need a TV tuner. Tuners can placed in three categories:

  1. “Software” tuners: The central processing unit is used to encoded the stream.

  2. “Hardware” tuners: The tuner has capability of encoding the stream. This method uses less of your CPU, so a powerful system isn't required.

  3. “Digital” tuners: Digital tuners are ATSC/HDTV or DVB tuner that basically just write the digital broadcast data stream to your hard drive.


Recommendation



I wouldn't recommended getting the latest greatest fastest processor and video card. While video processing is CPU intensive, getting the latest and greatest is a waste of money. You may also find that the latest hardware may not work with Linux right away. We live in a world where numbers matters, so manufacturers will offer their products to the OS with the greatest market share. Unfortunately, this mean Linux user may have to wait months for support. This however isn't a big issue as you'll find even a 4 year old system can be used as a capable PVR. Before you purchase anything, you'll have to ensure that it is Linux compatible.



If you are going to use your set-top box like a traditional VCR, that is record a program at a set time and watch it at a later time, a system built around a AMD Duron 700 and a software tuner would be my recommended starting point. At a minimum, I'd recommend hard drive no smaller than 40 gigabytes. This system needs no more than 256 megabytes of RAM.



If you intend to record two programs at once or watch one while recording then, I'd recommend a system built around and AMD Athlon 1800+ with one software tuner and one hardware tuner. At a minimum, I'd recommend hard drive no smaller than 80 gigabytes. This system needs no more than 256 megabytes of RAM.



If you intend to watch HDTV, then a system build around an Athlon XP 2800+ and an video card based on the nVidia Geforce 5200 would be my recommendation. With the Geforce 5200, you can enable X Video Motion Compensation which reduces CPU overhead. I recommend no less than 512 megabytes of RAM.



These recommendation are based on my personal experience. If you search the KnoppMyth forum, you'll find that some folks are using a Pentium II 250 w/ a Hauppauge 350 with great success. I'd recommend no more than a gigabyte of RAM in your PVR. You can also find recommendations in the appendix.

The forum is a great place to research your hardware before purchasing. The hardware section is divided into three sections:

Tier One:If you've installed KnoppMyth and things just worked without having edit anything.

Tier Two:If you've installed KnoppMyth and had edit any file to get things working. Please explain what you did to get things working.

Tier Three:Hardware to avoid, couldn't get it working no matter what you did. Please provide steps taken(someone may have the same problem and got it to work).





KnoppMyth Reference Platform



The KnoppMyth Reference Platform or KRP, is a certified system configuration meeting certain criteria for environmental performance, speed, stability, and support of MythTV functions. Some criteria are objective and some are subjective, but all criteria are selected to ensure a smooth MythTV experience. As newer releases of KnoppMyth are created, special effort will be taken to ensure that there are no regressions to any KRP-certified hardware. In addition, any user of a KRP-certified system will have a streamlined installation and upgrade experience when using KnoppMyth.



Many in the MythTV and KnoppMyth communities have expressed an interest in knowing what hardware “just works” with MythTV. KnoppMyth does a great job making the software more accessible by its automated installation process, but until now, no major efforts have been made to make the hardware half of the MythTV experience easier.



KRP eliminates the guesswork involved in choosing hardware for a new MythTV system. Even for Linux gurus, selecting the right hardware that works well with MythTV and has the right environmental characteristics can be daunting. Sometimes taking several costly iterations and time-consuming mods and tweaks before getting everything just right. The task can be almost insurmountable for computer novices who recognize what MythTV has to offer, but lack the experience required to put it all together. With KRP, a new user has their own installation option on the KnoppMyth install disc. They can be assured that the developers will attempt to maintain compatibility with their hardware choice on future releases.



KRP acts as a stamp of quality on a set of hardware. If a system is KRP-certified, it means it will work consistently with a given version of KnoppMyth. Certification is redone for new versions of KnoppMyth, which enables you to make better decisions about when to upgrade.



KRP enables KnoppMyth developers to focus on making sure that new releases of KnoppMyth work with KRP hardware. As it currently stands, the team tests on the hardware they have available to them, usually their personal systems, and there is a reliance on alpha and beta testing from the community. The KnoppMyth team will have one of each KRP system at their disposal against which to test KnoppMyth compatibility.

KRP enables authorized vendors to sell pre-assembled KRP systems and unassembled kits, for MythTV enthusiasts who want a quick and easy hardware solution.

What does KRP not do for me?



KRP does not eliminate any underlying flaws in Linux or MythTV. For example:

Commercial flagging in MythTV has improved greatly over the years, and it's now near-perfect when HDTV is involved, but there are still certain transitions in and out of commercials that fool it. Merely using a KRP system will not make this issue go away.

Linux does not support every make and model of digital camera. Using a KRP system will not enable you to communicate with an unsupported digital camera to transfer your images to MythGallery.

If I don't have a KRP system, will I still be able to use KnoppMyth?



Absolutely! If you don't have a KRP system, you will not be abandoned by any means. However, just as it is today, the most common hardware gets the best coverage and community support. For example, the most common capture cards are the PVR-250, PVR-350, HD-3000, and Air2PC. If you own an uncommon capture card, you may experience regressions between KnoppMyth releases and/or have a hard time finding answers to your questions on support fora. By extension, if your system consists entirely of uncommon hardware components, your chances of running into problems increase greatly.

Turning this around, imagine if you had a system built entirely of common components. The support would be much better.



Can I design my own KRP system?



We are working on the logistics of this. As you can imagine, there are hundreds if not thousands of hardware configurations that could achieve certification. If each of them were formally certified, the KnoppMyth developers would spend more time doing regression testing and less time making improvements. Even something as simple as the addition of a new HDD to an existing KRP would require re-testing the KRP because of potential heat and noise issues. Please contact me if you're interested in having you sytem certified.

Where can I buy a KRP system?



KRP systems can be bought from the MythTV Store at Mythic.TV. The first available KRP system is Dragon.

Dragon is a combination front- and back-end system. Will there be KRP systems that are just one or the other?



Yes, there will be KRP systems that are just front-end boxes, and some that are just back-end boxes.





KnoppMyth



Installation

It is recommended that your hard drive be set to master on the primary IDE channel. Your C/DVD-ROM drive should be on the secondary IDE channel.

In your BIOS, set the system to boot from CD.

At the splashscreen press:

for no TV out:

<ENTER>

with TV out:

tv<ENTER>

This will set your video adapter to a resolution of 800x600.

Note: You'll still need to edit /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 to change the refresh rate or you CAN destroy your TV.

Once the CD boots, you see 6 options.

Frontend

Auto Install

Auto Upgrade

Manual Install

Reboot

Quit

I'll now go into detail describing what the first four of these do, the last two are self explanitory.



Frontend

This allows you to use the CD as a frontend if you have a MythTV backend setup. You can select this option by pressing <ENTER>. After providing the requested information, the CD will boot X and start mythfrontend.

Note: The backend and frontend must be the same version. This is a MythTV restriction not a KnoppMyth restriction. Using the CD as a frontend is dependant upon the backend being configured with MySQL listening on the network.

If you are running KnoppMyth as your backend server, Then on the backend:

Edit /etc/mysql/my.cnf, comment out 'skip-networking'. The backend will only accept the mythtv user with a password of mythtv.

Before:

skip-networking

After

# skip-networking

Restart MySQL(as root)

# /etc/init.d/mysql restart

Reconfigure MythTV (as the mythtv user)

$ mythtv-setup

On screen 1 change 127.0.0.1(both instances) to the actual IP of the backend server.

<ESC> out of the myth-setup.

End of backend section.



Auto Install



This will automatically perform a complete installation of KnoppMyth. Just provide the requested information in the various dialogs and sit back! Don't create a user called "mythtv", this user has already been created with a password of "mythtv". Auto install will only work on /dev/hda. That is an IDE/PATA drive on primary master. After the system reboots it will start X and KnoppMyth will open an Xterm and ask for the root password. See configuration.



Auto Upgrade



**NOTE** You must have performed a backup for Auto Upgrade to work.

This will automatically upgrade KnoppMyth from an earlier version (R3 or R4) on hda. If KnoppMyth isn't installed on hda, then just a manual install. Just provide the requested information in the various dialogs and sit back! Don't create a user called "mythtv", this user has already been created with a password of "mythtv". You should use the same hostname as well. After the system reboots it will start X and KnoppMyth will open an Xterm and ask for the root password. See post configuration

Manual Install

Manual install is recommended only for advanced users. Currently if you have an SATA drive, you must use Manual Install. You will see two options 1. Partition and 2. Quit, on a new drive or a drive with an invalid partition table. If you see six options, KnoppMyth recognizes the partition table. Either way, you must partition the drive. Select partition and create 3 partitions using cfdisk. The first will be /, the second swap, the third /cache and fourth /myth. I recommend 5 gigs for /, swap should be 1.5 times memory. Use the rest of the drive for /myth. Ensure /dev/xda1 is bootable, write the partition table and quit cfdisk. Once the partitions have been created, press <CTRL><ALT><F2>. mkswap /dev/xda2 && swapon /dev/xda2. Format /dev/xda3 with the desired filesystem type. Once complete <CTRL><ALT><F1> and return to the installation.

Note: During the making of partitions, you can choose any fstype you wish.

# mke2fs -j -O sparse_super -m0 -i8000000 -L myth -M /myth /dev/hda3

(I highly recommend a journalling fs for /dev/hda3).

You should now see six option. Choose 4. Load config. You should now see /KNOPPIX/knoppmyth. Press <ENTER>. If you have an SATA drive, change this to /KNOPPIX/knoppmyth-sata and press <ENTER>. Next, choose 1. Configure Installation. Provided the requested information. Don't create a user called "mythtv", this user has already been created with a password of "mythtv". Once back to the main menu, select 2. Start installation. Verify the information and sit back. Once complete, reboot the system. After the system reboots it will start X and KnoppMyth will open an Xterm and ask for the root password. See configuration.

Manual Upgrade



**NOTE** You must have performed a backup for the upgrade to work.

Perform the same steps as a Manual Install, however don't format the additional paritions.

When X starts, enter the wrong password. Press <ALT><X> and type:


rm -fr .configure

touch .upgrade

exit


Right click on the desktop and select 'Restart'.

Enter your root password and follow the steps.


Configuration3



After installation and the system reboots4, the XFree86 implementation of the X Window System5 will start automatically via the GNOME Display Manager. The user mythtv will automatically be logged into the Fluxbox window manager. An xterm will automatically open and ask for the root password. Input the password you created during the installation process, press <ENTER> and follow the steps.



In order to start and stop your recordings on time, you should ensure you have the correct time. The first step in configuration is to setup your timezone and date/time. Once this is correct, ensure OK is highlighted and press <ENTER>. KnoppMyth include NTP server which should keep your time synced.



The next step is setting up networking, in most cases this will be eth0. Simply press <ENTER> and follow the dialog. If you have an Hauppauge PVR 350, it will be detected at this point. If you wish to use this card's TV out, then answer 'Yes'. While the 350 does have a TV out, it isn't a dedicated video card.



After this, KnoppMyth will continue to setup the system for you. KnoppMyth will automatically start mythtv-setup so that you may configure MythTV.



When the setup is started, simply select your language and press <ENTER>. After this, you should see:

  1. General

  1. Capture cards

  1. Video sources

  1. Input connections

  1. Channel Editor



I'll take the assumption that you are setting up a single back/frontend combination. Take a look at LinHES in the appendix for details on setting up multiple backends. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, arrow down to 2. Capture cards and press <ENTER>. Press <ENTER> on (New capture cards). In Card type6: Select the type for are you have, the options are:

Depending on your card type, you'll need to select the appropriate 'Video device' and 'Default input'.



Press <ESC> and select 3. Video sources and select (New video source). In “Video source name:', give the source a name such as 'cable' or 'OTA'. Next, scroll thru the list of XMLTV grabbers and select the grabber for your region of the world.



If you are using Data Direct, be sure you enter the 'User ID' and 'Password' you defined at labs.zap2it.com. The 'Perform EIT Scan' is used if you want grab your data list over the air8. Move to 'Finish' and press <ENTER>. If you have multiple tuners, such as a DVB and a MPEG-2, you mostly like have multiple video sources. You need to ensure you set both up. If not, press <ESC>.



At this point, you should be back at the main mythtv-setup menu. Press <ESC> to exit. You should see “If this is the master....”, simply press <ENTER>.



At this point, KnoppMyth will grab one day's worth of listing. This is done to speed up the installation process. Normally, if you went on to configure mythtv-setup using 4. Input connections, mythtv would want to grab a full 13 days of listings. After this, mythtv-setup will be ran again.



Navigate to '4. Input connections', select the cacrd you previously defined. You can enter an optional 'Display Name' such as PVR-250 for a Hauppauge PVR-250. You much bind the input to a 'Video source'. You'll notice that the 'Starting channel' has changed. If you have an “IR-Blaster”, you'll most likely need a program to change the channels. This goes in 'External channel change command'. 'Preset tuner to channel' is for an external tuner.



If you want to change the 'Starting channel', you can scroll thru the list the that mythfilldatabase downloaded. If you have an ATSC or DVB tuner, you should 'Scan for channels'. I'd suggest a 'Channel Separator' other than 'None'. I'd also suggest “Rename to Match” for 'Existing Channel Treatment'. Move to 'Next>' and press <ENTER>. Once the scan is complete, select 'Finish'. This will that you back to the 'source to input' screen. Select your 'Starting channel' and 'Finish'. Press <ESC>, <ESC> and <ESC> again and you are done.



At this point, KnoppMyth will run mythfilldatabase again to grab the next 12 days of listings. Based on your location, KnoppMyth will automatically setup MythWeather. If you are in North America, the next step is to download icons. Simply follow the prompts.



Bootsplash will display and image when the system is booting up and shutting down. If you wish to use it, answer 'Yes'. The next step in the setup is to select your remote. Just select it from the list. If your remote isn't listed, your should refer to http://www.lirc.org for information on setting it up. Once you've set it up, you should provide details on the forum so that it may be incorporated into future releases.



The next stage in the process is to select the device you are controlling if you have an “IR Blaster”. Simply follow the prompts. Software Suspend will write the state of the system into your swap partition. If you hibernate, when you power the system back up it will resume exactly where it left off. The system will also come up much faster. At this point, work still needs to be done on the configuration files to make this seem less.



If you intend on playing games, I'd suggest loading RomDB. Simply follow the prompts. At this point, you can enter a password for access MythWeb. If you wish to disable this later, as root run:

ToggleWebSecurity.sh -mythweb



The rest of the installation is automated. ALSA will be setup, MythStreamTV will be installed as well as MythBurn. KnoppMyth will then start mythfrontend. This completes the configuration of the system. You should now be able to watch TV.













Additional Software





FAQs



Where to find help

http://mysettopbox.tv/phpBB2/index.php

http://knoppmythwiki.org

http://mythtv.org/modules.php?name=MythInfo

http://gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/

http://gossamer-threads.com/lists/ivtv/

http://lirc.org





Appendix A:Hardware Recommendations

Tier 1 systems



Thanks to the folks on the forum who provided their system information.



Video type: SDTV
Type of system: combined front- and back-end
Noise level: I can barely hear it from 5 feet away
CASE: Antec SLK1650B
PSU: Antec 350W SmartPower ATX12V (bundled with case)
MOTHERBOARD: Epox EP-9NDA3+ Nforce3 939
CPU: Athlon 64 3200+ Venice core
RAM: Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2/512
CPU HEATSINK: Zalman 7000B-AlCu
NORTHBRIDGE HEATSINK: supplied with motherboard
CD/DVD-RW: NEC ND-3520A DVD
HDD: 2 Seagate ST3250823A (using LVM)
GRAPHICS CARD: Rosewill 128MB AGP FX5200, using S-Video out
SOUNDCARD: motherboard, builtin Realtek ALC-65x AC97 v2.3
TUNER CARD: Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-250 model 980, PVR-150 Model 1045
REMOTE CONTROL: Hauppauge grey, Solidtek ACK-571wireless keyboard



Video type: HDTV & SDTV
Type of system: combined front- and back-end
Noise level: I can barely hear it from 5 feet away
CASE: Antec Sonata II
PSU: Antec 380
MOTHERBOARD: Abit NF7-S
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2500+
RAM: 1GB
CPU HEATSINK: Artic Cooling
NORTHBRIDGE HEATSINK: Aluminum aftermarket
CD/DVD-RW: NEC DVD_RW ND-3500AG
HDD: 1x80GB IDE, 1x120GB IDE, 1x250GB IDE, 3x250GB SATA
GRAPHICS CARD: nVidia GeForce 5500FX
SOUNDCARD: nforce 2 built-in
TUNER CARD: 2xPVR-250, 1xDVICO Fusion Lite, Firewire
REMOTE CONTROL: Wireless Keyboard + Harmony Universal




Video type: SDTV
Type of system: combined front- and back-end
Noise level: I can tell it's on until I play some media
CASE: : Compaq Presario SR1010Z
PSU: Seasonic 330W S12 (dropped noise significantly)
MOTHERBOARD: OEM Compaq SIS760/964 chipset
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+
RAM: 512MB DDR400
CPU HEATSINK: OEM Compaq
NORTHBRIDGE HEATSINK: OEM Compaq
CD/DVD-RW: Unknown DVD-R
HDD: Western Digital Caviar S16 SATA 400GB and a Western Digital Cavier RE2 SATA 400GB and a Hitachi Deskstar 180GXP PATA 120GB
GRAPHICS CARD: Geforce 440MX w/ TV out (OEM Nvidia from a Gateway)
SOUNDCARD: Soundblast Live Audigy
TUNER CARD: PVR250
REMOTE CONTROL: MS MCE2 (1/2 works)



Video type: SDTV (UK DVB-T)
Type of system: combined front- and back-end
Noise level: I can tell it's on until I play some media
CASE: Coolermaster (forget which one...)
PSU: Ebuyer 300w
MOTHERBOARD: a7n8x-vm
CPU: Sempron 2800
RAM: 512mb Crucial DDR400
CPU HEATSINK: Thermalright si-97
NORTHBRIDGE HEATSINK: default
CD/DVD-RW: NEC 3550 DVD-RW
HDD: 2 x Maxtor 250Gb Diamondmax 10
GRAPHICS CARD: onboard
SOUNDCARD: onboard
TUNER CARD: 2 x Hauppauge Nova-T
REMOTE CONTROL: Silver Hauppauge



Video type: SDTV
Type of system: combined front- and back-end
Noise level: I can tell it's on until I play some media
CASE: Silverstone LC10
PSU: Thermaltake PS-W0062
MOTHERBOARD: MSI K8N NEO4-F
CPU: Athlon 64 3500+
RAM: 1GB Corsair (VS1GBKIT400)
CPU HEATSINK: Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU
NORTHBRIDGE HEATSINK: Zalman CA-ZMNB32J
CD/DVD-RW: NEC ND-3550A
HDD: Seagate ST3400632A
GRAPHICS CARD: MSI GeForce NX6200TC-TD64ES
SOUNDCARD: Onboard
TUNER CARD: 1x PVR-500, 1x PVR-250
REMOTE CONTROL: ATI Remote Wonder



Video type: SDTV (PAL)
Type of system: combined front- and back-end
Noise level: I can tell it's on until I play some media
CASE: Sereniti 2000
PSU: Generic. Came with case.
MOTHERBOARD: EPIA MII 12000
CPU: 1.2 GHz Nehemiah
RAM: 512MB
CPU HEATSINK: Stock, 40mm fan
NORTHBRIDGE HEATSINK: Stock, passive
CD/DVD-RW: MSI 16x DVD ROM
HDD: 1 x WD 12000JB, 1 x Hitachi Deskstar 7K250
GRAPHICS CARD: On-board
SOUNDCARD: On-board
TUNER CARD: Hauppauge WinTV 250
REMOTE CONTROL: Hauppauge A415-HPG "Dog Bone"



Video type: SDTV (S-Video to an old RCA TV)
Type of system: front-end
Noise level: I can tell it's on until I play some media
CASE: Sony DSS Case (gutted)
PSU: Enhance 90W Micro ATX
MOTHERBOARD: VIA EPIA-M10000
CPU: VIA C3 1 GHz
RAM: 256 MB (266 MHz DDR)
CPU HEATSINK: Stock fan
NORTHBRIDGE HEATSINK: Stock, no fan
CD/DVD-RW: External Case via USB w/ CompUSA DVD
HDD: Hitachi 6GB Laptop 5400RPM
GRAPHICS CARD: Onboard (Unicrome Pro)
SOUNDCARD: Onboard (VIA VT1617A)
TUNER CARD: On backend
REMOTE CONTROL: Hauppauge MCE Remote from PVR150 on the backend.



Video type: SDTV
Type of system: combined front- and back-end
Noise level: I can tell it's on until I play some media
(In my living room, can only hear at night when it's completely quiet)
CASE: Generic MicroAtx Case Similar to
http://www.amamax.com/inbtmiatxsld.html
PSU: A+GPB 350W from PCClub
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS A7N266 Micro-ATX Motherboard
CPU: Athlon 2200 processor
RAM: 256K Kingston PC2100 Memory
CPU HEATSINK:
NORTHBRIDGE HEATSINK:
CD/DVD-RW: Lite-On DVD
HDD: Western Digital 180 GB
GRAPHICS CARD: eVGA e-GeForce mx4000
SOUNDCARD: Onboard
TUNER CARD: (2) Haupauge PVR-250
REMOTE CONTROL: Haupauge Grey that came with PVR-250

Appendix B:Multiple System Entertainment Configuration



LinHES



Linux Home Entertainment System or LinHES is what I called my home entertainment system.  LinHES is of course based on KnoppMyth, but the setup I describe can be accomplished with any Linux distro and MythTV.  My setup consists of a master and slave backend.  My master backend is in my bedroom and it is used to store all recorded programs.  My slave backend is in my living room.  It's primary function is to entertainment visitors.  Both backends are hooked up to a TV via, TV out(SVIDEO).  SBE is also hooked to a Kenwood receiver w/ surround(works w/o additional tweaking!). NFS is used to share the files between the systems.

MBE hardware:

Chaintech 7NIF2 w/ Athlon XP 2400+

512 megabytes of RAM

120 gigabyte hard drive

Hauppauge PVR 350

Hauppauge PVR 250

DVD-ROM drive

SBE hardware:

Asus A7N266 w/ Athlon XP 1800+

512 megabytes of RAM

160 gigabyte hard drive

nVidia Geforce 4-440mx w/ TV out

Hauppauge WinTV model 401

AverMedia M179

DVD-ROM drive

2 Logitech Wingman Wireless rumblepad

RadioShack 15-2116 universal remote

Installation:

I performed an auto install on MBE, while SBE was installed manual (I wanted /cache no larger than 5 gigs). Both systems installed w/o issue all hardware was seen and worked w/o additional configuration. MBE was recently changed to R5 Alpha(auto upgrade and not ready for the average user), while SBE is running R4V3. Both are of course running MythTV 0.15.1.

Customization:

MBE:

/etc/hosts:

127.0.0.1 mbe.mysettopbox.tv localhost

192.168.1.91 sbe

Added the following to /etc/fstab:

sbe:/myth /mnt/sbe nfs rsize=8192,wsize=8192,soft,nfsvers=3

/etc/exports:

/myth *(rw)

update-rc.d nfs-kernel-server defaults

Made a directory under /mnt called sbe and symlinked music and video to sbe/music and sbe/video.

mkdir /mnt/sbe

cd /mnt

ln -s sbe/music music(Setup-Music Settings-General Settings, change the directory to hold music to /mnt/music)

ln -s sbe/video video(Setup-Video Settings-General Settings change directory to hold videos to /mnt/video)

Ran mythtv-setup and change both IPs from 127.0.0.1 to my actual IP. Modified /etc/mysql/my.cnf, commented skip-networking and restarted mysql. Finally as the user mythtv:

cd ~/.mythtv

rm -fr MythVideo

ln -s /mnt/sbe/image_cache/MythVideo/ MythVideo

SBE:

/etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 localhost

192.168.1.91 sbe.mysettopbox.tv sbe

192.168.1.92 mbe.mysettopbox.tv mbe

Added the following to /etc/fstab:

mbe:/myth /mnt/mbe nfs rsize=8192,wsize=8192,soft,nfsvers=3

/etc/exports:

/myth *(rw)

update-rc.d nfs-kernel-server defaults

update-rc.d -f mysql remove

update-rc.d -f apache remove

rm -fr /etc/cron.daily/mythtv-backend

Made a directory under /mnt called mbe and symlinked tv to mbe/tv, music is symlinked to /myth/music and video is symlinked to /myth/video.

mkdir /mnt/mbe

cd /mnt

ln -s mbe/tv tv(mythtv-setup 2nd screen, directory to hold recordings, change to /mnt/tv)

Run mythtv-setup and change the first IP to the IP for SBE and the second to MBE's IP. Configure capture cards and bind input to source(configured during MBE setup). Finally as the user mythtv:

cd ~/.mythtv

rm -fr MythVideo

ln -s /myth/image_cache/MythVideo/ MythVideo

vi mysql.txt

DBHostName=mbe

DBUserName=mythtv

DBPassword=mythtv

DBName=mythconverg

LocalHostName=sbe

At this point, one can reboot boot systems or:

MBE:/etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server start

SBE:/etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server start

MBE:mount /mnt/sbe

SBE:mount /mnt/mbe

M/SBE:/etc/init.d/mythtv-backend restart

On the SBE: Setup-TV Settings-Playback-2nd screen, "Action on playback exit", set this to "Save position on exit". This way you can migrate watching a recorded show from one system to the next.



Appendix C:Supported Capture Cards



Analog V4L capture card

BTTV based tuners

0 -> *** UNKNOWN/GENERIC ***

1 -> MIRO PCTV

2 -> Hauppauge (bt848)

3 -> STB, Gateway P/N 6000699 (bt848)

4 -> Intel Create and Share PCI/ Smart Video Recorder III

5 -> Diamond DTV2000

6 -> AVerMedia TVPhone

7 -> MATRIX-Vision MV-Delta

8 -> Lifeview FlyVideo II (Bt848) LR26 / MAXI TV Video PCI2 LR26

9 -> IMS/IXmicro TurboTV

10 -> Hauppauge (bt878) [0070:13eb,0070:3900,

2636:10b4]

11 -> MIRO PCTV pro

12 -> ADS Technologies Channel Surfer TV (bt848)

13 -> AVerMedia TVCapture 98 [1461:0002,1461:0004,

1461:0300]

14 -> Aimslab Video Highway Xtreme (VHX)

15 -> Zoltrix TV-Max [a1a0:a0fc]

16 -> Prolink Pixelview PlayTV (bt878)

17 -> Leadtek WinView 601

18 -> AVEC Intercapture

19 -> Lifeview FlyVideo II EZ /FlyKit LR38 Bt848 (capture only)

20 -> CEI Raffles Card

21 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 98/ Lucky Star Image World ConferenceTV LR50

22 -> Askey CPH050/ Phoebe Tv Master + FM [14ff:3002]

23 -> Modular Technology MM201/MM202/MM205/MM210/MM215 PCTV, bt878 [14c7:0101]

24 -> Askey CPH05X/06X (bt878) [many vendors] [144f:3002,144f:3005,

144f:5000,14ff:3000]

25 -> Terratec TerraTV+ Version 1.0 (Bt848)/ Terra TValue Version 1.0/ Vobis TV

-Boostar

26 -> Hauppauge WinCam newer (bt878)

27 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 98/ MAXI TV Video PCI2 LR50

28 -> Terratec TerraTV+ Version 1.1 (bt878) [153b:1127,1852:1852]

29 -> Imagenation PXC200 [1295:200a]

30 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 98 LR50 [1f7f:1850]

31 -> Formac iProTV, Formac ProTV I (bt848)

32 -> Intel Create and Share PCI/ Smart Video Recorder III

33 -> Terratec TerraTValue Version Bt878 [153b:1117,153b:1118,

153b:1119,153b:111a,153b:1134,153b:5018]

34 -> Leadtek WinFast 2000/ WinFast 2000 XP [107d:6606,107d:6609,

6606:217d,f6ff:fff6]

35 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 98 LR50 / Chronos Video Shuttle II [1851:1850,1851:a050

]

36 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 98FM LR50 / Typhoon TView TV/FM Tuner [1852:1852]

37 -> Prolink PixelView PlayTV pro

38 -> Askey CPH06X TView99 [144f:3000,144f:a005,

a04f:a0fc]

39 -> Pinnacle PCTV Studio/Rave [11bd:0012,bd11:1200,

bd11:ff00,11bd:ff12]

40 -> STB TV PCI FM, Gateway P/N 6000704 (bt878), 3Dfx VoodooTV 100 [10b4:2636,

10b4:2645,121a:3060]

41 -> AVerMedia TVPhone 98 [1461:0001,1461:0003]

42 -> ProVideo PV951 [aa0c:146c]

43 -> Little OnAir TV

44 -> Sigma TVII-FM

45 -> MATRIX-Vision MV-Delta 2

46 -> Zoltrix Genie TV/FM [15b0:4000,15b0:400a,

15b0:400d,15b0:4010,15b0:4016]

47 -> Terratec TV/Radio+ [153b:1123]

48 -> Askey CPH03x/ Dynalink Magic TView

49 -> IODATA GV-BCTV3/PCI [10fc:4020]

50 -> Prolink PV-BT878P+4E / PixelView PlayTV PAK / Lenco MXTV-9578 CP

51 -> Eagle Wireless Capricorn2 (bt878A)

52 -> Pinnacle PCTV Studio Pro

53 -> Typhoon TView RDS + FM Stereo / KNC1 TV Station RDS

54 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 2000 /FlyVideo A2/ Lifetec LT 9415 TV [LR90]

55 -> Askey CPH031/ BESTBUY Easy TV

56 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 98FM LR50 [a051:41a0]

57 -> GrandTec 'Grand Video Capture' (Bt848) [4344:4142]

58 -> Askey CPH060/ Phoebe TV Master Only (No FM)

59 -> Askey CPH03x TV Capturer

60 -> Modular Technology MM100PCTV

61 -> AG Electronics GMV1 [15cb:0101]

62 -> Askey CPH061/ BESTBUY Easy TV (bt878)

63 -> ATI TV-Wonder [1002:0001]

64 -> ATI TV-Wonder VE [1002:0003]

65 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 2000S LR90

66 -> Terratec TValueRadio [153b:1135,153b:ff3b]

67 -> IODATA GV-BCTV4/PCI [10fc:4050]

68 -> 3Dfx VoodooTV FM (Euro), VoodooTV 200 (USA) [121a:3000,10b4:2637]

69 -> Active Imaging AIMMS

70 -> Prolink Pixelview PV-BT878P+ (Rev.4C,8E)

71 -> Lifeview FlyVideo 98EZ (capture only) LR51 [1851:1851]

72 -> Prolink Pixelview PV-BT878P+9B (PlayTV Pro rev.9B FM+NICAM) [1554:4011]

73 -> Sensoray 311 [6000:0311]

74 -> RemoteVision MX (RV605)

75 -> Powercolor MTV878/ MTV878R/ MTV878F

76 -> Canopus WinDVR PCI (COMPAQ Presario 3524JP, 5112JP) [0e11:0079]

77 -> GrandTec Multi Capture Card (Bt878)

78 -> Jetway TV/Capture JW-TV878-FBK, Kworld KW-TV878RF [0a01:17de]

79 -> DSP Design TCVIDEO

80 -> Hauppauge WinTV PVR [0070:4500]

81 -> IODATA GV-BCTV5/PCI [10fc:4070,10fc:d018]

82 -> Osprey 100/150 (878) [0070:ff00]

83 -> Osprey 100/150 (848)

84 -> Osprey 101 (848)

85 -> Osprey 101/151

86 -> Osprey 101/151 w/ svid

87 -> Osprey 200/201/250/251

88 -> Osprey 200/250 [0070:ff01]

89 -> Osprey 210/220

90 -> Osprey 500 [0070:ff02]

91 -> Osprey 540 [0070:ff04]

92 -> Osprey 2000 [0070:ff03]

93 -> IDS Eagle

94 -> Pinnacle PCTV Sat [11bd:001c]

95 -> Formac ProTV II (bt878)

96 -> MachTV

97 -> Euresys Picolo

98 -> ProVideo PV150 [aa00:1460,aa01:1461,

aa02:1462,aa03:1463,aa04:1464,aa05:1465,aa06:1466,aa07:1467]

99 -> AD-TVK503

100 -> Hercules Smart TV Stereo

101 -> Pace TV & Radio Card

102 -> IVC-200 [0000:a155,0001:a155,

0002:a155,0003:a155,0100:a155,0101:a155,0102:a155,0103:a155]

103 -> Grand X-Guard / Trust 814PCI [0304:0102]

104 -> Nebula Electronics DigiTV [0071:0101]

105 -> ProVideo PV143 [aa00:1430,aa00:1431,

aa00:1432,aa00:1433,aa03:1433]

106 -> PHYTEC VD-009-X1 MiniDIN (bt878)

107 -> PHYTEC VD-009-X1 Combi (bt878)

108 -> PHYTEC VD-009 MiniDIN (bt878)

109 -> PHYTEC VD-009 Combi (bt878)

110 -> IVC-100 [ff00:a132]

111 -> IVC-120G [ff00:a182,ff01:a182,

ff02:a182,ff03:a182,ff04:a182,ff05:a182,ff06:a182,ff07:a182,ff08:a182,ff09:a182,

ff0a:a182,ff0b:a182,ff0c:a182,ff0d:a182,ff0e:a182,ff0f:a182]

112 -> pcHDTV HD-2000 TV [7063:2000]

113 -> Twinhan DST + clones [11bd:0026,1822:0001,

270f:fc00]

114 -> Winfast VC100 [107d:6607]

115 -> Teppro TEV-560/InterVision IV-560

116 -> SIMUS GVC1100 [aa6a:82b2]

117 -> NGS NGSTV+

118 -> LMLBT4

119 -> Tekram M205 PRO

120 -> Conceptronic CONTVFMi

121 -> Euresys Picolo Tetra [1805:0105,1805:0106,

1805:0107,1805:0108]

122 -> Spirit TV Tuner

123 -> AVerMedia AVerTV DVB-T 771 [1461:0771]

124 -> AverMedia AverTV DVB-T 761 [1461:0761]

125 -> MATRIX Vision Sigma-SQ

126 -> MATRIX Vision Sigma-SLC

127 -> APAC Viewcomp 878(AMAX)

128 -> DViCO FusionHDTV DVB-T Lite [18ac:db10]

129 -> V-Gear MyVCD

130 -> Super TV Tuner

131 -> Tibet Systems 'Progress DVR' CS16

132 -> Kodicom 4400R (master)

133 -> Kodicom 4400R (slave)

134 -> Adlink RTV24

135 -> DViCO FusionHDTV 5 Lite [18ac:d500]

136 -> Acorp Y878F [9511:1540]

137 -> Conceptronic CTVFMi v2

138 -> Prolink Pixelview PV-BT878P+ (Rev.2E)

139 -> Prolink PixelView PlayTV MPEG2 PV-M4900

140 -> Osprey 440 [0070:ff07]

141 -> Asound Skyeye PCTV

142 -> Sabrent TV-FM (bttv version)

143 -> Hauppauge ImpactVCB (bt878) [0070:13eb]

144 -> MagicTV

MJPEG capture card

Iomega Buz

Linux Media Labs LML33/R10

Matrox G200

Miro DC10

MPEG-2 encoder card

Hauppauge PVR250

Rev1: Models 48xxx, S-Video connector only, comes with composite adapter

Rev2: Models 48xxx, separate S-Video and Composite inputs

Rev3: Models 32xxx, should have Conexant CX23416

Hauppauge PVR250MCE - (non blackbird design)

Hauppauge PVR350 - ((PVR350_9DINPinout|Pin out for 9 pin mini-DIN))

Rev1: Model 980

Rev2: Model 990, works in ivtv-0.2.x or greater

Yuan MPG600/MPG160

Note: Revision 1.1 of this card, known as the MPG-600GR and can be identified by it's purple and not green pcb colour, is not working at this stage due to an unsupported video decoder (SAA7174).

Avermedia M179

Hauppauge Freestyle: This card acts more like a 250, but is actually closer to a 350. It has a decoder chip onboard, in addition to the memory chips that the 350 has. The major difference is that the Freestyle doesn't have the TV out port, nor does it have an IR plug. Instead, these are replaced with a Composite A/V input.

Rev1: Models 48xxx, has no IR port

Rev2: Models 32xxx, has no IR port, should have Conexant CX23416

Adaptec VideOh! DVD Media Center PCI Edition (Model AVC-2410) NOT USB VERSION - some non-standard configuration is required please refer to Card Specific Settings

Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150

Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150MCE

Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150MCE Low-profile

Hauppauge WinTV PVR-500MCE

DVB DTV capture card

- ves1x93 : Alps BSRV2 (ves1893 demodulator) and dbox2 (ves1993)

- cx24110 : Conexant HM1221/HM1811 (cx24110 or cx24106 demod, cx24

108 PLL)

- grundig_29504-491 : Grundig 29504-491 (Philips TDA8083 demodulator), tsa55

22 PLL

- mt312 : Zarlink mt312 or Mitel vp310 demodulator, sl1935 or ts

a5059 PLL

- stv0299 : Alps BSRU6 (tsa5059 PLL), LG TDQB-S00x (tsa5059 PLL),

LG TDQF-S001F (sl1935 PLL), Philips SU1278 (tua6100 PL

L),

Philips SU1278SH (tsa5059 PLL), Samsung TBMU24112IMB

DVB-C:

- ves1820 : various (ves1820 demodulator, sp5659c or spXXXX PLL)

- at76c651 : Atmel AT76c651(B) with DAT7021 PLL

DVB-T:

- alps_tdlb7 : Alps TDLB7 (sp8870 demodulator, sp5659 PLL)

- alps_tdmb7 : Alps TDMB7 (cx22700 demodulator)

- grundig_29504-401 : Grundig 29504-401 (LSI L64781 demodulator), tsa5060 PL

L

- tda1004x : Philips tda10045h (td1344 or tdm1316l PLL)

- nxt6000 : Alps TDME7 (MITEL SP5659 PLL), Alps TDED4 (TI ALP510 P

LL),

Comtech DVBT-6k07 (SP5730 PLL) (NxtWave Communications NXT6000 demodulator)

- sp887x : Microtune 7202D

- dib3000mb : DiBcom 3000-MB demodulator

DVB-S/C/T:

- dst : TwinHan DST Frontend

ATSC:

- nxt200x : Nxtwave NXT2002 & NXT2004

- or51211 : or51211 based (pcHDTV HD2000 card)

- or51132 : or51132 based (pcHDTV HD3000 card)

- bcm3510 : Broadcom BCM3510

- lgdt330x : LG Electronics DT3302 & DT3303





o Cards based on the Phillips saa7146 multimedia PCI bridge chip:

- TI AV7110 based cards (i.e. with hardware MPEG decoder):

- Siemens/Technotrend/Hauppauge PCI DVB card revision 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 2.

1

(aka Hauppauge Nexus)

- "budget" cards (i.e. without hardware MPEG decoder):



pcHDTV DTV capture card

Use the DVB module(s).



FireWire cable box

Any digital cable box provided by your cable company with firewire out.\put.



USB MPEG-4 encoder box

Fully supported

Supported with a fixed resolution

Supported reference boards

DBox2 TCP/IP cable box

TCP/IP cable box

1MythArchive is cuurently only available via SVN. It won't be included in a release of KnoppMyth until 0.20 of MythTV is released.

2KnoppMyth doesn't include software to play or backup encrypted DVDs.

3If you are in North America and you intend on using Direct Data, you must first create an account at http://labs.zap2it.com. Ensure you use ZIYN-DQZO-SBUT as the certificate code.

4If you have an video card with and nVidia based chipset, the drivers will be automatically installed upon first rebooting or when you add once. If you own a video card with an ATi 8500 for above, take a look at /usr/src/ATi.

5It is the X Window System, not X Windows System.

6See Appendix C for a list of supported cards.

7You should not use this, use DVB instead.

8For ATSC and DVB tuners only.