[NCLUG] MythTV Questions

Brian Wood bwood at beww.org
Wed Feb 20 12:06:54 MST 2008


DJ Eshelman wrote:
> Jeez- I need to get a new antenna or something; I'm only ever able to 
> get some fuzzy channel out of Cheynne.
> Anyway, More to the point, it's just not worth the trouble it would 
> take, is the point I'm going for...
> 
> I /can/ with most content, unless it's a PPV thing that only allows 
> transfer over HDMI, go ahead and play it thru the Component video output 
> and record it onto a MediaCenter PC.  Some people even go to the trouble 
> of editing out commercials with that setup, and it's fine; but there's 
> no quick way to record content at 1080i/p tuning directly from 
> DirecTV... yet.  Some insiders tell me that they are working on a 
> universal tuner that you could buy to be able to use your MC PC to 
> manage your television viewing/recording /if/ the channel was allowing 
> that sort of thing, but that's the issue- some channels won't want that 
> capability to exist.  I'm sure the shopping network doesn't really care, 
> but HBO might...
> It seems to me that any system that allowed the users to simply choose 
> would get more subscribers, but Big Business doesn't think that way.
> 
> I'll also mention that the DirecTV HD DVR isn't that bad- it allows you 
> to stream content from a UPnP server, and you can even choose to expand 
> the hard drive via a eSATA connection if you crave more storage space.  
> Unfortunately with the encryption, that drive will only ever work with 
> that one unit, so if your DVR dies, you always loose your recorded 
> content, something I didn't bring up as an obvious gripe I have and why 
> I would /love/ to be able to have the same quality 1080p, Dolby Digital 
> recordings able to stream to whatever device in the house.  Yes, you can 
> call it a 'jail cell' if you want but on the whole, I enjoy and am 
> willing to pay for things like Discovery Channel in HD.  It's a product 
> that's available, and I'm cool with paying for it.  I'm not diluting 
> myself in thinking that just because I like using some 'free' software 
> products, that quality broadcasting is going to be the same way.  I've 
> seen 'free' broadcasting and trust me... it's just not cool.  UHF was a 
> movie, not real life...   You're of course entitled to your opinion on 
> that, and if you're comfortable with the programming that the channels 
> you can get over the air provide, then get on with your bad self.  I'm 
> just saying that I don't care for it, I know there's better out there 
> and I'm willing and able to pay for having that content delivered to 
> me.  I'm not trying to quash a rebellion here, I'm just paying for a 
> service that provides a higher level of quality.

My complaint is that I am paying for programming, not equipment. I 
should be able to do whatever I want with the programming I am paying for.

Looks like this will be a reality soon, for satellite HD as well as 
over-the-air. HD cable can be handled now with firewire capture, but 
only for "non-premium" content. This looks to be changing as well.



> 
> *That brings up another question I had* does Myth or any other 
> open-source system support recording in Dolby Digital or even DTS?  I'm 
> just curious, and very ready to move on with the discussion from the 
> technology end of things.

Dolby is a licensed technology, but the cost is borne by the original 
source, not the end user. See:

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Dolby_Digital_Out_(AC3,_SPDIF)

Myth can basically do anything that is supported by ALSA.

You can certainly pass through digital audio that is dolby encoded, what 
you can't do is take baseband audio and dolby encode it without a 
licensed device.

> 
> I didn't mean to offend anyone, just offering the other side of the coin.

A discussion of available alternatives shouldn't offend anyone.

beww



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