Practicality of MythTV

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dochawk
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Practicality of MythTV

Post by dochawk »

It seems there should be a pinned thread covering for whom MythTV is actually practical, and for whom it is not.

Peering into the future, I'd suggest that if there many pages, a new user would probably want to jump to the end, and work into the past.

Anyway, what I'm *not* finding as I blunder around the web is discussion of for whom MythTV is practical.

I've had an eye on it, and have checked from time to time, ever since the initial announcement almost two decades ago.

I currently have a TiVo romio plus and cable, with the internet just switched to Tmobile 5g.

At this point, reviewing what we actually watch, it's almost entirely network broadcast, her cooking shows, her gun smoke and other old westerns, and one or two miniseries a year on history channel or similar.

If I drop cable, I can probably cover the rest with streaming substitutes for less than half, in addition to having that parasite out of my house.

I suppose I'd want it to be able to broadcast to another couple of in house boxes or iPads, too.

But how *practical* is it for the family to use it as the DVR? In particularly, for technically inhibited folks?

Can it be a simple box on the shelf where, in the family room, they simply tap input on the remote and then click on things like a TiVo? Or are they going to have to call me to ask what arcane messages mean?

personally, I cold handle it from the command line (and would probably take a perverse joy in doing so), but the first time they have to figure out a reboot to see the rest of their program, or have a program that ends halfway through, I'd have a revolt on my hands.

I really want to just build (or possibly buy) something that can sit on the shelf for ten years before I worry about explaining another box to them.

Or, is the regular operation of the thing still hobbyist territory?
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heyted
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Re: Practicality of MythTV

Post by heyted »

It seems there should be a pinned thread covering for whom MythTV is actually practical, and for whom it is not.
MythTV is practical for users of all levels around the world. While I would not give a PC with MythTV installed on it as a gift to someone that is not at all technically inclined, I would for a household with at least one person that can set it up and is willing to address issues if they occur. The best way to determine if it is a good choice is to try it. :)
But how *practical* is it for the family to use it as the DVR? In particularly, for technically inhibited folks?
My wife is not the type to tackle a computer issue herself, but she uses MythTV regularly. The latest Ubuntu LTS version is a good choice for the OS if the PC has decent performance, and installing MythTV using the applicable Mythbuntu PPA will make sure the latest software updates are applied. Installing MythTV from the source code on an OS that is not commonly used by MythTV users can be more challenging.
Can it be a simple box on the shelf where, in the family room, they simply tap input on the remote and then click on things like a TiVo? Or are they going to have to call me to ask what arcane messages mean?
My wife changes the input, and she uses a TiVo remote to control the frontend box. A TiVo remote is a good choice with MythTV, especially if they are already used to it. The UI is fairly intuitive.
Ted | My blog
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