Sounds Good

Did I mention that I fixed my sound issue? It was a setting in two places:

• Myth Front End - pointing to wrong sound device
  
• System sound device in OS
  

I can't remember the exact details, but when I next look, I'll update this post with better information on it.

VFD Update
Well, more of a lack of an update. I still don't have this fully working. I also didn't get my remote fixed up... requires a few patches.

VFD - Day 1

Well, not really a day. I have spent a few hours fumbling around with this though. I followed a mish-mash of instructions from the following sites:

• LCD Proc on MythDora 4
  
• Myth LCD Server
  
• Myth LCD Proc
  
• Imon VFD
  

It 'kinda' works, in the sense that I can send messages to the VFD panel, and they will display (IMON VFD), but Myth cannot connect to the lcd0 device. (Could not connect to LCDd: connection refused.) I get this message one of two ways... if I already have LCDd running, then I can't connect because it is already bound to something (mythlcdserver needs to start LCDd itself), if I kill LCDd, and run mythlcdserver -v all (verbose output), then I get the error above.

The MythTV Imon page also has some good information on my LIRC remote too, especially the part about the remote pad... that should help me along on finishing the remote configuration.

Anyway, time to go and eat... I guess I will finish it later.

Extreme Tech Toys

Not really Myth, but kinda related

Okay, so, in a little bit, I will relate this back to MythTV, but for now, here is what is going on.

I took 3 books out of the library on Wednesday, just out of the sake of interest:

• Extreme Tech: RFID Toys
  
• Extreme Tech: Linux Toys
  
• Extreme Tech: Podcasting
  

Why? (you might ask)... Well, curiosity I suppose.

Book 1: RFID

So, this is interesting stuff, and why NOT incorporate it into everyday life. Here is a snippet of what projects are in that book:

• Front Door Security (RFID enable your deadbolt)
  
• Car Security (RFID enable your car locks)
  
• Pet Door (Only YOUR pets come and go)
  
• Computer Security (put RFID in your keyboard)
  

...and the list goes on. Anyway, I can see an application for the computer, put that in here, and not have to worry about my 85 keystroke password with symbols, mixed case, no words, numbers, etc. Beyond that though... I don't know. I guess I could kinda do the door (back door to the loft), but there isn't enough payback... I'm hoping SOMEBODY can suggest a practical, and useful application... I feel a NEED to put RFID in something (maybe in the guitar, so it plays for me).

Book 2: Linux Toys

Ok, so this is where I can relate back to MythTV... since it is, technically, a Linux Toy. Now that I have (ha, ha) conquered it, what is my next Linux Toy? Here is what the book suggests:

• Entertainment projects (MythTV covers ALL of these)
  
• Home Network (done that)
  
• Digital Receptionist (Vonage takes care of it)
  
• Digital Picture Frame... hmm.
  

Well, maybe the digital picture frame is it... I mean, we have THOUSANDS of pictures of our cat, and we don't get the time to see them all, maybe a rotating picture frame is in the works. I have a few old laptops I could cannibalize (or, am I getting desperate for SOMETHING to do?)

Book 3: Podcasting

If a tree falls in a forest, does a podcast get made of it? Seriously though, what do I have to say, and IF I said it, WHO would want to listen (I could play -poorly- my guitar). This is interesting stuff though... recording and stuff. Anyway, here is what this book has to offer:

• Finding and subscribing to podcasts
  
• Choosing your podcast format
  
• Producing with gear you already own
  
• Recording
  
• Finding a host
  
• Uploading
  

When I REALLY stop to think about it, I think maybe two people (including my wife and I) would listen to anything I created... so, maybe this (however cool), isn't for me... but, I may try it out just for fun.

MAYBE we could podcast the upcoming trial of the now famous Michael Righi.

Back Up and Running... MythTV 0.20.2

Ok, my MythTV is back up and running, to the same state it was prior to the swing over to Schedules Direct from Zap2It labs. Whew, what an ordeal. Here is what I did to get back to where I am now...

More or less, here is the punch list of activities:

• backup old data
  
• reinstall OS
  
• configure OS (wireless, video drivers, etc.)
  
• myth initial setup
  
• mythtv setup (video card, display, etc.)
  
• upgrade to Myth 0.20.2
  
• setup listings, and run mythfilldatabase
  
• ensure video feed works
  
• get channel changing working
  
• test a recording
  

Step 1: Back-up existing System

The first thing I did was backup my existing data. Essentially, this meant archiving everything under the /storage directory to an external disk drive. Next, I performed a backup of the mythconverg MySQL database. The instructions that I used for this came from a post on g-ding.tv (http://g-ding.tv/?q=node/2008), but essentially, this is what I did:

• mysqldump -u mythtv -pmythtv mythconverg -c > mythtv_backup.sql
  
• 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
  

I then moved the restore.sql file off to the external drive as well, along with the perl scripts used to change channels (I had made modifications to them), mine were in /usr/bin... I use directv.pl, but also copied directv3.pl and rca.pl just in case I needed them. I also copied my .bash_history files over from both mythtv and root users... some good nuggets end up in there.

Now that everything that I cared about was moved off the mythbox, I was ready to start it over from scratch...

Step 2: The refresh

While preparing to refresh, I had a debate (with myself) over what OS to use... should I stick with MythDora 4, or should I try running MythTV on Ubuntu? I opted to stick with the MythDora 4 (based on Fedora Core 6).

During the refresh, I opted for the "automatic" setup of the disk. I removed my secondary data drive (500 GB SATA), leaving the other 500GB SATA drive in for the refresh. During setup, I selected the following additional software:

• MythTV Digital Video Recording System
  
• Video Capture Device Drivers
  
• Wireless Networking Support
  

NOTE: I had to use my Acer LCD monitor for the initial install and configuration of the OS, my Plasma is not recognized initially, and will not display until the settings are adjusted.

Step 3: Setup of OS, restore data

There are a few things that I do to setup the OS before I run through the myth setup, but these are based on my circumstances, and may not be required by others. Here is my extra config:

• configure the wireless networking to talk to my wireless router with WEP
  
• install NTFS support for external disk drives (yum install ntfs-3g). I do as su
  
• reboot
  
• add mythtv user to groups: root, wheel (wheel for sudoers)
  
• edit /etc/sudoers, and remove comment in front of line %wheel ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL
  
• restore my .bash_history files
  
• restore MySQL database (again borrowing from previously mentioned link) using the command: mysql -u mythtv -p mythconverg < restore.sql Note: Run this from wherever you have the archived file.
  
• restore all data to /storage directories (recordings, videos, etc.)
  

Step 4: Upgrade to MythTV 0.20.2, configure Backend

This is pretty straight forward, I just did the following:

• yum -y upgrade \*myth\*
  

That brought me to the newest release of MythTV, which has the support for Schedules Direct. I then ran the mythtvsetup, and selected the Schedules Direct feed for my listings. (Of course, you have to register with Schedules Direct first, and pay the $15/3 month fee).

Once the backedn setup was complete (identified capture card, source, etc.), I then ran mythfilldatbase to grab the channels and populate the listings database. This took a while...

The next step was testing. I had some serious issues at this point with the LIRC, so I tested the channel changing scripts from the command line to ensure that they worked... they didn't (directv.pl get_channel should return the current channel, but instead, would retry 4 times, then give "Error excessive retries"). Here is what I knew:

• Nothing in BIOS had changed, and it worked before
  
• Cable was fine, it worked before the wipe and upgrade
  
• Scripts were fine, they were the ones that I archived, but now none of them work
  

So, I spent some time troubleshooting this.

• checked in /dev to ensure that ttyS0 was there
  
• ensured that permissions of ttyS0 were adequate
  
• installed minicom to test com port... testing showed that the port worked fine, so that wasn't the issue
  
• ran: sudo setserial -a /dev/ttyS0 this revealed no problems
  
• downloaded a Windows client to test the cable with (http://www.dtvcontrol.com/), this would validate cable was still working.
  
• AH-HA! when I went to plug the cable into my window laptop serial port, I noticed that the cable had become disconnected at the junction from the serial cable to the null modem... NO WONDER IT WASN'T WORKING.
  

So, now with the cable actually plugged in, I tried the scripts again, and they worked... probably worked all along. I have a D11 set-top box from DirecTV, so I had to go with 9600 BAUD rate. Once I validated the settings, running directv.pl get_channel returned the channel my box was tuned to.

Finally, I ran ivtv-tune -c 3 to ensure I was tuned to the proper channel to receive the video feed. (I also put this into my myth backend setup afterwards so I wouldn't have to do it every boot up).

I verified that I had a video feed, could change channels with the remote, and could schedule recordings. I setup a show to record for a test, and went for lunch. When I came back, it had worked.

Back in business!

Next Up

So, this puts me back where I was before the change to Schedules Direct. I still have the following bugs to work out, and now have more motivation to do so:

• Get VFD working
  
• Finish mapping remote buttons
  
• Fix volume control issue from within Myth (can't control volume)
  
• Expose Myth Web through my firewall
  

That will be a job for next weekend, now I need to relax.

-VG

Slackr

You may have noticed an absence of posts here recently. Mainly, this is because I'm a slackr (slacker - but with the 'new' way of spelling). What should I have been posting here? I should have been posting about the setup of my VFD, or the final programming of my remote, or the fixes to get my wireless settings to stick... but, I didn't. Do you know why? Because I didn't do any of those things, instead, I got the engine running, and decided that a sun-roof, and air-conditioning, and an alarm system weren't that important, I'd do them later (a.k.a. those were all bells and whistles that I would at some point put in).

Well, now I will be posting a bit more. As many of you know (and many of you might not), Zap2It is now gonzo from a scheduling point of view... so, we in the world of Myth are all franticly swinging over to Schedules Direct for our listings (also, it is a pay service, not free as Zap was, but it isn't too costly).

This is the cause of what will be some activity. I attempted to update to the new scheduling system, when a "world of hurt" came raining down on the Vegan Myth. The first attempt at implementing the schedules direct fix caused my recording system to no longer function (I could watch live tv, and my old recorded shows, but could record no more). It seems that something happened to my database to lock me out of recording, also, no new schedule info was working. My second attempt caused the video capture to go belly up, so I could now record, and get the new listings, but I could only record static (snow). Funny thing though, if I did a cat to file of the video (cat /dev/video0 > test.mpg), then played it back through VLC, it was fine. So, the device was functioning, but just not within Myth.

I worked furiously over this last week to get all back to normal, and after playing with the ivtv settings, thought I had it... in fact, I had (for about 30 seconds) real video playing through Myth again. I setup a recording to test it, and went to bed.... the next day, I tried to watch the recording, and it was just "white screen"... not even snow. THEN, I noticed that the cat to file from the device was also just white. I conferred with my resident Myth expert, and we determined that the ivtv install was not properly matched to my kernel, so I upgraded that to 0.10.5... this blew away my Nvidia drivers, and my x server no longer worked...

To fix the 'x' issues, I had to modify my xorg.conf file to remove the nvidia driver (which used to work), and put in the 'nv' driver... this works, but not in Myth. I removed and reinstalled the NVidia drivers, which (once again) blew up my x server... After fumbling around again, I was able to restore back to a working system (sans Myth).

SO, now I am reinstalling from scratch... I will post on this episode later. FIRST though, I backed all my recordings and videos to an external drive, as well as backing up the MySQL mythconverg database.

The lessons I've learned:

1) being a slackr may have been good... I didn't waste any time setting up stuff only to have it blown away
2) maybe if I wasn't a slackr, I wouldn't have screwed up my upgrade...

Must return to the Myth re-install now...

VG

Weekend Update

Status

Okay, it again has been a while. The Myth is functional, and recording shows happily. We have now recorded 12 stages of "Le Tour de France", as well as a bunch of HGTV stuff. I have a few 'bugs' to work out still, but I do have the channel changing working, recording, LIRC (mostly)... I also have some stuff on my list that I just haven't spent the time to get done.

Bug List

General Fedora bugs

• Upon reboot, need to run ivtv-tune -c 3 to reset tuner to channel 3


• Upon reboot, have to manually reconnect to the wireless network, it will not autoconnect despite being told (in an angry voice) to do so.

Myth bugs Some of these seem not to be Myth bugs at a first glance...

• After a period of time (about 20 minutes) power save kicks in and shuts off the monitor... this ONLY happens from within Myth, not when using XINE, VLC, or just in the OS in general. Movement of the mouse brings it back to life.


• Sometimes, commercial flagging doesn't occur... but only sometimes


• Volume control isn't functioning... you see the on screen message that mute is on/off, or that volume is going up/down, but it doesn't. Volume can be controlled from the OS though.

Unfinished Business

Okay, I still have some stuff that I haven't finished, but with watching the tour, having our place up for sale, and riding my bike, I've been too busy... I shall overcome, however, eventually.

• Finish mapping remote buttons


• Get VFD and volume knob working


• Configure network for external access (includes setting up Open LDAP, finish configuring my firewall server, DHCP server and DNS server)

It is getting pretty close. It is working well enough for my Tour needs...

We have a signal

Ok, it has been a while, but I have been travelling with work, and putting in some longer days. Also, we went away for a cycling vacation in MA, so that took up some potential "Myth" time.

So, I had a special guest host in yesterday to provide some assistance with the remaining work. He is my friendly, neighborhood "Myth Evangelist". Here is the "punch list" of tasks we had to work on:

1. get a capture to work without myth, just using the hardware
   
2. get a capture to work in myth
   
3. make sure live tv works (proves playback and capture at once)
   
4. configure IR to work with the easiest remote (PVR 150)
   
5. configure IR to work with intended remote (Silverstone provided remote)
   
6. sign up for TV listings, and populate the database
   
7. schedule a recording, and start playback after it begins
   
8. get channel changing to work
   
9. make sure mythtvweb is working from within firewall
   
10. get VFD working
    
11. get volume knob on case working
    

So, we got 1 - 7 working (mostly/kinda). Never got the PVR150 remote to work,but got the Silverstone one to work. There was also a strange issue that appeared with the Myth display, where it seemed to revert to the old 8 color VGA scheme... turned out to be an NVidia driver issue, that once resolved, worked fine. Item 7 was only partly successful as well, when the recording started, it started with a name of "", so it was unable to find it, or know when to stop recording... we had to restart the backend at this point. Some of this may have to do with the configuration of the signa... we are using an RCA D11 receiver for DirecTV, and I don't have the proper cable to perform the channel changing... this should be remedied by tomorrow.

So, we have a lot of the tasks complete, and most started. I need to still do the following now:

• Finish the IR configuration - some of the buttons aren't mapped, so I just need to map those across to Myth.
  
• I have the instructions for the VFD and volume knob tasks, will save those for last, nice to have features
  
• Getting cable tomorrow for channel changing... hope this also resolves the capture of the name of the content for recording. May have to tweak this a bit though.
  
• setup the external MythTV web for programming...
  

My goal is to have it all complete by July 7 in time for the Tour de France... here's hoping.

Again, a special thanks to the friendly, neighborhood Myth Evangelist.

P.S. No pictures today, but, I hope to get some up on Wednesday of it in action...

Back to the Egg

...finally, back to work

Had to take some time away from the Vegan Myth project due to work related travel... back now, and making some progress.

Here is an updated shot of the "Vegan Myth" unit. You can see I now have MythDora installed. So, to bring you up to speed on the recent events, here is a list of what has transpired:

- > put DVD ROM drive from my Firewall server in
- > found extra sound cable to connect DVD drive to motherboard
- > purchased 3 pin splitter to attach second case fan to power

The missing parts

I got the parts that I needed from CompUSA today, but I certainly didn't buy my replacement DVD drive there. I was looking around at the store, and found the Liteon DL DVD burner with every possible format for $64.99 + tax ($4.53). The exact same drive (rated very highly in consumer reviews) is on at NewEgg for $34.99 (incl tax) + $6 shipping. I think I can wait the 2 days for it to arrive, and save the extra $30.

The install begins

After getting the final pieces in place, I began the install of the OS and other software. The MythDora install went smoothly, no issues with the hardware (vid card, capture card, optical disk, etc.), but there were some issues that were Fedora specific (no native NTFS support, also didn't work with WEP/WAP out of the box). I ran a cable across the living room, and got on the internet to get the missing packages to get the NTFS and wireless support I needed (my external drive with all of my music, pictures, videos, etc is NTFS).

Once the install was complete, I had some display issues (namely, it would push out a frequency not supported by my flat panel). I had to hook up my 19" LCD monitor to the box to alter the display properties, then was able to get it to work. Once I got the display on the plasma, I was off and running - and it also on next reboot was able to auto-configure to match the proper plasma model.

One annoying thing I found, the "myth" user that was created at install didn't have the proper access rights to some of the folders (storage), so I had to chown and chmod a bit, as well, some folders weren't created, so I had to add them. All good now.

I ran through a series of brief tests, and we did watch a DVD using it tonight. I have to say, the box is completely silent... I mean, if you rest your head on it, you will hear it, but it doesn't exceed our ambient noise levels in our place.

What's next?

So, I have to now get the satellite link working, the VFD drivers downloaded, the IR receiver and blaster working, and the channel changing perl script going (thanks to my co-conspirator for passing that on to me).

I'm away (again) for a week on business, but next week I may have a guest host coming to work on the finishing touches with me... stay tuned.

-VG

Hardware - Nearly Complete

I performed my cable management tasks tonight, and got all of the cables tied up neatly, and made all connections to the motherboard. I have a bad DVD ROM Drive, so I will need to replace that, perhaps run to the store in the near future for one, as I scavange a black one from my Firewall Server (I tried using an old one I had laying around... no luck). I will also need an adapter to plug in one of the case fans, the motherboard only had pins for one.

It felt good to get back on the case, haven't had time to touch it for a few days. I'll be out of town for two weeks starting on Monday, so I likely won't get past the OS install before I go.

Update - pricing request

I had a request (comment after post #2) asking about the cost of this project. Aside from my time, here is the breakdown of the costs for the hardware components:



Seagate 500GB SATA
2
$129.99
$259.98


Wireless PCI Card
1
$19.99
$19.99


AMD 64 X2 3600+ AM2
1
$59.00
$59.00


Silverstone Case
1
$269.99
$269.99


GIGABYTE Motherboard
1
$84.99
$84.99


Hauppauge PVR150 Card
1
$71.99
$71.99


Corsair Power Supply
1
$124.99
$124.99


G.SKILL 2GB RAM
1
$84.99
$84.99


Zalman CPU Cooler
1
$48.99
$48.99


TOTAL: $1029.91

Of course, I could have built this for a lot less money, but there are opposing forces of nature at work here: 1>must be (nearly) dead quiet 2>must be (nearly) flawless 3>must be aesthetically pleasing.

All of these things come at a cost. There are 'fanless' solutions available, that would have ensured a dead quiet system, AND they were very pleasing to the eye (small form factor, HTPC cases), but they lacked performance (low grade CPU to reduce heat), and would likely run very hot and be somewhat flaky. To get the next best thing, I had to employ fans, but the quietest components (that actually perform well) cost quite a bit more money. You will also note the case cost me 'top dollar', I could have purchased a cheap tower case for $15, but in an early picture on the blog, you can see that it fits in very nicely with my other entertainment components, so the extra cost is justified in looks. Achieving these three goals (set out by my wife) meant a higher cost overall.

One way that I could have minimized costs (to a degree) was to split this into two units (Myth actually has two components - server, and client front end). I could have built a server that would reside in my server room (where noise and aesthetics are not an issue). This would have allowed me to put together a smaller front end unit, perhaps even using a Mac Mini. It is debatable, however, that this would have saved money in the long run, and it would have increased my maintenance.

The 'Goods' Arrive

The Goods

The remaining components arrived today from NewEgg, Here they are laid out on the floor, ready for assembly. Included in this shot, of course, is the case that arrived yesterday.

I have to say, I knew the Zalman CPU Cooler was big, but WOW, this thing is massive... a virtual planetoid... it is like an orange on a toothpick.

---

The Mobo

Anyway, I quickly got to work putting the pieces together, here you can see the motherboard with the CPU and Cooler installed, as well as the 2 GB of RAM. The CPU cooler has an external device that can be used to set the speed of the fan, or it can be set to 'silent' mode... the cable for that is shown in the background of the picture.

---

The install begins

The first component to go in the case is the power supply. You can see in this photo the supply being unpacked and installed. You also may notice my supervisor (the primary cat Pepper). Also, the motherboard gets installed.

---

Harware complete

Now, we have the box with all of the parts installed (including the PCI cards, and hard disk). I have a second HDD (also 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s), but it currently is being used in an external enclosure to suck the media content from my other computers. I will be putting a previously purchased black DVD ROM in as well (it currently is installed in my firewall server, but I have a couple of spares I can replace it with).

---

Next Steps

I need to now spend some time performing some cable management (plugging in the various power cables, and the connections from fans, etc. to the motherboard. I will then need to use some small tie wraps to keep the cables tidy... a note of caution here, you should NEVER crimp a SATA cable, it can lead to data issues.

Once cables are taken care of, and the DVD drive is in, I can begin the software installation process, beginning with Mythdora 4.

The Case Arrives

Well, the Silverstone Case arrived today, and I must say, it looks very nice among the other components on our entertainment stand. I unpacked the case, and set it on the stand, so I can see what it will look like as a finished product. Here is a shot:

Silverstone LC16M

It looks pretty roomy on the inside too. The remaining components should arrive tomorrow (also arriving today was the adapter for the USB connection to the satellite receiver). Here are some parting shots of the inside of the case.

Interior Back View

Interior Overhead View

The Myth Components

Ok, I placed my order last week (Wednesday night), but I'll get to that in a moment.

Components

The essential needs that I had for this project are as follows:

• Computer case
• Motherboard
• Hard Disk space
• RAM
• CPU
• Graphics support (TV capture, and video output)
• Sound
• Cooling

Research

I spent a lot of time researching each item, based on several criteria (aesthetics, price, functionality, performance) where performance was a measure of the decibels of sound generated, speed of the component, heat generated (which can drive up sound in terms of cooling), and reliability. Also, a major factor is the support of devices both from a Linux OS perspective, as well as support from MythTV.

The following sites provided me the bulk of my research:

• MythTV
• Silent PC Review
• Linux forums
• Vendor documentation
• My previously mentioned friend who has an extensive MythTV setup in his home

What I selected

All of the parts listed below were purchased from NewEgg. I did comparative price shopping, and found NewEgg to be the best, with Tiger Direct placing second. I put links to some of the components below (the ones I think that matter, as for RAM, processor and HDD, I think those are pretty easy to search for).

• Case: Silverstone LC16B HTPC case. This case was aesthetically pleasing, as well as having good reviews for noise levels (comes with two 80mm maglev case fans, each rated at 21dBA for noise). The case also has a VFD panel in front that can display what you are watching/listening to, etc.
• Mother Board: GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3. This motherboard met my needs for a number of reasons. It is a full size ATX motherboard, with 7 expansion slots (4 PCI, 2 PCI Express x1, 1 PCI Express x16), support for AM2 socket AMD processor, support up to 16GB RAM, built in GeForce 6100 video, and Realtek audio.
• CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane Socket AM2: I selected this processor due to the low power consumption, and low(er) heat that it generates, as well as the fact that it is a 64 bit, dual core processor. It will have the horsepower needed to run my Myth setup both now, and in the future when I add HDTV support. An added bonus: this was on sale for $59.
• HDD: 2 x Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s: These hard drives are quiet, don't generate too much heat, and have the size and speed to process video streams. This will give me 1 Terabyte of storage. I may actually put an older 40GB EIDE drive in the system for the OS, but haven't decided yet.
• RAM: 2 x 1GB 240 pin DDR2 800 with heat spreader: I chose RAM that matched the Motherboard slot specifications, going with only 2GB for now, leaving 2 open slots for future expansion. I wanted to make sure that I got RAM that had the heat spreaders for better heat dissipation.
• Power Supply: Corsair CMPSU-520HX 520 Watt: The power supply is a very important consideration, since the majority of the noise will be generated from the cooling fan from this component (if you get a cheap one). Also, you want to ensure that you have enough horse power to supply juice to everything in your box, but not max out the limits of what the supply can achieve. I will have sufficient room for expansion with this power supply, and it is rated the absolute quietest power supply by Silent PC Review. NOTE The link above will take you to the generic Corsair HX Power Supply web site, showing the 620 watt unit.
• CPU Cooling: Zalman CNPS9500 AM2: I wanted a quiet, and efficient cooling mechanism for my CPU (by the way, I ordered the CPU as an OEM so I didn't pay extra for a fan that I wasn't going to use). This fan is highly rated for efficiency, and low noise.
• TV Capture Card: Hauppauge PVR150: This card comes with an IR remote control, and is extensively supported by the MythTV project. It is only a single receiver, but my plan is to add a separate HD capture card later. I already have an external KWorld ATSC (Over The AIR HD) device that I will play around with for now, but will probably add the pcHDTV 3000 card when we upgrade our incoming signal to HD (currently unavailable in our area).
• PCI Wireless B/G adapter card: I threw this in so I can have my MythTV box connect to my home wireless network, as well as having a wired network card.

Other Hardware

We have DirecTV satellite service, without the DVR and only with SDTV reception. The satellite receiver has a port on the back (USB) that I will connect into for channel control. This will require a special adapter from ShowMeCables in order to connect the USB to my computer. The adapter is the USB-AM-BF.

This may not work, but for the price, it is worth a try. The alternative is a USB to serial connection (which is commonly used for MythTV setup). My friend tells me that getting the communication to the receiver is likely one of the most difficult parts of building the myth set.

Software/OS

I was debating for some time what OS to use (Linux based). Should I use Ubuntu - reputed for ease of use, or should I use CentOS - an open source RHEL alternative? I landed on the recently bundled MythDora 4 package... which is Fedora Core 6 bundled with MythTV already. Another choice would have been the Knoppix bundle that comes with Myth called KnoppMyth.

The Order

Okay, so back to the order. As I stated, I placed the order with NewEgg last Wednesday night. They shipped in two parts, the case will arrive on Monday, and the rest on Tuesday - all coming via UPS.

What's next?

Starting next week, I will be adding pictures of the components as they arrive, and pictures of the build in progress, as well as chronicle the entire building/installation of the system.

Getting Started - The Myth Project

So, this is it. I decided to build a MythTV box, with some support from a friend who already has one. A few things spurred me on to do this.

1. We can't get a DVR with our DirecTV unit - they require two separate cable feeds into our unit, we have only one
2. You have to pay money to use commercial DVR/PVR
3. MythTV is more than just a DVR, it is a 'home entertainment center' - stores and plays movies, music, pictures, games.
4. MythTV is opensource, and a great project.

So, this blog will chronicle the building of this from start to end, and continued trials and tribulations that I encounter as the unit is up and running.

Any fixes and tricks I find will be posted here, as well as links to relevant information, in case you, the reader, would like to follow along.

My next post will detail the parts I chose to build this, and how I decided on them. I placed the order at NewEgg yesterday, hope they arrive next week so I can start building the system. The goal is to have it up and running (fully) in time for the Tour de France.