MythTV 0.22 Released

uyguremre writes "After a little over a year and a half in the making, the developers of MythTV announced that MythTV 0.22 is now available. There have been a lot of large changes since 0.21, including a port from Qt v3 to Qt v4 and a major UI rewrite to convert to MythTV's new MythUI user interface libary. As always, this release adds support for some new hardware, in this case VDPAU video acceleration, DVB-S2, and the Hauppauge HD-PVR. The MythUI toolkit allows themes much greater control over the user interface and today we're announcing a competition to design new themes for MythTV. With the new release comes a theming competition too. For a more complete list of changes and new features, read the Release Notes on the wiki."

Comments

does anyone still use it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not trying to create flamebait, But honestly does anyone still use it. Everyone I know has ditched it (including the die hard fans that put me onto it in the first place) due to the hideous complexities in keeping the damn thing running and the endless complaints from "she who must be obeyed" because MythTV box has once again died in the arse during her favourite POS drama show. personally I use XBMC now.

Re:does anyone still use it?

[0123456]

Not trying to create flamebait, But honestly does anyone still use it.

Yes. It's buggy and configuration is horrendous, but now it's going the only real problem I have is that it tends not to update the database properly when a table changes in a new version (e.g. mythbuntu seems to assume that you don't have a root password on the MySQL database).

That said, I'm not going to be upgrading to 0.22 until the current season of my girlfrend's favorite shows finishes, because I'll be in trouble if she misses some due to software changes.

Re:does anyone still use it?

[BLKMGK]

I'd use it WITH XBMC once the Myth backend is a bit easier to configure. As it stands now I'm more than happy to DL my TV content - and yes I still have a damned cable sub with premiums and a TIVO attached to it. I just find that torrenting a show is easier and quicker. This is no more "theft" than running Myth with an ad removal program IMO.

Anyway, I understand the pain of setting up a Myth box having TRIED to do it myself. Maybe time to try again? Many folks I know are using Windows for much the same thing and it seems easier once you hurdle the DRM crap - they even remove commercials too. If Myth has gotten better terrific, I'll look again and figure out how to tie it to my XBMC system. Sadly I'll be stuck with OTA stuff but that's better than nothing. Overseas Myth is probably more popular because they can apparently hook it into SAT systems and get more content than we're stuck with here...

Re:does anyone still use it?

[gregmac]

I'm going through the same. I've been using Myth for maybe 3 or 4 years (starting with 0.20-beta something). It was relatively stable, but did crash once in a while. Mostly what was driving me insane is for the past few months, it would stop responding to the remote for a few minutes, then suddenly play back everything that just happened. So you'd hit fast-forward, and nothing would happen.. hit a couple more times... then suddenly a few minutes later, it would skip forward several times. Lirc was seeing the commands in realtime, so I have no idea what the problem was. It was intermittent, and I never found a common thing that was happening at the same time.

I've built a new Windows box now, and I'm currently trying GBPVR, and SageTV. Myth's UI is better than SageTV's.. GBPVR is a lot like myth. Myth has better recording options than both. Sage has sub-$200 fanless network client hardware, which has the same UI as the main box - this is a HUGE plus. You can't build a PC for that price, let alone a silent PC, and any other options have a different UI which is just annoying. Myth is the only one I know of that supports multiple backends (not needed for me now, but it's a sign of a good design and allows expandability).

Taking away constraints of OS/software, there is just no solution that leads to a great networked PVR system out there yet, in my opinion. To clarify, I'm not looking for a HTPC - I want a UI, consistent on every TV in my house, that lets me watch live TV (not that I ever do that), watch and/or schedule recordings (and have any available on any TV), watch DVDs, watch downloaded movies/shows, listen to music (both stored and streaming), and things like pictures and weather reports are kinda handy too.

Re:does anyone still use it?

[Max Littlemore]

I've been running it for ages without major problems. The only problem I have is every time I upgrade the kernel I need to rebuild the driver for my tuner, but that's no biggy - got that scripted - and it's nothing to do with MythTV per se.

Sure, it was a bitch to set up the first time, but since then it's been stable and awesome and having done it once, I'm pretty quick at setting it up for others.

I too use XBMC, but only as a quick and dirty way of using an Xbox as a frontend. It just doesn't come close as a PVR.

Re:does anyone still use it?

[rtb61]

Technically speaking as XMBC main forte seems to be media shifting which is allowed under fair use versus MythTV which records transmitted content (as well as media shifting) which typical is not allowed, then MythTV is more the tool of the, avast yeah 'lan'lubbers.

Being a bit 'slack' I am still curious as to where you can buy off the shelf HTPC linux based and either or both XMBC or MythTV running.

Re:does anyone still use it?

[hairyfeet]

I don't know if XBMC is or not, but Mediaportal sure is, and Mediaportal + XP = about the easiest to use homebrew DVR I've ever tried. Like the above poster I tried MythTV and just couldn't keep it running for any length of time, and Mediaportal is easy peasy and so far pretty stable.

Oh it is Open Source too, if you care about playing with the code.

Re:does anyone still use it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah. I've tested these two thoroughly. (talkin' bout months of daily use) I started with mythtv, and switched to mediaportal as i got tired of myths visually crippled UI. After a few months or so I'had to fall back to myth, because mediaportal simply kept crashing over and over again. Ever since I've been happy with myth, cause I dont ever have to quess wether my scheduled recordings have succeeded or not.

I'd like to stress the words "pretty stable"

Re:does anyone still use it?

[wolrahnaes]

While there is a legal distinction, is there really a moral distinction between recording the show on your own DVR versus downloading a copy someone else recorded?

My TiVo HD records Mythbusters every week, but around 6 hours later my media server goes out to the internet and grabs a copy of the same episode. I could just script a few tools like kmttg does to rip the content off the TiVo and transcode to a format of my preference, but why bother when someone else has already done it for me and at the same time cut the commercials for me?

Yes, technically what I'm doing is illegal, but morally I can not see any way this is any different than if I was to waste my time scripting and waste my CPU time processing my own recordings in to the same end result.

after two YEARS trying to get MythTV working...

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been able to chase many bugs/complexities/installation issues down, but I simply can't get it working. Right now I'm battling some time-out/buffering error on the HD capture stream watching live tv over pci-e on an HDR-1250. I really want it to work. I'd love to load all my kids movies up on it and turn it loose on the home theater. But the dang thing *just* *doesn't* *work*.

Re:after two YEARS trying to get MythTV working...

[BLKMGK]

Rip the kid's DVD to a NAS in ISO format, something like unRAID will work fine or whatever SMB thing you're willing to roll. Hell NFS might work too. Anyway, get the kid's stuff onto spinning storage. The load up XBMC on something small and cheap like an ASROCK ION 330 - run Ubuntu with VDPAU. Slap an MCE remote on it, plug it into the TV and stereo, be happy. I have done this and can access ALL of my DVDs. Instead of having racks lining my hallway the DVD are now in boxes and no one is the wiser as to the extensive collection. I can pull up any of hundreds of DVD just fine. My BD have been ripped and converted to MKV files, takes less than 2 hours a movie on my I7, longer on slower boxes but worth it.

XBMC may not be a DVR but if you have many disks around and you worry about theft or damage it's a godsend. I just wish the Linux version played games like the old XBOX version did :-D

database

[visualight]

Did they fix the database encoding in this one?

Re:database

[paul248]

Ah, yes, I had to do the "fix your database" thing yesterday. Based on the complexity of the guide, I'm guessing a lot of users will just wipe and reinstall everything, rather than attempt to go through that ridiculous manual process.

Re:Is there any viable (non-console) alternative?

[jrumney]

Freevo is similarly stagnated, they've been working towards 2.0 for years. VDR handles the backend, but is lacking a nice 10-ft frontend. Moovida looks promising but is currently lacking a TV recording backend (combined with VDR, it may be the ideal solution).

I'm currently using Freevo, but starting to become frustrated at the broken plugins and limitations in its input (can't assign events to Ctrl key sequences which are generated by some of the Windows Media Centre oriented media keys on my wireless keyboard). The fact that MythTV requires MySQL and Qt and apparently is even more difficult to set up than Freevo (hard to believe) has kept me from considering a switch to MythTV seriously, though it does seem to have more of a following than any of the other contenders.

Could be one of the best HD DVRs out there...

[tlhIngan]

Given official Hauppage HD-PVR support, this could be one of the best high-def DVRs out there. Especially when you combine it with an HD Fury2 to convert it to HDMI...

I don't know why the HD-PVR is the only capture card capable of high-def (1080i). HD Fury2 adds HDMI (with HDCP). Sure, it's only 1080i, but how many other high-def capture solutions are out there? For just over $500, you can get one that does HDMI/HDCP as well.

(HD Fury2 converts HDMI to Component or VGA. Sure it's analog, but the HD-PVR only has component inputs).

Especially good for those of us in Canada, where we are forced to use the ultra-crappy cableboxes. (It's why people go to TiVo...).

The HD-PVR hardware is plauged with problems

[Anonymous Coward]

The HD Fury2 + HD-PVR is a beautiful setup when it works, but the HD-PVR's hardware is an unreliable piece of junk.

Leave it running for a few days, (or hours,) recording high-def channels and if the HD-PVR doesn't lock up it'll start recording quarter of the picture. It's the same experience with two different revisions of the hardware, multiple versions of the driver, and with the HD-PVR sitting on a cooling fan. If you have any doubt about it's unprecedented level of crappiness check out NewEgg's reviews of it.

Re:Is there any viable (non-console) alternative?

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

MythTV seems stagnated in development, even with this release, and seems bulky and awkward. Are there any other viable alternatives for home TV boxes/media boxes, that *don't* include a console in any way (xbox media centre, PS3, Wii, etc...)

I'm pretty happy with myth, but you are right, forward progress has slowed. To the point of ridiculousness.

For example, the devs recently refused to accept patches for the support of R5000-modified tuners - tuners which are perfectly legal under the DMCA because they only modify the tuners that do not include access control (if the box has access control, typically 4C on firewire, the company will refuse to make the modification because of the DMCA.)

The reason the devs refused to accept the patches?
Assumption of violation of ToS and DMCA - when neither is the case.

Perfect on a Mac Mini (+link to howto)

[GlobalEcho]

I set up an SVN snapshot of Myth on a Mac Mini about six months ago. I wanted to save power, so the Mini runs both the backend and the frontend. If you like, you can see a full description of how I did it. (The guide is out of date in the sense that I resolved jumpy playback issues by reducing the priority of commercial-flagging jobs.)

It's been wonderful. I get full HD video and convenient scheduling. I've had exactly zero crashes, and the automatic commercial skipping has been very reliable (maybe one mistake every 5 or 10 shows). I also really enjoy the ability to watch TV on any computer in the house.

Right now, I'm working here and there on integration with Plex because I'd like to have all media in just one interface.