MythTV 0.25 Released, New HW Acceleration and Audio Standards Support

unts writes "The highly configurable Linux PVR, MythTV, has reached the 0.25 release, over 500 days after the previous full release. New features include VAAPI support, E-AC3, TrueHD, and DTS-HD audio, the ability to control other home entertainment devices via HDMI CEC and additions to the API to allow HTTP live streaming. The release notes for 0.25 don't reflect the release status at the time of writing, but should contain most of the relevant changes. MythTV can be used as a backend (recorder) and frontend (viewer), but can also feed other frontends such as appropriate versions of XBMC. Hopefully the new HTTP streaming API will lead to even more ways to get your video fix."

Comments

User Guide anyone?

[Pieroxy]

I think MythTV is in dire need of a more polished and coherent UI. And a comprehensive user and installation guide.

New tech feats are ok, but they'll probably make the whole thing even less useable.

Re:User Guide anyone?

[i.r.id10t]

And a comprehensive user and installation guide.

Thats my biggest issue with F/OSS - poor or missing or flat out wrong and outdated documentation...

Re:User Guide anyone?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's one of the things I love about OpenBSD. They classify missing documentation on any feature as a bug.

Re:User Guide anyone?

[cayenne8]

I actually LOVED MythTV...back when I was watching HD over the air, in combination with getting free analog cable tv from my cable internet connection....there were also some HD (local stuff) on that unfiltered cable feed.

However, I've moved about in recent years, and at the current new place, can't find the filter to remove for that cable internet connection. And now set up with UVerse, I wanted lots of HD content for new big plasma tv.

I wish there was a way to integrate MythTV with Uverse....but until I can find a way to do that, Myth is not something I mess with any longer.

I did prefer it...great for setting recording filters and keywords, etc. Much better than any DVR that comes with cable or uverse or satellite.

Re:User Guide anyone?

[jellomizer]

And really scary version numbers.
I see a 0.25 version number. I am like this isn't a full featured project. Then I have to step back and go. Well it is open source. They hate giving it a version 1.0 label until they get everything they wanted done.

Re:User Guide anyone?

[Moryath]

In a nutshell.

The larger picture is, the programmers often ACTIVELY reject offers of critical help on interface design and usability, not to mention requests to streamline the installation of basic hardware such as remote controls. For instance, the Mythbuntu page for using ATi Remote Wonder remotes, which were immensely popular and are still readily available in retail packaged alone or with ATi's capture boards including the All-In-Wonder HD line. Setup for these things is a nightmare - command line garbage, edit this or that file, go see "this other page" to find out how to get all the buttons working.

Would it REALLY be hard to set up a script that could enable the necessary settings? Of course not, they've done it for a number of the other remotes by outfites like Hauppauge. But because scripting that isn't "sexy" and some of the programmers are still acting all butthurt about ATi not having open drivers before AMD bought them out, none of the MythTV or Mythbuntu team want to get off their ass and integrate such a script into the main trunk even if someone from the outside submitted it.

It's shit like this that hinders F/OSS adoption by the larger population.

Re:User Guide anyone?

[Dr_Barnowl]

I've been using it since 0.17 and it's been "fully functional" as far as I care since then.

I don't think it's ever going to penetrate the commercial space now ; digital TV has made it much easier to make products with PVR features and you can get devices that are basically an HDMI dongle with an SD card slot that perform the significant function (stream recording and playback), you have the likes of Ubuntu TV and the built in OS that most digital TVs seem to have these days.

I cut my teeth on Linux with MythTV though - at the time, I had to use Gentoo to get the bleeding edge kernel support for my DVB hardware. I learned a lot. I'd guess it's still a reasonable way to learn something about Linux, even if it's much easier than it used to be. Which is another way of saying it's a hobbyists project.

Re:Netflix

[CODiNE]

Want to fix it? Write to the movie studios and tell them that this is why they're not getting any of your money.

Good luck with that. I'm pretty sure they're trying to kill netflix not get them more subscribers.

Re:huh?

[jdastrup]

Legit question, for several reasons, and I'm a huge MythTV fan, have been for 8+ years, but I still use it. Here's why, and why not:

1.I no longer frequently use the video and music plugins, since so much content is streaming over the Internet or other devices. I have some old DVD/BluRay rips still on it that I sometimes watch.
2. I no longer use it to watch any DVD's, for the same reason above, AND the DVD player in it sucks at playing 50% of the DVDs I have, and it doesn't play BluRays.
3. I still use it constantly for the TV recording features. It's still the best DVR by far than any thing else out there, F/OSS, or commercial. Yes, I understand, lots of you college kids and hippy-types watch everything on Hulu or wherever else on your laptops in the coffee-shops, but I like recording shows, watching them later THAT SAME NIGHT or the next night, AUTO-SKIP commercials, on a big 65" TV in HD. All my HD content is from an antenna - I only watch network shows, no cable, don't need it. So it works perfect for that.

Cablecard support?

[crazyjj]

Doesn't do me much good if I can't use it on my cable system without a jerry-rigged IR blaster/multiple tuner setup.

Re:Cablecard support?

[Digicrat]

Unfortunately that's one issue outside the scope of the mythtv project.

The HDHomeRun Prime technically does support CableCARD usage with Linux - but only for stations marked as "copy freely." If your cable provider decides to place any more restrictive copy flags on it (now or later), then your out of luck.

To make things even more annoying, even if you have an Xbox360 to use as a supplement for those premium channels, it can't tune the encrypted stations live without a Win7 box to serve as a pass-through.

Cable companies want above else for you to use their hardware and their services (DVR, cable box, etc) and are still fighting tooth and nail to cripple competing services on every front.

MythTV + XBMC

[Flammon]

MythTV has great backend and XBMC has a great frontend. The combo is fantastic and I don't think there's anything in the proprietary space that offers anything on par. Truely jewels from FOSS.

I use it on a Mac Mini

[GlobalEcho]

I've been using MythTV for a couple of years on Mac Mini (running OSX rather than Linux), talking to an HDHomeRun network tuner connected to a broadcast antenna in my attic. The team has really improved the OSX port in the last few years, with the only lack of Linux parity being in the realm of hardware-accelerated playback.

After dealing with the confusing setup screens and active channel scans, it has worked brilliantly, especially since the 0.24 release. The scheduling software is really good, especially using the web frontend. Watching TV on any computer in the house has been very convenient, and the automatic commercial skipping is pleasant.

Between broadcast and online sources, I get most of what I want to watch, the exceptions being Game of Thrones and some cable-only basketball and hockey broadcasts. The complete, uncompressed HD signals over broadcast TV are perceptibly clearer than HD cable (or, worse, HD satellite) signals, which suffer from the compression.