PVR or DVR for Linux - NOT MythTV

[David Kramer]

Kristian Hermansen wrote:
> On 6/3/07, Dan Ritter <dsr-mzpnVDyJpH4k7aNtvndDlA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
>> Not really. Compare the installation wiki pages for Freevo vs
>> the same for MythTV. One of these environments has a large
>> community that supports it and has answered lots of questions...
> 
> That's a support issue, after you have run into problems.  However,
> read what other users who compared mythtv and freevo:

Are you saying that you shouldn't consider support/TCO?
> 
> "In general Freevo is easier to install, and easier to configure. I
> also think there is more momentum behind Freevo, more development is

I wish you would have provided a link for this, if for no other reason 
than to see how old it is.  It was certainly true in the past, but now 
many distros have pre-built packages and metapackages so you don't need 
to compile anything.  Sure, you have to configure it, but I got my 
current install done in one night, and another night of tweaking after 
reading some things I shoulda read before.

> going into it. Finally, I like how Freevo is designed... it's
> structured using the UNIX design principles of creating something
> bigger our of various small parts. MythTV is more monolithic, which
> makes it harder to troubleshoot and adapt to your needs. Don't get me
> wrong, both can do the job, but I prefer Freevo :)"

Hardly the case.  Every step of the process is a separate program with 
Myth; importing the schedule, planning what to record when, changing 
channels, converting video formats. removing commercials, renaming 
files, expiring files, burning DVDs, streaming content, and the client 
are all separate programs, many of them offering several options the 
user can select.  For instance, I need a different program to change 
channels, because I use non-standard hardware to change channels.  And 
sometimes I use the GUI client, while other times I use the web-based 
client.

> "I personally use freevo.
> the initial config is basic but several plugins allows to hugely enhance 
> it.
> I personnaly chose it because I wanted to learn python. Installation
> is really easy (debian). Moreover, it's based on other software
> (mplayer, xine..) and as a results inheritates the periodical
> updates/improvments made to those pieces of software.
> main unknows come from the fact that the developpers are currently
> working on a huge update/rewrite/whatever to version 2.0 and there is
> not much upgrades on the stable version of the software."

I'm not saying anything is wrong with Freevo.  I'm just offering my 
experiences with MythTV, which have been quite positive.

> "Total time working on freevo to get a working system: 1 hour
> Total time working on MythTV to get a non-working system: 4 hours
> I guess my vote is going to Freevo. It works great, looks great, was
> easy to setup and was relatively hassle free. Like most Linux
> programs, there's not too much GUI configuration, everything is
> command line. Maybe that's why it's so much easier to setup then Myth?
> </saga>
> Jeremy"

Sooo... It's easier to set up Freevo because there are no GUI tools to 
help you do so?  I guess if you're of that mind, you could just edit the 
MythTV config information in the database.

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