why you should try MythTv

[dave at math.mit.edu (David Backeberg)]

I have no idea how to mod a TiVo, as I went straight to using MythTv. 
Among things I haven't had to mod to get:
-qwerty keyboard
-raid capability, for going way beyond the drive capacities you would 
normally be able to mod to. Linux software raid is very smooth, very 
powerful, and gives me a serious intellectual superiority complex.
-commercial skip that hops the commercials wholesale, rather than just 
hopping thirty seconds at a time (admittedly, this is imperfect, but it's 
remarkably good with Simpsons and PBS shows, for instance)
-dvd write capability
-unencrypted files; I can play everything I record with mplayer or the 
regular mythtv frontend
-ability to transfer, post, save, share files with friends
-the same TiVo capability of being able to share files between multiple 
mythtv stations connected throughout your house
-a lot of other things I don't use, like the ability to pop in a dvd 
and save the video to your hard drive, in a nice tightly compressed 
format.

There was a BLU meeting / presentation about mythtv a few months ago.

Incidentally, I used the Hauppauge PVR 250 card, but knowing what I now 
know, I recommend a cheaper card with more mature drivers built directly 
into the kernel, like the Hauppauge PCI WinTV card using the bttv drivers.

http://mythtv.sf.net

-- 
David Backeberg (dave at math.mit.edu)
Network Staff Assistant
MIT Math Dept.
Rm. 2-332            (617) 253-4995