Actually, there is a mythTV frontend for Windows, called (of all names) winMyth. I haven't used it so I can't comment on it's use. It can be found here: http://winmyth.sourceforge.net/
As for the article, it was pretty even IMO - just one issue.
Why use knoppmyth to compare to MCE? They don't even come close to being similar.
Knopmyth is basically a gloryfied "LiveCD" and only supports what the developers think should be supported.
Why not install Fedora (or another distro) and then install mythTV and anything else required to get it fully-functional to the same extent as the MCE install.
Remember, MCE is on 2 cds and takes just as much effort to install and setup correctly.
Ok so I will ask again where are you finding that Case for that price?!!! I want to build one but I am having a tough time finding a couple parts for those prices.
I'm not sure I get the point of the detractors of this article. For one, the conclusion is that KnoppMyth/MythTV is the overall winner due to flexibility (at least if you're competent enough to configure some additional options). Second, the software vs. hardware encoding was clearly stated, and there were good reasons for going with the cheaper software encoding cards (price, more flexibility on encoding choice, and you get two cards as well). Are there features that do not get addressed? Yes. Would you all spend the time to read four more pages of commentary on features that 95% of people probably don't care about? Hmmmm.....
Now, all I need to do is resist the urge to spend money on building my own PVR. Or maybe not? I wonder how well an old P3 1.4 GHz would do with PVR duties if I get a TV card?
#17: Fair enough, but my point is that if legal restrictions prevent DVD playback from working, it either (a) simply shouldn't be an option for the user to select in the first place or (b) a dialog should be displayed mentioning as much (You can word things pretty generically... just say, "DVD playback is unavailable due to the lack of a DeCss plug-in. According to the DMCA, such software cannot be legally distributed with this application, nor can information be provided on where such software could be obtained. Please search the Internet for further information.")
But letting a use choose an option that then just leads to a blank screen frustrates both novice AND expert users.
#20: Granny isn't going to come within 10 feet of a PVR? Hmm... maybe, but I'd bet you plenty of TiVos are sold to the 60+ crowd, and PVRs aren't far behind.
What about comparing something like Snapstream or SageTV to MythTV for the windows platform as they're more comparable to what MythTV offers. Snapstream with the new 3.5 version thats in beta right now offers multi-tuner support, web scheduling, client server operation, transcoding, and with the new plugin system will allow users to implement many more features. While this is a 3rd part addon for windows I still think something along these lines is much more comparable than Windowa MCE.
Xsecrets, you read my mind. I noticed the same errors in the article regarding KnoppMyth and MythTV, and had the same reactions. Thanks for saving me some typing.
On MCE: I have not spent any time with MCE, but it looks similar to UltimateTV, which is in some respects a good thing.
On grandmas: No elderly person on earth is coming within 10 feet of a PVR. Therefore it's a fallacy to base evaluations of these systems on such a standard of usability. That being said, Supernerd shouldn't be the standard either, but I don't think that is the case here.
On user interfaces: Interfaces should be optimized for a TV and a remote control. MCE looks like it's designed for a monitor and mouse. Supernerd may watch TV at his computer, but I don't. Myth gets it right.
So will ether of these directly connect to a Cable TV or Satellite TV feed? How about a version that does HDTV? What card can be used to support HDTV from Satellite?
"KnoppMyth installs cleanly and easily, but does not offer as much support as getting your hands dirty with a "from scratch" install." As one of the developers behind KnoppMyth, that is the point. KnoppMyth was/is designed to get a set-top box running in the quickest and easiest manner. What sort of "support" are you looking for?
--> I don't think they would have been 'dinged' for this problem if KnoppMyth had, for instance, put up a dialog box TELLING THEM that the problem is that they need to install a DVD ripper (or whatever). But the fact that KnoppMyth gives no on-screen indication of this to the end user means that it fails the 'grandma' test, at which point it doesn't really matter _why_ it didn't work.
If you'll take a second to look at the DMCA and the history behind decss it is illegal to even tell anyone where to get decss so knoppmyth sort of has it's hands tied. We can't tell grandma go click here and it will enable dvd playback and ripping, or the MPAA can come after the project, and shut it down. This sucks it's not right, but it's the law in the us. If people like grandma paid more attention to the government taking away all of their rights this would not be an issue. I suppose the knoppmyth developers could have a pop up telling why dvd playing and ripping don't work, and just say go scour the internet, but that's about as user friendly as they can legally be.
All of the topics you addressed were in the article.
>for instance, it is practically impossible to compile MythTV in 20 minutes
We used knoppmyth for part II of this analysis.
>Firstly, they try and compare software encoding offof any old bttv card to hardware encoding on a card like the PVR-250 (which Myth is more than capable of handling adequately). Apples and oranges.
Not really; not that it matters anyway since we used both setups in this analysis.
"As a mater of fact all of it has to do with copy protection, as it is illegal to distribute decss in the US where knoppmyth is developed. They go on to say "In either case, we can't watch "Nip Tuck" on the KnoppMyth machine without some serious changes to the install", but fail to mention that the serious changes to the install involve running one command as root."
--> I don't think they would have been 'dinged' for this problem if KnoppMyth had, for instance, put up a dialog box TELLING THEM that the problem is that they need to install a DVD ripper (or whatever). But the fact that KnoppMyth gives no on-screen indiciation of this to the end user means that it fails the 'grandma' test, at which point it doesn't really matter _why_ it didn't work.
"Firstly, they try and compare software encoding offof any old bttv card to hardware encoding on a card like the PVR-250 (which Myth is more than capable of handling adequately). Apples and oranges."
--> How so? If anything, I'd expect the software encoding to be better in that it's usually a lot easier to build 'adaptive' software than hardware.
I personally kinda prefer the hardware approach though...
"And they also ignore MythTV's *real* strength in that you can cluster as many computers and TV cards as you want into a single cohesive entertainment system spanning your entire house, thanks to it's funky client/server architecture."
--> I agree it deserves a mention, but I suspect the reason they neglected it is due to the fact that realistically not many people are going to make use of such a feature I.e., it's great for hardware computer junkies, but granny probably isn't going to be that excited about having a LAN party box in her bathroom. Although grandpa might like the second tuner, I'd grant you, so that he can record football while grandma watchs the world poker championships or something.
I'm sorry to say but I believe anandtech is losing their technical edge when it comes to subjects such as this or at least where linux is concerned.
I'll quote someone who just posted this on /.
quote:
..there are alot of problems with this review.
Firstly, they try and compare software encoding offof any old bttv card to hardware encoding on a card like the PVR-250 (which Myth is more than capable of handling adequately). Apples and oranges.
They make almost no mention of the many plugins Myth has available, such as the web browser, RSS syndication, weather, music, every kind of video ever (through mPlayer and/or Xine)...
Almost complete non-mention of the way MythWeb (web-based MythTV control and viewing system) seamlessly integrates with the system, and allows you to do funky things with your Mythbox from work
And they also ignore MythTV's *real* strength in that you can cluster as many computers and TV cards as you want into a single cohesive entertainment system spanning your entire house, thanks to it's funky client/server architecture.
Very little objective/subjective comment on the relative merits of the interfaces
Frankly, I find it rather difficult that they could put an entire Myth system together in little under 4 hours, especially since they seem to know little about Linux (for instance, it is practically impossible to compile MythTV in 20 minutes - it takes aaaaaggggggeeeeessss. Methinks they meant download and install rather than compile).
endquote.
My 2 cents, myth is much easier to install in a debian based system. It's just apt-get mythtv and everything was set up.
C'mon anandtech get a little more of a clue on subjects such as this before your write up.
1) The article claims that "the feature that puts MCE on top in this screen is the live display on the bottom left." without stating that mythtv also has this feature on it's program guide when accessed from livetv.
2) The reviewer doesn't bother to research why dvd playback doesn't work on knoppmyth, stating "Part of this may have to do with copy-protection, part of it may have to do with poorly constructed code." As a mater of fact all of it has to do with copy protection, as it is illegal to distribute decss in the US where knoppmyth is developed. They go on to say "In either case, we can't watch "Nip Tuck" on the KnoppMyth machine without some serious changes to the install", but fail to mention that the serious changes to the install involve running one command as root.(granted this is a bit more of a pain than mce, but Microsoft can afford to pay for you to be able to play the movies you have already purchased where the knoppmyth development team cannot, blame the DMCA) To add insult to injury towards the end of that article they talk about legal issues with knoppmyth because of the ability to rip dvd's. Obviously they did not test this feature, as this feature no more works "out of the box" on knoppmyth than playing dvd's, for the same legal reasons, and getting it to work requires the same one command.
3)the article states that "The ability to make changes to KnoppMyth after it has already been installed is one quality that it severely lacks." Knoppmyth is no more difficult to make changes to once installed than any other linux distribution with mythtv installed on it. It is just less likely that you will need to, and less likely that a new user will know how to, since they didn't have to spend hours figuring everything out just to get mythtv installed.
on a final note I am just correcting the mistakes I saw with mythtv, and do not really mean to be biased, but I have never use mce more than playing with it in the store for a few minutes and use mythtv in the form of knoppmyth on a daily basis.
Im kinda with Nintari in one respect. There are plenty of tools and 3rd party progs for MCE which fix the problems mentioned. If your going to use third party/skins/plug ins for Myth, it would only be fair to mention the third party plug ins for MCE. Overall though, a good review.
Codecs.. the DVR-MS file is just that.. a file that is recorded t oyour machine. It utilizes the PVRs hardware encoding features to crate this file. As for Codecs you use a DVD Codec to decode the video file. NVDVD is preffered as it is the most reliable and stable codec for use in MCE.
Software encoders.. the reason for using hardware based PVR cards and not software ones is the obious advantage of recording in the backround with little to no cpu use. Als owhile viewing TV there is hardly any CPU used. There is software based encoding availible to MCE. ATI has a special encdoer for thier AIW line to allow software encoding.
There also is a FREE third party application for MCE to allow for web based scheduling of recordings. There are many other FREE third party applications availible to do things such as edit hte DVR-MS files to get rid of commercials and convert the video for archiving or file storage. Even newer versions of Nero support converting the recorded content in MCE to DVD.
Hey what about Remote Controllers on each of the systems? Who's works better/worse? I need to sit back on the couch with the remote, I don't want to fool around with the mouse (Tivo's remote works wonderfully).
Also, if you go with the WinTV Go cards you don't get a remote! Which 3rd party remote control will substitute?
That's the beauty of MythTV: It's free, so you don't have to "buy it for some future upgrade".
I'd have to say Myth works pretty well straight out of the box, providing you know how to follow instructions on how to set it up. As mentioned in the article, KnoppMyth makes it pretty easy to get a functional Myth system in about 20 minutes.
As for wondering whether those future upgrades will happen, it's being actively developed, and its popularity is growing every day. If you want a feaature, and you have any programming experience, you can even look into implementing it yourself!
It would be great to see how a review of MythTV and MediaPortal would look. MediaPortal is open source as well and runs on Windows instead. It is a young project, but it is looking good already -> http://mediaportal.sf.net
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- Saturday, October 24, 2009 - link
sell:nike shoes$32,ed hardy(items),jean$30,handbag$35,polo shirt$13,shox$34unnefer - Thursday, May 12, 2005 - link
Actually, there is a mythTV frontend for Windows, called (of all names) winMyth. I haven't used it so I can't comment on it's use. It can be found here: http://winmyth.sourceforge.net/As for the article, it was pretty even IMO - just one issue.
Why use knoppmyth to compare to MCE? They don't even come close to being similar.
Knopmyth is basically a gloryfied "LiveCD" and only supports what the developers think should be supported.
Why not install Fedora (or another distro) and then install mythTV and anything else required to get it fully-functional to the same extent as the MCE install.
Remember, MCE is on 2 cds and takes just as much effort to install and setup correctly.
Brazen - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
I'd like to see an article on setting up a linux pvr server and then be able to access the server adn watch tv from a client running on Windows.gimper48 - Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - link
Ok so I will ask again where are you finding that Case for that price?!!! I want to build one but I am having a tough time finding a couple parts for those prices.TrogdorJW - Saturday, September 18, 2004 - link
I'm not sure I get the point of the detractors of this article. For one, the conclusion is that KnoppMyth/MythTV is the overall winner due to flexibility (at least if you're competent enough to configure some additional options). Second, the software vs. hardware encoding was clearly stated, and there were good reasons for going with the cheaper software encoding cards (price, more flexibility on encoding choice, and you get two cards as well). Are there features that do not get addressed? Yes. Would you all spend the time to read four more pages of commentary on features that 95% of people probably don't care about? Hmmmm.....Now, all I need to do is resist the urge to spend money on building my own PVR. Or maybe not? I wonder how well an old P3 1.4 GHz would do with PVR duties if I get a TV card?
JKolstad - Friday, September 17, 2004 - link
#17: Fair enough, but my point is that if legal restrictions prevent DVD playback from working, it either (a) simply shouldn't be an option for the user to select in the first place or (b) a dialog should be displayed mentioning as much (You can word things pretty generically... just say, "DVD playback is unavailable due to the lack of a DeCss plug-in. According to the DMCA, such software cannot be legally distributed with this application, nor can information be provided on where such software could be obtained. Please search the Internet for further information.")But letting a use choose an option that then just leads to a blank screen frustrates both novice AND expert users.
#20: Granny isn't going to come within 10 feet of a PVR? Hmm... maybe, but I'd bet you plenty of TiVos are sold to the 60+ crowd, and PVRs aren't far behind.
---Joel
Daita - Friday, September 17, 2004 - link
What about comparing something like Snapstream or SageTV to MythTV for the windows platform as they're more comparable to what MythTV offers. Snapstream with the new 3.5 version thats in beta right now offers multi-tuner support, web scheduling, client server operation, transcoding, and with the new plugin system will allow users to implement many more features. While this is a 3rd part addon for windows I still think something along these lines is much more comparable than Windowa MCE.frizzlebiscuit - Friday, September 17, 2004 - link
Xsecrets, you read my mind. I noticed the same errors in the article regarding KnoppMyth and MythTV, and had the same reactions. Thanks for saving me some typing.On MCE: I have not spent any time with MCE, but it looks similar to UltimateTV, which is in some respects a good thing.
On grandmas: No elderly person on earth is coming within 10 feet of a PVR. Therefore it's a fallacy to base evaluations of these systems on such a standard of usability. That being said, Supernerd shouldn't be the standard either, but I don't think that is the case here.
On user interfaces: Interfaces should be optimized for a TV and a remote control. MCE looks like it's designed for a monitor and mouse. Supernerd may watch TV at his computer, but I don't. Myth gets it right.
rjbAnandtech - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
So will ether of these directly connect to a Cable TV or Satellite TV feed? How about a version that does HDTV? What card can be used to support HDTV from Satellite?Thanks!
cesman - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
"KnoppMyth installs cleanly and easily, but does not offer as much support as getting your hands dirty with a "from scratch" install." As one of the developers behind KnoppMyth, that is the point. KnoppMyth was/is designed to get a set-top box running in the quickest and easiest manner. What sort of "support" are you looking for?Xsecrets - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
--> I don't think they would have been 'dinged' for this problem if KnoppMyth had, for instance, put up a dialog box TELLING THEM that the problem is that they need to install a DVD ripper (or whatever). But the fact that KnoppMyth gives no on-screen indication of this to the end user means that it fails the 'grandma' test, at which point it doesn't really matter _why_ it didn't work.If you'll take a second to look at the DMCA and the history behind decss it is illegal to even tell anyone where to get decss so knoppmyth sort of has it's hands tied. We can't tell grandma go click here and it will enable dvd playback and ripping, or the MPAA can come after the project, and shut it down. This sucks it's not right, but it's the law in the us. If people like grandma paid more attention to the government taking away all of their rights this would not be an issue. I suppose the knoppmyth developers could have a pop up telling why dvd playing and ripping don't work, and just say go scour the internet, but that's about as user friendly as they can legally be.
KristopherKubicki - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
thedude666:All of the topics you addressed were in the article.
>for instance, it is practically impossible to compile MythTV in 20 minutes
We used knoppmyth for part II of this analysis.
>Firstly, they try and compare software encoding offof any old bttv card to hardware encoding on a card like the PVR-250 (which Myth is more than capable of handling adequately). Apples and oranges.
Not really; not that it matters anyway since we used both setups in this analysis.
Kristopher
JKolstad - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
A few comments:"As a mater of fact all of it has to do with copy protection, as it is illegal to distribute decss in the US where knoppmyth is developed. They go on to say "In either case, we can't watch "Nip Tuck" on the KnoppMyth machine without some serious changes to the install", but fail to mention that the serious changes to the install involve running one command as root."
--> I don't think they would have been 'dinged' for this problem if KnoppMyth had, for instance, put up a dialog box TELLING THEM that the problem is that they need to install a DVD ripper (or whatever). But the fact that KnoppMyth gives no on-screen indiciation of this to the end user means that it fails the 'grandma' test, at which point it doesn't really matter _why_ it didn't work.
"Firstly, they try and compare software encoding offof any old bttv card to hardware encoding on a card like the PVR-250 (which Myth is more than capable of handling adequately). Apples and oranges."
--> How so? If anything, I'd expect the software encoding to be better in that it's usually a lot easier to build 'adaptive' software than hardware.
I personally kinda prefer the hardware approach though...
"And they also ignore MythTV's *real* strength in that you can cluster as many computers and TV cards as you want into a single cohesive entertainment system spanning your entire house, thanks to it's funky client/server architecture."
--> I agree it deserves a mention, but I suspect the reason they neglected it is due to the fact that realistically not many people are going to make use of such a feature I.e., it's great for hardware computer junkies, but granny probably isn't going to be that excited about having a LAN party box in her bathroom. Although grandpa might like the second tuner, I'd grant you, so that he can record football while grandma watchs the world poker championships or something.
---Joel
thedude666 - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
I'm sorry to say but I believe anandtech is losing their technical edge when it comes to subjects such as this or at least where linux is concerned.I'll quote someone who just posted this on /.
quote:
..there are alot of problems with this review.
Firstly, they try and compare software encoding offof any old bttv card to hardware encoding on a card like the PVR-250 (which Myth is more than capable of handling adequately). Apples and oranges.
They make almost no mention of the many plugins Myth has available, such as the web browser, RSS syndication, weather, music, every kind of video ever (through mPlayer and/or Xine)...
Almost complete non-mention of the way MythWeb (web-based MythTV control and viewing system) seamlessly integrates with the system, and allows you to do funky things with your Mythbox from work
And they also ignore MythTV's *real* strength in that you can cluster as many computers and TV cards as you want into a single cohesive entertainment system spanning your entire house, thanks to it's funky client/server architecture.
Very little objective/subjective comment on the relative merits of the interfaces
Frankly, I find it rather difficult that they could put an entire Myth system together in little under 4 hours, especially since they seem to know little about Linux (for instance, it is practically impossible to compile MythTV in 20 minutes - it takes aaaaaggggggeeeeessss. Methinks they meant download and install rather than compile).
endquote.
My 2 cents, myth is much easier to install in a debian based system. It's just apt-get mythtv and everything was set up.
C'mon anandtech get a little more of a clue on subjects such as this before your write up.
Xsecrets - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
I have a few corrections for the article.1) The article claims that "the feature that puts MCE on top in this screen is the live display on the bottom left." without stating that mythtv also has this feature on it's program guide when accessed from livetv.
2) The reviewer doesn't bother to research why dvd playback doesn't work on knoppmyth, stating "Part of this may have to do with copy-protection, part of it may have to do with poorly constructed code." As a mater of fact all of it has to do with copy protection, as it is illegal to distribute decss in the US where knoppmyth is developed. They go on to say "In either case, we can't watch "Nip Tuck" on the KnoppMyth machine without some serious changes to the install", but fail to mention that the serious changes to the install involve running one command as root.(granted this is a bit more of a pain than mce, but Microsoft can afford to pay for you to be able to play the movies you have already purchased where the knoppmyth development team cannot, blame the DMCA) To add insult to injury towards the end of that article they talk about legal issues with knoppmyth because of the ability to rip dvd's. Obviously they did not test this feature, as this feature no more works "out of the box" on knoppmyth than playing dvd's, for the same legal reasons, and getting it to work requires the same one command.
3)the article states that "The ability to make changes to KnoppMyth after it has already been installed is one quality that it severely lacks." Knoppmyth is no more difficult to make changes to once installed than any other linux distribution with mythtv installed on it. It is just less likely that you will need to, and less likely that a new user will know how to, since they didn't have to spend hours figuring everything out just to get mythtv installed.
on a final note I am just correcting the mistakes I saw with mythtv, and do not really mean to be biased, but I have never use mce more than playing with it in the store for a few minutes and use mythtv in the form of knoppmyth on a daily basis.
Cygni - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
Im kinda with Nintari in one respect. There are plenty of tools and 3rd party progs for MCE which fix the problems mentioned. If your going to use third party/skins/plug ins for Myth, it would only be fair to mention the third party plug ins for MCE. Overall though, a good review.Nintari - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
I have many problems with the review...Codecs.. the DVR-MS file is just that.. a file that is recorded t oyour machine. It utilizes the PVRs hardware encoding features to crate this file. As for Codecs you use a DVD Codec to decode the video file. NVDVD is preffered as it is the most reliable and stable codec for use in MCE.
Software encoders.. the reason for using hardware based PVR cards and not software ones is the obious advantage of recording in the backround with little to no cpu use. Als owhile viewing TV there is hardly any CPU used. There is software based encoding availible to MCE. ATI has a special encdoer for thier AIW line to allow software encoding.
There also is a FREE third party application for MCE to allow for web based scheduling of recordings. There are many other FREE third party applications availible to do things such as edit hte DVR-MS files to get rid of commercials and convert the video for archiving or file storage. Even newer versions of Nero support converting the recorded content in MCE to DVD.
gimper48 - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
oops it would help if I read. Ok I know it is sff where did they find it for that price? Peace,gimper48 - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
where do you find that case. IS is a mid-tower?evelhakur - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
Hey what about Remote Controllers on each of the systems? Who's works better/worse? I need to sit back on the couch with the remote, I don't want to fool around with the mouse (Tivo's remote works wonderfully).Also, if you go with the WinTV Go cards you don't get a remote! Which 3rd party remote control will substitute?
George
KristopherKubicki - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
Id consider it more functional except the feature of on-demand content, which is pretty neat in my opinion.Kristopher
dvinnen - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
MythTV wins because it is free, cheeper to build a machine with, supports more hardware, and almost as functional as the Windows version.mab0270 - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
That's the beauty of MythTV: It's free, so you don't have to "buy it for some future upgrade".I'd have to say Myth works pretty well straight out of the box, providing you know how to follow instructions on how to set it up. As mentioned in the article, KnoppMyth makes it pretty easy to get a functional Myth system in about 20 minutes.
As for wondering whether those future upgrades will happen, it's being actively developed, and its popularity is growing every day. If you want a feaature, and you have any programming experience, you can even look into implementing it yourself!
Questar - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
So MythTV wins due to a potential to get better in the future??Yeah, I always buy products for some future upgrade that may or may not happen, verses how well they work on the day I spend my money.
Price2Rise - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
It would be great to see how a review of MythTV and MediaPortal would look. MediaPortal is open source as well and runs on Windows instead. It is a young project, but it is looking good already -> http://mediaportal.sf.netPrice2Rise - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
mcveigh - Thursday, September 16, 2004 - link
mce 2005 is cominghttp://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&a...
10/12 acording to that thread.