Customer Reviews

Hacking MythTV (ExtremeTech)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

a more accurate title for this book would be "installing mythtv"

i was ultimately disappointed by this book, as having "hacking" in the title led me to believe this would provide technical insight into the various modules of mythtv.

instead, what is presented is essentially an aggregation of info that is widely available on the net. there is *very little* new insight presented. it is more of a how-to for installing and setting up mythtv on a fedora box- yet again providing little technical details. i expected new insights into setup possibilities and what a lot of the setup options mean and control, not a nearly word-for-word description from the rollover info in mythtv-setup.

as an example (not verbatim, but accurate to the experience):

Use OpenGL for timing: if selected, this option will use opengl for timing.

great. but what does that mean for the average user? what are the pros and cons?

in summary, if you run a FC box and want a hard-printed copy of basic mythtv setup and some additional info about plugins, then buy this book, but if you are looking for new insight or looking to truly "hack" mythtv, save yourself the money and disappointment and start googling.

The book is a good guide if you want to get MythTV up and running. It however lacks real detail with respect to the underlying technology. Detail is lacking in areas such as transcoding, optimising the software encoders etc.
The book will suit a user who has not been exposed to MythTV but lacks the depth for the experienced MythTV user.

You can get Tivos for only a couple hundred dollars. Many cable companies offer Tivo-like services for only $10-$20 extra a month. Why would you want to undertake building your own PVR(Personal Video Recorder)?

It is not to save money. If you want to save money, your best bet is just to buy a commercial PVR. It is about control! Cable companies are putting additional controls on PVRs. Sporting games can often only be kept for a preset amount of time. Certian channels request the cable operator to only allow you to fast forward at 2X through their commercials. And perhaps most importantly, what you record is locked away in your PVR's internal proprietary video format.

None of these issues exist with Myth TV. Myth TV is open source. It is designed to have the features that its user base wants, not the features that the cable company and station providers want you to have. It can export to a variety of open formats, which allows you to play your recorded movies from any of your home computers using regular software. You can easily move your recorded video to devices such as an iPod, Archos, or other video player. You are in control.

Additionally, there is no subscription fee. You download your channels from an open channel server. You do not need to pay some PVR company a monthly fee.

Unfortunately, installing a Myth TV setup can be somewhat difficult. You have to decide on your hardware. Maybe you don't want a computer tower sitting in your family room. If so you need to decide on some of the newer computer cases that are no bigger than the average DVD player. What type of video capture card do you need? The book walks you through your hardware choices.

Software is another issue. You can use one of the Linux distributions that is already designed to support Myth TV, or you can roll your own setup. The book discusses how to setup for Myth. You will need other packages, such as MySQL, a Linux distribution, and other packages. This is all covered by the book.

The book does a very good job of stepping you though each process and not assuming you are already an expert.

I was looking for a book on MythTv for 2 reasons:

- Help my install MythTv fast
- Give my tricks on how hack MythTv

This book is this neither of those things. First, it is not a step-by-step instruction about installing MythTv. Everything is probably in the book, but it is not clearly organized. For instance, chapter 3 shows you how to configure MythTv sound and picture, and chapter 4 shows you how to install Linux. Now, how am I supposed to configure MythTv if I don't have Linux or MythTv installed.

This book is not about hacking either. The last few chapters show you how to improve some of the plugins, but not much. Everything that is in this book is available on-line.

If you want my opinion, download the HOW-TO guide from the MythTv web site, and take it from there. I was new to Linux and MythTv, and I managed to install the whole thing without looking at this book.

I have tinkered with Myth and Linux for a couple of years. I hoped it would share some insights into some of the more intricate settings and options. It didn't. It was very generic and aimed for a broad audience with basic operational option. If you are just getting started with this concept, its a good start.

It's a must read for MythTV users.
It has easy to understand explanations for every setting.
If you are having any difficulty, this has the answers.

I expected much more from the title. What does hacking mean? Does it mean installing Linux distro with MythTV package? I don' think so.
Book has some basic description of MythTV, but it is really basic. You could probably figure it out installing it an using it couple of days.
I did work out through whole book, expecting to find hacking part. No luck.
One thing that book helped me was to find IR receiver (though it was expensive).

Better buy Linux admin book, you will learn more.

Sorry authors.
Still I really love MythTV.

I like the book and bought it mainly with the understanding that there wouldn't be much new in this book that I couldn't find on the internet. However, having all the information necessary to bring up a MythTV installation at my fingertips without having to search around on the internet for it is nice.

The book is well written, and although it is not incredibly technical, it does make the installation less formidable. I have been running MythTV since ~2003, and still found some useful information in this book.

I think publishing this book leaves room for the authors to update the book with a more technical version...if that ever happens.