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MythTV is a GPL open source application for Linux designed to allow any computer (that meets the specified minimum requirements) to function as a personal video recorder. The project was started in April 2002 by Isaac Richards. Richards explains his motivation to begin the project on its website:
- I got tired of the rather low quality cable box that AT&T Broadband provides with their digital cable service. It's slow to change channels, ridden with ads, and the program guide is a joke. So, I figured it'd be fun to try and build a replacement. Yes, I could have just bought a TiVo, but I wanted to have more than just a PVR -- I want a webbrowser built in, a mail client, maybe some games. Basically, I want the mythical convergence box that's been talked about for a few years now.
A screenshot of MythTV's main menu, in the default blue theme MythTV has become a very mature project. As of October 2004, the project was in a very usable state at version 0.16, with 0.17 due to be released in early February 2005. Development is coordinated on a publically accessible CVS server. Several active IRC channels and mailing lists permit communication between developers, and support for users. The software supports any TV tuner card which is completely supported by the Video4Linux or Video4Linux2 kernel drivers, as well as the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR PCI card tuners (and some similar cards) which have the iTVC15/16 hardware MPEG-2 compression processors, using drivers from the IvyTV project, which is currently being heavily developed by Missouri PBS TV engineer Chris Kennedy).
Users who wish to devote a computer to MythTV may wish to use KnoppMyth, a derivative of the Knoppix Linux distribution that comes with MythTV pre-installed. The MythTV frontend can be run entirely from CD if desired, or an entire installation to the hard disk can take place in minutes. Because of this streamlined installation process, some MythTV users have considered the feasibility of selling small form factor computers preinstalled with MythTV.
Over time MythTV's architecture has allowed it to evolve into multi-functional home entertainment center. MythTV is extensible with add-on modules (plugins), which for version 0.16 include:
- MythVideo: video management module
- MythMusic: music player and music collection manager
- MythDVD: DVD management add-on
- MythGallery: image gallery management module
- MythNews: RSS feed news reader
- MythWeather: weather forecast
- MythBrowser: a small web browser for a living room
- MythGame: frontend to games
- MythWeb: web interface for MythTV
- MythPhone: SIP phone add-on module
The base system and its modules integrate well together. The entire system can be controlled over infrared remote control using LIRC, or radio remote control using kernel modules.
External links
- MythTV (http://www.mythtv.org/) official website
- MythTV.info (http://www.mythtv.info/) unofficial notes and documentation Wiki
- MythTVtalk (http://www.mythtvtalk.com) Forum for MythTV
- Gentoo-Portage Wiki (http://gentoo-wiki.com/HARDWARE_Setup_MythTV) unofficial notes and documentation Wiki for MythTV on Gentoo Linux
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