MythTv for PS3

[Greeneye]

The hard drive in the PS3 is going to come in really handy. Especially as a tool for the front end PVR (personal video recorder).

Using Linux freeware MythTv users have transformed their Xboxes in to front end PVRs. Meaning that they have setup MythTv to record TV programs like TiVo and transfer it over the network to the Xbox and play them that way. This has provided a way users can get their own TiVo like system without having a massive clunky computer sitting next to their TV.

How it would work? First you'd install Linux on a extra computer in your house somewhere, this machine would need a large hard drive to store TV shows. You will also have to install a video capture card that can tune to different TV stations (details at the MythTV forums). From there you will install the front end of MythTv on to the PS3, much like it is done so for the Xbox in the link below. After you have set all that up your PS3 should be able to pull the video from the computer over your wireless network and play the video.

Some cool things about MythTv is that it does not take a subscription fee to get the TV schedules to record them so you wont be shelling out to a service provider every month of a digital TV guide.

Note that at this time this is all speculation, and it will probably be 6 months after the release of the PS3 before someone has put up a good set of instructions on the web making this possible. Watch the MythTv forums, they will probably show up there first.

Links:
http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/news/2006/2006-10-17.shtml
http://www.mythtv.org/
http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/MythTV_on_Xebian_HOWTO

[porchemasi]

START PORTING THOSE EMU's to LINUX ^_^ and apps

[mavsman4457]

You probably won't even need a computer. All you need is a USB TV tuner, Linux running on your PS3, and MythTV running in Linux. I have been looking forward to this for a very very long time. The only problem is that I have satellite so it won't work as well. :( I still love satellite though.

[popper]

You probably won't even need a computer. All you need is a USB TV tuner, Linux running on your PS3, and MythTV running in Linux. I have been looking forward to this for a very very long time. The only problem is that I have satellite so it won't work as well. :( I still love satellite though.

so ,whats the problem with sat?, just get a usb 2.0 dvb-S or S2 card and use that....

your not living in the old analogue days of composite input, DVB is the way forward and infact how all the current
cards work, by simply taking the existing digital TS (transport stream) and directly copying that to the harddrive, no video encoding going on there so no big and beefy cpu needed even.

the advantage of running off ps3 OC is that you get Hi-def plugability out of the box straight into your HD tv sat over there, or your HD compatable monitor if you like.

the average MUX is carrying 4 or 5 channels at a time, so in effect you can copy all of them (as long as their not scrambled or you have an official payed for cam and card to unlock it)at the same time if you want to, and use VLC to play it live or back and switch between the muxs, pritty simple really.... (vlc needs more work to make it user friendly and just plain nice to use and select any combination inside the mux, perhaps you can do that work?)

and you can take that (usually)mpeg2.ts but can be the far better AVC/h264 these days (bbc etc) and Multicast it (224.0.0.1:777)again with vlc to any (wireless)lan connected machine or device...

take a look at jtvlan for a good java based front end for your needs, works good on x86.

any dvb-T,C,S or even H (handheld) should work fine as long as you can receive the signal, try it on a x86 first, you just need a copy of linuxTV and any of the USB cards it supports and off you go.

the thing is any of the current PPC based linux and their linuxtv tools will work out of the box within reason if you can install the standard PPC linux on ps3 than its done..... plug in your card, install/make the linuxtv,copy your firmware to the right dir and away you go.

dont forget that every single PPC linux so far does not take advantage of even the Altivec (like the MMX*) unit, never mind the 6 ppu units so theres plenty of scope to improve general speed over time.

if your a coder then spend your time helping out the likes of the http://archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-ppc-dev/ guys to improve the core PPC/Altivec code, and later work on the spu units etc for the good of everyone...

even the 360 with its PPC based cpu can then use the ppc/ps3 code once they get a way to also install linux on their kit, hell even wii can join the party if you like , .....

wonder if the fact they are then gaining through the PPC/ps3 coders early work will make them appreciate its all PPC based and good FUN :)

you guys will understand this , so far the current ps3 with these basic PPC installs are rather like running the very first amiga UAE on the very first day, once these Altivec and spu are finally taken advantage of (assumeing someone makes the effort to make it standard practice to compile with vectorised code/options) then its like going from that first UAE all the way to todays latest JIT enabled version and way beyond.... now thats cool.

have a read of this techy coders (some very heavy pro game coders reading there so dont assume anything )thread were they are trying out simple compiler and vectorising code to increase average scores etc to get a feel for how it could be if you put the altivec time and effort in now.

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36058&page=7

[mavsman4457]

OK I'm sorry but that post was a little confusing to me, not really confusing but I'm just lazy to try to comprehend it. Basically , from what I have gathered, it is bad to have satellite because then you can't use your computer and TV tuner to change the channel on the satellite. But you told me that I just need the right kind of TV tuner? Which one should I get? Could you give me a small list of suggested TV tuners? Sorry for my ignorance, I'm learning.

[tomf]

most of that post was about enhancing/optimizing the compilers and source code of software for the PS3 specifically.

for info on what type of DVB device you would need see this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_digital_television_deployments_by_country

(its very location specific)

also when I got my ps3 a few months ago I installed gentoo and freevo (another linux PVR package). which is much less complicated than mythtv. this also means it is less featured software, but it has everything I wanted. basically I turned the PS3 into a media jukebox with a few hundred GB of music/TV shows/movies (external USB storage).

I have two tasks remaining:

get the bluetooth bluray controller to work with lirc (freevo uses this)

figure out a quicker way to switch between Game OS and Other OS (ideally from the remote rather than a keyboard).

[potatoman]

OMG! oh wait, i forgot, myth tv SUCKS! unless ur in us. then i dunno. but in the uk with a 24mbps line, ive seen better picture quality come from a 2 year old with a crayon! anyway, why not antz tv! that has 10x more channels and looks half decent 2!

[Cap'n 1time]

OMG! oh wait, i forgot, myth tv SUCKS! unless ur in us. then i dunno. but in the uk with a 24mbps line, ive seen better picture quality come from a 2 year old with a crayon! anyway, why not antz tv! that has 10x more channels and looks half decent 2!

er.... ? I fail to see what myth TV has to do with your connection speed. Myth TV is a LAN operation generally. I think you are mixing Myth TV up with something else.

Ive used my xbox as a myth TV front end ever since I learned of its possibility. It was a nice cheap solution (and even cheaper these days).

[potatoman]

oops, sorry, thought it was something else... my bad