want to get into mythbuntu, questions

[mortuk]

First off I have been using Ubuntu since edgy / feisty and love it. Also installed it on mine and the devs pcs at work which has gone down well.

Anyways I have seen of mythbuntu / mythtv setups and always wanted to try it. My main mission is to get the TV from downstairs up onto the TV in my office and maybe the bedroom.

So for the last few weeks on and off I have been doing some research into it with the wiki's / these forums / google etc, but I still have a few questions.

I live in the UK and have Virgin TV, they say digital tv channels but does that actually mean its a digital signal? It comes through a cable in the ground with my broadband. Just wondering as dont want to buy the wrong type of decoder.

Anyways I was thinking of maybe getting a USB tuner but wondered what benefits an internal one might provide? The machine I am putting it into is a small desktop style Compaq which has a 2.4ghz p4 but onboard graphics. Would a tuner with a hardware decoder be best?

If you guys think USB is the way to go which one? I have looked at the list of supported devices but in all my years of messing about with pcs i have only owned one really crappy tv card that tbh i regreted buying, the quality was rubbish and just wasnt worth it, so no idea whats good and what isnt.

Also, will I just be able to split the cable and run one upstairs, while the other goes into the Virgin TV box as normal?

Any advice you can offer would be ace, cheers :)

[SteveGodfrey]

If you want to use the VirginMedia box you'll need to use an infrared blaster and have a connection from the scart out on the Virgin box into some form of capture device on your media centre. I'm in a similar position to you (Virgin Media) but instead of using that I have a Hauppauge Nova-TD usb stick. It's a dual tuner freeview receiver which works out of the box in ubuntu 8.04.

From my point of view using the Virgin box was too much hastle so I went freeview only. Works a treat.

[mortuk]

hah i wish it were that easy, am in a non freeview area (30 miles north of london on the m1!!) until 2012 would you believe it?

i would definitley be interested in hearing what other virgin media customers do tuner card wise etc

[patslap]

Hi mortuk,

Did you have any joy with the virgin media cable tv to mythbuntu setup? I have the same service and want to build a mythbuntu box which integrates with the virgin media service I'm subscribed to (freeview reception is no good in this area, and I live in flats where we cannot put up a satellite dish).

[mortuk]

no joy but looking at having another go

i have inherited an msi small form factor pc that also doubles up as a hifi, thinking of making that a media box.

potentially looking at getting a usb encoder, but the one i am looking at (http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Hauppauge_WinTV-PVR-USB2) i have no idea if that would be a good idea or not for what i am trying

anyone advise?

[mortuk]

also does this mean i WONT be able to 'split' the analogue cable?

ie one to my tv as usual, and one to mythbuntu? as my gf will bitch like crazy if she cant get it on the tv

[DemonBob]

You can split the cable. I have two cards in my box with a cable going to each. I also have it split to the tv. The myth box is going to the tv via s-video, so all i have to do is switch the tv to video1 input to get to my mythbox, or just change the normal tc channels to watch cable if something is recording on my mythbox.