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Installing MythTV 0.20 on Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10
Document Purpose
The purpose of this document is to guide the reader through the installation of MythTV0.20 on Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10. After completing this guide the reader will have a fullyfunctional MythTV Linux box that is capable of recording and playing digital televisionas well as hosting your DVD and music collection, or streaming those media collectionsto other MythTV front-end machines elsewhere around your house and wider networks,even allowing access to your recordings via the web from outside of your home if desired.
Requirements
The following requirements are prerequisites for using this installation guide.1.
Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10 desktop CD (available from www.ubuntu.net)2.
Hardware that is identical or comparable to that specified below
Example Hardware
I used the hardware specified below. If you use the exact same hardware then your installation will work perfectly provided that you follow the instructions here accurately.However, if you use different hardware (such as a different model of TV tuner or graphicscard) then you should do some research first to check that the hardware you have chosenis compatible with Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10 and that it is it compatible with MythTV. Thesafest option for a stressful install is to use the hardware I’ve written this guide around.
Processor : AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual core processor Motherboard : nFORCE 4M-A ATXMemory : 2GB DDR2 RAM chipGraphics Card : nVidia GeForce 7200 SeriesMedia Drives : LG DVD/CD re-writer internal driveTuner Card : Hauppauge WinTV Nova T-500 dual tuner Network : Devolo Highspeed Ethernet Starter Kit (better than using Wireless)Remotes : iPhone/iTouch, or use the remote that accompanied the Tuner
I wanted to point out a couple of things regarding my hardware setup. You will notice thatI’ve got video built into the motherboard, yet I also opted to install a separate graphicscard as well. The reason is that the separate graphics card will provide DVI output andhas a higher specification that the built-in one, which is important given that I need thegraphics card to deliver a clean crisp video image to the accompanying television.Secondly, rather than installing a Wireless card I opted to use the built-in Ethernet portand connect it to a Devolo Ethernet adaptor that plugs into a power socket in the wall.These adaptors allow an 85mbps network connection to be established across the power circuit in your home. One adapter connects the network from the router to the mainscircuit and the other adaptor connects the mains circuit to your MythTV computer. This isespecially useful because Linux still has problems natively supporting many wirelesscards and this approach will give you a consistent fast network connection that will better facilitate streaming your media to other MythTV front-end PCs around your home.One final point - get a lot of memory (1GB per TV channel you wish to be able to recordin parallel) and a large hard-disk. I fitted a 500GB hard-disk and was surprised howquickly it filled up when I loaded on my DVD collection and started recording TV. Youcan never have enough memory and never have enough hard-disk space available to you!
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