Hell I can build an "almost" top of the line PC for that. The software doesn't look all that impressive and it is still a PC that doesn't look like an entertainment center applaince. Reading the specs of a VIA C3 sub 1 GHz processor with 256 megs of 2100 Ram. This thing is a $200 PC for almost a grand.
That's quite relative. It might not sound impressive, but that's probably because you've never attempted to get a Linux box working as a PVR... It might not be software that requires a lot of effort for a programmer to create, but since nothing like it exists in the Open Source world, it is somewhat impressive.
MythTV looks like a good start, but the effort required to get it working is significant, and it doesn't do anything BUT timeshift and record. It can't playback your DVD, VCDs, SVCDs, or Divx CDs, it can't save your recorded shows to CD/DVD, it can't playback music or display images, etc... Once MythTV/Freevo gets all these features, then this current software won't be that impressive. For now, since there is nothing else out there like it, it certainly is impresive.
Take a look at Tivo. People are paying truckloads of money for boxes without half the features this thing has. Admitedly, this is missing a couple features Tivo has, but I believe that could be easily fixed.
MythTV looks like a good start, but the effort required to get it working is significant, and it doesn't do anything BUT timeshift and record. It can't playback your DVD, VCDs, SVCDs, or Divx CDs, it can't save your recorded shows to CD/DVD, it can't playback music or display images, etc... Once MythTV/Freevo gets all these features, then this current software won't be that impressive.
MythTV has most of these features as add-on modules [mythtv.org]. MythTV's modular design means that there are an ever-growing number of modules that can be used to extend it's already rich feature-set.
Alright, it has more functionality than I knew about, but still doesn't have everything this does. Some of the features myth doesn't seem to have (like burning to CD/DVD) are very very significant/important. MythTV may have those eventually, but not yet, and likely not for some time.
Boy, rather negative, aren't we? The Myth developers are quick. The project was only started 14 months ago for crying out loud!
I love my Myth box. timeshifting, recording while I'm at work, playing my music library, playing videos, game emulation, photo gallery, weather module... it has everything!
MythTV actually has very mature modules that let you play your music library, your DivX file library, check the weather, browse images. Removeable media support (Playback & reading) is absent.
MythTV looks like a good start, but the effort required to get it working is significant, and it doesn't do anything BUT timeshift and record. It can't playback your DVD, VCDs, SVCDs, or Divx CDs, it can't save your recorded shows to CD/DVD, it can't playback music or display images, etc... Once MythTV/Freevo gets all these features, then this current software won't be that impressive. For now, since there is nothing else out there like it, it certainly is impresive.
Yes, yes, you are about the 50th person to point that out... It's amazing how few people read other replies before they reply. Even more surprising is that you got moderated up, rather than the others.
Okay ... NO (Score:5, Funny)
Hell I can build an "almost" top of the line PC for that. The software doesn't look all that impressive and it is still a PC that doesn't look like an entertainment center applaince. Reading the specs of a VIA C3 sub 1 GHz processor with 256 megs of 2100 Ram. This thing is a $200 PC for almost a grand.
But it runs linux, wait no, that's free.
Seems like quite the not good deal ...
Re:Okay ... NO (Score:4, Insightful)
That's quite relative. It might not sound impressive, but that's probably because you've never attempted to get a Linux box working as a PVR... It might not be software that requires a lot of effort for a programmer to create, but since nothing like it exists in the Open Source world, it is somewhat impressive.
MythTV looks like a good start, but the effort required to get it working is significant, and it doesn't do anything BUT timeshift and record. It can't playback your DVD, VCDs, SVCDs, or Divx CDs, it can't save your recorded shows to CD/DVD, it can't playback music or display images, etc... Once MythTV/Freevo gets all these features, then this current software won't be that impressive. For now, since there is nothing else out there like it, it certainly is impresive.
Take a look at Tivo. People are paying truckloads of money for boxes without half the features this thing has. Admitedly, this is missing a couple features Tivo has, but I believe that could be easily fixed.
Re:Okay ... NO (Score:5, Informative)
MythTV looks like a good start, but the effort required to get it working is significant, and it doesn't do anything BUT timeshift and record. It can't playback your DVD, VCDs, SVCDs, or Divx CDs, it can't save your recorded shows to CD/DVD, it can't playback music or display images, etc... Once MythTV/Freevo gets all these features, then this current software won't be that impressive.
MythTV has most of these features as add-on modules [mythtv.org]. MythTV's modular design means that there are an ever-growing number of modules that can be used to extend it's already rich feature-set.
Re:Okay ... NO (Score:1)
Re:Okay ... NO (Score:2)
Boy, rather negative, aren't we? The Myth developers are quick. The project was only started 14 months ago for crying out loud!
I love my Myth box. timeshifting, recording while I'm at work, playing my music library, playing videos, game emulation, photo gallery, weather module... it has everything!
Re:Okay ... NO (Score:1)
This new box HAS (has meaning presently, not might come in the near future) lots of major features that Myth can't hope to match.
Someday, when Myth does have those features, then you can say the software on this box isn't anything special.
No, it's missing quite a bit... Quite a few features I'm trying to tie together with giant shell scripts, mplayer, cdrecord, avidemux,
Re:Okay ... NO (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Okay ... NO (Score:5, Informative)
Um, really? [mythtv.org]
-Ted
Re:Okay ... NO (Score:2)
See my response (posted an hour before you even asked the question) here: http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=71232&cid=644