Frequently Asked Questions for KnoppMyth R4
(Revised: 1/4/04)
What is this FAQ and who wrote it?
So does this run completely from the CD?
Will it ever run completely from the CD?
Why should I use KnoppMyth instead of distribution X?
Can I hook my boxen up to a television?
What are the bare minimum hardware requirements?
I can’t get the TV guide information! What should I do?
What tuners will work with KnoppMyth natively?
Will the Hauppauge PVR 250 work with this release?
Will the Hauppauge PVR 350 work with this release?
What can I use to edit files in the terminal?
What is are the best settings for video and sound?
How do I configure those settings for video and sound?
I can’t hear any sound! What should I do?
How do I control my DirecTV unit and what kind of video card do I need to record from it?
Can I watch one channel while recording on another?
What is this FAQ and who wrote it?
This FAQ is for users or potential users of the KnoppMyth release. It is intended to give pointers and tips about installing, using and modifying KnoppMyth.
This FAQ is compiled by Grant Jones from the stuff the developers have put on websites and from user forums. Mainly: http://mysettopbox.tv/phpBB2/index.php
At the time of this FAQ creation R4 was the current release, R5 was/is being discussed. This FAQ will be revised and updated when R5 comes out.
This FAQ is a work in progress. I wanted to put something up which would help people out right away. I will add more!
If there are any errors or additions you would like to see in this FAQ please e-mail me, Grant Jones (grant@podtronics.com)
From http://mythtv.org/
“MythTV is a homebrew PVR project that I've been working on in my spare time. It's been under heavy development for over a year, and is now quite useable and featureful.”
MythTV is designed to run on any variant of the Linux operating system.
From http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html
KNOPPIX is a bootable CD with a collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. KNOPPIX can be used as a Linux demo, educational CD, rescue system, or adapted and used as a platform for commercial software product demos. It is not necessary to install anything on a hard disk. Due to on-the-fly decompression, the CD can have up to 2 GB of executable software installed on it.
What is KnoppMyth? (From Cecil, the creator of KnoppMyth)
You can get it from the official web site: http://mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html or from one of the listed mirrors.
So does this run completely from the CD? (From Cecil)
No. You can use the CD as a frontend, but KnoppMyth must be installed to the hard drive.
Will it ever run completely from the CD? (From Cecil)
Maybe.
So what else is included? (From Cecil)
Gkrellm,Motion, MPlayer, NFS, SAMBA, Webmin, and more!
Why isn't program X included? (From Cecil)
I only installed what I thought
was needed. This doesn't mean you cannot install it yourself:
# apt-get update
# apt-get install <packageX>
Why should I use KnoppMyth instead of dristribution X? (From Cecil)
Ease of installation. KnoppMyth can be installed in as little as 10 minutes (depending upon your hardware speed) then all you have to wait for is the first week of TV scheduling to be downloaded. If all your hardware is supported under Linux, you may not have to edit any configuration files.
Can I hook my boxen up to a television? (From Cecil)
Yes, that is how I watch TV. ;-)
So this is Debian? (From Cecil)
Knoppix is based on
Debian testing and unstable. It functions in the same manner, the only thing
that isn't recommended is
# apt-get dist-upgrade
Who creates the KnoppMyth package?
Cecil and Dale at http://mysettopbox.tv/
What is the most recent version of KnoppMyth?
The most recent version is R4 at the time of this writing.
What are the bare minimum hardware requirements?
I can’t get the TV guide information! What should I do?
Assuming this is a new installation, run “apt-get update” and “apt-get install xmltv” The run “mythtv-setup” and finally run “mythtvfilldatabase”.
This will reconfigure the script which retrieves the TV guide information from Zap2it which had changed the format of the TV guide. You should now be able to correctly input your zip-code while in the mythtv-setup program. Finally it is important to run “mythtvfilldatabase” to actually retrieve the TV guide.
What tuners will work with KnoppMyth natively?
Any tuner
which will work with the bttv or ivtv. This means most hauppauge cards will work
with KnoppMyth.
"There are lots to choose from, so I would look for a common model listed on
mythtv.org. The most common seems to be the PVR 250 and 350.
The one thing to watch out for is hardware versus software encoders. Mine is
software so my processor has to do all the hard work to encode the video. If it
was on the chip the processor requirements would be way down. (very deceptive
box propaganda)."
From
http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2003/07/mythtv_howto.html, Posted by Scott
Will the Hauppauge
PVR 250 work with this release?
The PVR
250 from Hauppuage will work with this release. The PVR-250 and PVR-350 use the
ivtv driver.
Will the Hauppauge PVR 350 work with this release?
The inputs will work with R4, however; the outputs will likely not work or will be very buggy. In my experiences at the time of this writing it is advisable to NOT try to get the output to work. The drivers are very buggy and unstable at this time so don't expect to use the PVR 350 for video output in this release (Maybe R5).
If you still want to bang your head against the wall for a few hours check this HOWTO out: http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2003-November/019431.html
A few hints for PVR350 stuff:
This is also your friend when going through the above HOWTO: http://ivtv.writeme.ch/tiki-view_faq.php?faqId=1
Remember before testing your video out or recording to do: (from ivtv FAQ)
"
Set PAL video standard
./test_ioctl -u 0xff
Set NTSC video standard
./test_ioctl -u 0x3000
Select tuner input
./test_ioctl -p 0
Note: On my card (PVR 350) it's ./test_ioctl -p 4, to select the
tuner! So you may have to try this too.
Select composite video input
./test_ioctl -p 5
Set full PAL resolution
./test_ioctl -f width=720,height=576
Set full NTSC resolution
./test_ioctl -f width=720,height=480
"
And then if you get the TV OUT working in X and playback in mythtv is sluggish check out this thread: http://mysettopbox.tv/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=358
(I got this far and then gave up)
How do I install KnoppMyth? ( Cecil has already provided excellent instructions: )
(Find the original text @ http://hust.la/KnoppMyth/ )
1. Frontend
2. Auto Install
3. Auto Upgrade
4. Manual Install
5. Reboot
6. Quit
I'll now go into detail describing what the first four of these do (I won't bother with the last 2).
This allows you to use the CD as
a frontend if you have a MythTV backend setup. You can select this option by
pressing <ENTER>. After providing the requested
information, the CD will boot X and start mythfronted.
Note: Using the CD as a frontend is dependant upon the backend being
configured with MySQL listening on the network.
If you are running KnoppMyth as your backend
server, Then on the backend:
End of backend section.
This will automatically perform a
complete installation of KnoppMyth.
Just provide the requested information in the various dialogs and sit back!
After the system reboots it will start X and KnoppMyth
will open an Xterm and ask for the root password.
If you have an Nvidia video card, I reccommend pressing
<CTRL><ALT><F1>.
Log in as root (You did not forget the administration password you entered
during installation did you?).
**NOTE**
If you have an nForce chipset or
any nVidia card, before running the command below, you may want to edit
/etc/X11/XFConfig-4 and add
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "TV" # This is only if
attaching to a TV.**
For more options, please see:
ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-4363/README.txt
At the root prompt, type:
# install-nvidia.sh
(Thanks Kano!). This will build and setup the NVidia modules. When it completes,
X will restart and you'll be taken back to the Xterm asking for the root
password. Please provide it and follow the script providing any requested
information.
This will automatically upgrade
KnoppMyth from an earlier version (R3).
Just provide the requested information in the various dialogs and sit back!
After the system reboots it will start X and KnoppMyth
will open an Xterm and ask for the root password.
If you have an Nvidia video card, I reccommend pressing
<CTRL><ALT><F1>.
Log in as root (You did not forget the administration password you entered
during installation did you?).
**NOTE**
If you have an nForce chipset or
any nVidia card, before running the command below, you may want to edit
/etc/X11/XFConfig-4 and add
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "TV" # This is only if
attaching to a TV.**
For more options, please see:
ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-4363/README.txt
At the root prompt, type:
# install-nvidia.sh
(Thanks Kano!). This will build and setup the NVidia modules. When it completes,
X will restart and you'll be taken back to the Xterm asking for the root
password. Please provide it and follow the script providing any requested
information.
Manual install is recommended only for advanced users.
Create 4 partitions as described below.
Note:
During the making of partitions,
you can choose any fstype you wish, ext2 is recommended for the live buffer
(hda3) and ext3 for the data (hda4).
# mke2fs -O
sparse_super -m0 -i8000000 -L cache -M /cache /dev/hda3
This should yield some performance increase on /cache (used for the ring buffer)
# mke2fs -j -O
sparse_super -m0 -i8000000 -L myth -M /myth /dev/hda4
(I highly recommend a journalling fs for /dev/hda4)
***NOTE***
Some people have reported that for various reasons they cannot install to hda. If you are one such person, configure the installation as described above. Then:
How do I install the drivers for my nVidia card?
nVidia Driver Installation Guide:
The nVidia drivers have become a lot easier to install over the years. In a few
short steps you can be up and running.
Press Crtl+Alt+F1 to get to the command line. If a login prompt is present,
login as root.
Run the follow commands:
su
(enter your root password, if needed)
export IGNORE_CC_MISMATCH=1
/etc/init.d/gdm stop
wget
http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-4496/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-4496-pkg2.run
sh 1.0-4496/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-4496-pkg2.run
(Accept the Agreement, Select No)
(Once your back to the command line continue)
vim /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
(Press Insert to edit the file)
(Change Load "GLcore" to # Load "GLcore")
(Add the line Load "v4l")(Find a line that starts with Driver. Next to it is the
name of your current video driver surrounded by two quotes. Change the name of
the driver to nvidia. So the line should read Driver "nvidia")
(Your almost done!)
(Type Esc and then :w! and then enter)
(You may then exit with :q)
/etc/init.d/gdm start
You should now see an nVidia splash screen. MythTV should load automatically
shortly after.
How do I get DVD playback to work?
DVD's that are produced by any major movie studio are encrypted to prevent piracy. They cannot be played back without the proper keys to decrypt them. There is a program out there called decss that will decrypt and play these DVD's properly, but in the US we have a law called the DMCA (digital melinium copywright act) which prohibits the distrobution of this program, as it circumvents the copywrite protection on the DVD's. Since Knoppmyth is developed in the US it cannot include this software and thus DVD's will not play out of the box. If you are in a country that does not have such a law or if you just don't care a quick search for debian and decss on goggle should get you enough information to get it working.
What can I use to edit files in the terminal?
“nano” can used to edit files using a fairly friendly interface. It isn’t packaged by default in R4 so you have to install it by going executing these two commands:
“apt-get update”
“apt-get install nano”
Then run “nano filename” where filename is the file you wish to edit. To save press control + o, to quit press control + x
What are the best settings for video and sound on my PVR-250?
Ok well the only thing that will
actually make a difference in the quality is the bitrates. If you don't bump up
the bitrates when you move it to 720x480 then you may actually get a lower
quality recording, because same amount of bits but higher resolution. 480x480 at
the default bitrate should be fine. I use 480x480 at a lower bitrate just to
reduce the filesize and I can't really tell the difference. Standard NTSC is
less than 480 lines of resolution anyways. The only time I've seen someone using
the higher resolution and it actually making a difference was one person who was
burning dvd's and their player wouldn't play them unless they were at the 720
resolution.
As for the sound If I'm not mistaken it doesn't make any difference what you set since the sound gets put in with the video in hardware before it reaches mythtv. I may be wrong on this one, but that's what I gathered from the discussions on the list.
(From Xsecrets in topic: best capture settings w/ a pvr-250)
How do I configure those settings for video and sound?
TODO!
I can’t hear any sound! What should I do?
Try running “alsamixer” and make sure you don’t have your inputs or outputs muted. If this does not work insure that your soundcard is correctly configured and working in Linux (This is beyond the scope of this FAQ).
How do I control my DirecTV unit and what kind of video card do I need to record
from it?
"MythTV works well with DTV as long as your receiver has a serial port (they
call it low speed data port) on the back.
This allows your PC to change the channels for you.
Since you have a receiver you don't need a "tv tuner" card, just a video capture
card."
From
http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2003/07/mythtv_howto.html, Posted by Scott
Can I watch one channel while recording on another?
Yes, but this is only possible when two tuner cards are installed and then the minimum hardware requirements go up.
How do I schedule programs to be recorded over the web?
Simply put the IP address of your machine into your browser. If you don’t know the IP address of your machine run “ifconfig” in the terminal.
You didn’t answer my question! Where can I find the answer?
The best place, besides this FAQ, to find the answer to your question is the KnoppMyth forums http://mysettopbox.tv/phpBB2/ Most of the Q & A’s on this FAQ come from the forums.
1/4/04: Added nVidia drivers, DVD playback, tv cards, pvr350 and pvr250 info, added bookmarks
1/1/04: Initial Revision