[Gllug] Is linux a good bet for HTPC

[Christopher Hunter]

On Thu, 2011-05-05 at 23:53 +0100, Chris Bell wrote:

>    All the set-top Freeview boxes I have seen crash frequently, requiring
> power disconnection for a few minutes, and too often a complete initial
> setup to follow, even more of a pain if it contains a hard disc which also
> crashes. Are MythTV and recent boxes better? I suspect part of the problem
> is reduced transmitter power until analogue is switched off.
> 

The Freeview boxes are designed "down to a price" but, to be honest, I
haven't had any problem whatsoever with them falling over.  Perhaps the
earliest ones were poor.

MythTV is a pain to set up initially, but works well afterwards.

The reduced transmitter power isn't going to change - it's part of the
plan!  Eventually, the UHF TV band will be confined to three or four of
the old channels, with the rest sold off for other purposes.  Much of
the rationale for the design of the digital broadcasting networks was
the radical reduction in transmitter output power.  The days of Megawatt
ERPs are over!  As an example, the Alexandra Palace digital TV TX that's
just being installed does (roughly) 50 Watts, and the DAB transmitter is
about the same!

C.


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