Mythbuntu 7.10 - Review

Mythbuntu is a relatively new Ubuntu derivative aimed squarely at the HTPC enthusiasts. The distro consists of modified versions of XFCE/Xubuntu and MythTV. While MythTV has always been one of the best HTPC platforms around, it certainly hasn’t been one of the the easiest to install. With Mythbuntu 7.10, all that is starting to change.

INSTALLATION

The latest Mythbuntu 7.10 release is based off of Xubuntu 7.10 and MythTV 0.20.2. With their live installer, Mythbuntu has customized the familiar Ubuntu installation, with a few extra steps to get MythTV up and running. If you select the automatic option for MythTV setup, there are just two extra clicks before the installation is done, while if you take the manual option then there are 6 extra clicks until installation is completed. You can also run a MythTV frontend off of the live CD.

With that said, I did find problems with the Mythbuntu installation. One of the major caveats I found was the combination of Ubuntu’s automatic network setup (defaults to DHCP) and MythTV’s need for a static ip if you wish to run a standalone MythTV backend. If you plan to only run one standalone MythTV setup then the current method poses no problems. I do like to run multiple frontends and in order to do so, you need a MythTV backend with a static ip. During the Mythbuntu installation you are never given the option to select a static ip, but you are asked to provide the static ip of the computer if you plan to run the computer as a MythTV backend (during the installer’s second half MythTV setup). In order to solve this, you have to manually change network settings after the installation and then re-run “MythTV Backend Setup.”

Another problem I had during the installation was that my TV cards (pcHDTV HD-5500 and Dvico FusionHDTV5) were recognized, but not correctly loaded during the installation. During the MythTV Setup part, Step #2 Capture Cards, displayed the correct TV cards, but stated that neither cards were available. This did surprise me as the cards work out of the box with most modern Linux distributions. I chalked this up to the live cd having incorrectly loaded the TV card modules. I figured a reboot and re-run of the MythTV Setup would work (as it works fine under Ubuntu), so I went ahead and completed the installation without having configured the TV cards for use with MythTV. After a reboot and re-running the “MythTV Backend Setup,” the cards then worked fine.

MYTHBUNTU

After installation, and then resetting my network settings for static ip and then re-running the MythTV setup (to add my static ip and have my TV cards correctly loaded), my system was up and running. Mythbuntu sets up an automatic login and you are immediately treated to the Mythbuntu themed MythTV interface.

It should be noted that behind the scenes XFCE 4.4.1 is running. To use the XFCE desktop you can either close MythTV or hit cntrl+right arrow key to use the XFCE desktop.

Mythbuntu has put together a wonderful control panel for MythTV administration. Besides the installer’s promise of easy set-up, the Mythbuntu Control Centre would be the other main reason to use Mythbuntu. You can configure everything from proprietary drivers and codecs to MythTV configuration with the MythBuntu Control Center.

MYTHTV PLUGINS

For people who have never used Mythbuntu or MythTV before, you can do a lot of other things besides PVR functions with MythTV. My favorite feature would be MythTV’s feature to catalog and play all videos stored on your hard drive. If you use NFS or Samba mounts, you can just as easily have MythTV play videos stored on any computer on your LAN. To setup MythTV’s video playback features, just click Utilities/Setup–> Setup –> Media Settings –> Video Settings –> General Settings. Next to the “Directory that holds videos:” input box, just select the directory that stores your videos. With my setup, I have a folder named “/Movies” and from there I also I have several NFS mounted drives that also stores movies. Mythvideo can easily playback videos in .ISO, .IMG, VIDEO_TS, .mpg, .avi, .ts formats. Once you have selected the directory that holds your videos, click Utilities/Setup –>Video Manager and MythTV will scan the directory for all video contents. You can then browse your videos with thumbnails by selecting and playback the video of choice.

Another well useful plugin would be MythMusic. With MythMusic you can easily play your digital audio files through MythTV, similar to iTunes or Amarok. The actual interface for MythMusic could use a refresh in design, but it still gets the job done well.

Initially MythTV defaults to Mythbuntu’s custom MythTV theme, which I didn’t particularly care for. Changing the theme to something more aesthetically pleasing is as easy as clicking Utilities/Setup–>Setup–>Appearance–>Theme and selecting “MythCenter” rather “Mythbuntu.” If you do decide to go with another theme, I would also recommend you change the OSD (on screen display) option as well. I prefer “Retro-OSD,” which is easily selected by clicking Utilities/Setp–>TV Settings–>Playback -> Next (8x) –> OSD Theme.

CONCLUSION

After using Mythbuntu 7.10 extensiely, there are strong signs that Mythbuntu will become the preferred way to install a MythTV system in the near future. Right now there are enough quirks that holds the distribution back from achieving that goal, but with its highly polished Myhbuntu Control Centre and steadily improving installer, I think their next release has the potential to reach that goal. As it stands now, Mythbuntu 7.10 provides a compelling method to run MythTV, but with its quirks, using Mythbuntu over a standalone Ubuntu install + MythTV is not quite as compelling as it should be.

Pros: Streamlined installation of Ubuntu + MythTV. Included Mythbuntu Control Centre works great.

Cons: Installer did not give options to set-up a static IP (required for standalone MythTV backends). Installer did not correctly load modules for my pcHDTV HD-5500 & DVICO FusionHDTV5 video cards.

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