Setting up a mythtv box has been on the todo list for quite a while. Since the planets have aligned, I figured I might as well blog about it, so here it is.

The plan

1. Learn about DTV the easy way (COMPLETE). Call me a wimp, but I used Elgato EyeTV on my iMac G5 with a twinhan USB2 DVB tuner.
2. Build one (or two, or three) to throw away (COMPLETE). First, an Ubuntu install under vmware on my work laptop to verify that the twinhan tuner will work under Linux. Start to learn about tzap, dvb devices, channels.conf … (yes, the tuner even worked under vmware!) Then install Ubuntu natively on a separate partition and start to learn mythtv. Followed by (another) Ubuntu install on an old laptop, and start to learn the joys of lirc. Bemoan the lack of USB2, hence the inability to actually use the tuner.
3. Bite the bullet (IN PROGRESS). With full budgetary approval, buy a Mac Mini (while they are still available), wait for the release of Gutsy, and off we go.

The 2gb of ram I wanted in the Mac Mini meant that I couldn’t pick it up today, hence the title of the post.

The plan for tomorrow is the unboxing ritual, testing of the Gutsy release candidate cds, wiring up to the (old) TV … and maybe a bit of a play with EyeTV and FrontRow.