I am new to MythTV.
I have read various posts but I need some clarifications.

Can somebody please explain some basics:

1. What is the "frontend"? It this like the client in a client/server environment.

2. What is the "backend"? Is it like the server in a client/server environment?

3. Whare do you view the TV? On the monitor, on the TV, both?

This kind of explains it:

http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-1.html#ss1.1

In short, the backend handles the recording, and the frontend handles the viewing. They can be on the same machine, or different machines. Or you can have multiple machines, some master backends, some slave backends, some remote frontends.

As for 3, you watch TV on whatever device your frontend is connected to: a monitor, a TV, an HDTV, a projector, etc. etc. etc.

Ok, I see - I read the material on that link.

What is the difference between a master backend and a slave backend?

Are the frontends and backends are connected via a LAN?
(Ethernet, TCP/IP)
Will a 100MB LAN do? What is the impact on the bandwidth?

To watch TV on HDTV, do I need a HDTV PCI card with a video-out to the HDTV?

no as a matter of fact none of the cards with the video out are supported in linux.

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Xsecrets

To watch your recordings on an HDTV you will need some way of connecting the computer to the TV set. HD content requires either a component-video, VGA, or DVI interface. You can't view HD content via s-video or composite connections.

I don't know of a graphics card which has component video outputs, but there are "transcoders" which take a VGA signal and convert it to component signals for your HDTV set.

I have a Pioneer PRO-610HD set connected to my Myth box via VGA cable. I am having my share of startup issues with the configuration. I'm getting the sense that there are not *that* many Myth users on HD equipment yet, so we are at the bleeding edge here. Still, seeing a recorded show at 1080i native resolution on my set is a heart-stopping experience - and I'm not giving up until I get it right.

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Do you code to live, or live to code?
Search LinHES forum through Google

Yes hdtv is on the bleeding edge. We get MANY more people asking how can I build a box for under $300 than how can I get my $3000 setup working. Not that I would mind working on making a $3000 setup work, I just don't have the $ for the setup, but I will be getting a pchdtv3000 card before long to avoid the whole broadcast flag fiasco.

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Xsecrets

Frelling FCC... *$#@^@! Frell the public.

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cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!

1) yes.
2) yes.
3) both or either

In a basic MythTV setup both client and server are on the same box so the networking is virtual. Even with a seperate frontend, a 100Mb LAN has plenty of bandwidth for video streams. A master/slave backend is one where the control resides on the master and work (recording and feeding video streams to frontends) is done by both.

Ok, got it.

Is there some kind of minimum hardware setup for a frontend for it to be just a frontend? So I can spend my money more on the backend.

Huhn? I think you missed something. You only need one box which can act as both unless you want to have multiple frontends. Even if you have multiple frontends you're still probably going to want something close to 1 tuner per frontend, otherwise the additional frontends will be confined to playing prerecorded stuff. Finally, while there are some low ball frontend configs (like using an xbox) the work to decode and playback sound and video is nontrivial. More commonly you'll see people with two or so machines with a MBE/SBE setup, where each machine has at least one tuner and also offers playback via a local FE. For example: http://www.mysettopbox.tv/linhes.html

and honestly if you are going to skimp somewhere do it on the processor on the backend and use hardware encoding cards. The frontend needs more cpu to decode.

_________________
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Xsecrets

Oh, I understand that I can have both frontend and backend on one box.
I was thinking that I could have the backend near my other computer equipment
and 2 frontends in the other rooms.

And LinHES makes this possible.

According to the above link, "Clients can be diskless and controlled entirely by a remote control."
How does this diskless frontend boot? From floppy? Does the backend support/provide remainder of the booting files?

with knoppmyth the frontend can currently be run from the cd. Network boot frontend(diskless) is not in the present releases of knoppmyth. It will most likely make it in R5.

The way it works is through the pxe boot. so you setup the computer bios to use pxe boot, and you don't have to have floppy, hard drive, or optical drive it can be a completely diskless machine, however the one drawback is it has to use a wired connection. At this point there is no way to PXE boot a wireless connection, and I doubt this will happen anytime in the forseeable future.

_________________
Have a question search the forum and have a look at the KnoppMythWiki.

Xsecrets

The hardware configuration on the diskless frontend:
Can this config information be saved somewhere?

If yes, where?

If no, does this mean that everytime this diskless frontend
boots - the hardware configs would have to be reset?

I ask these questions with the assumption that some
hardware tweaking may be needed on the diskless frontend.
And it would nice to save/restore it somewhere.