[conspire] New guest at CABAL, this Saturday: MythTV, Bluetooth, video, TV

Sat Aug 25 09:13:38 PDT 2007

> Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:02:07 -0700
> From: Alon Gotesman <gotesman at gmail.com>
> To: installers at linuxmafia.com
> Subject: InstallFest on Saturday?
>
> Hello,
>
> Your site was linked from the BALUG site, and I wanted to contact you
> about possibly getting your guys' help with configuring my
> partially-working Ubuntu box as part of an InstallFest (which I hope
> are still going on!)
>
> As for some background: I'm fairly new to Linux, although I've been
> hoping to try it for years now.  Ultimately I want to get MythTV
> working, but for right now I'm just trying to get the machine to do
> all the basic things really well.  I have a list of issues that I
> haven't been able to resolve, including: connecting to WEP encrypted
> networks, getting the machine to work on my monitor's native
> resolution (1680 x 1050) using my on-board graphics (right now I'm
> limited to 1024x768), getting an AGP card recognized by the OS,
> getting Bluetooth to work,

Hi Alon,

I'm pretty new to the mysteries of Bluetooth myself, but I managed
to get the Apple iMac Bluetooth mouse and keyboard working in
Ubuntu (admittedly, after a reboot, I have to switch off and on the
keyboard before it's recognized). If you have a look on this page,
I did a writeup at the time:
http://www.penlug.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/LinuxHardwareInfoAppleiMac24
search for the section "Wireless keyboard (Apple bluetooth)"

> and getting a TV tuner card to work (for MythTV).
If it's an ATSC (as opposed to NTSC) card, these pages might help:
  http://www.penlug.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DigitalTelevisionDVB
  http://www.penlug.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DigitalTelevision
and of course Inkling's far-simpler alternative to MythTV:
  http://www.penlug.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DigitalTelevisionAtscap

>
> I've been to one InstallFest like five years ago while studying at UC
> Santa Cruz.
>
>
> My box is modestly equipped:
>
>  Sempron 3100+
>  256 MB DDR SDRAM
>  Integrate S3 Unichrome Graphics

Does this work with the "savage" driver?
I don't have much experience with S3, only have one laptop which
has an S3 card, but I was amazed that it works so well (even 3D works)
with Ubuntu Dapper Drake LTS:
  http://www.penlug.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/LinuxHardwareInfoToshibaTecra9000
But unfortunately, with Feisty Fawn, 3D doesn't work, so I'd really recommend
trying Dapper Drake if your primary video is this kind of S3 card.

For MythTV, Scott Boyd (member of http://www.penlug.org )
   http://www.penlug.org/twiki/bin/view/Home/MeetingAgenda20060727
   http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2891/video_presentation_mythtv
would be the best person to talk to. Recently, he's started using an
over-the air ATSC capture box called "hdhomerun" (google for it)
  http://www.silicondust.com/wiki/products/hdhomerun
which captures ATSC (both 8VSB ota and QAM cable) broadcasts
the captured MPEG2 streams using UDP over plain old
ethernet, so it's very simple to set up and doesn't take up any card
slots in your PC.

Anyways, hopefully I'll be at Rick's CABAL meeting today, and I'll try
to help answer any questions.

Cheers,
Peter.

>  Dual Layer DVD-RW
>  Available AGP slot
>
>
> Anyhow, I'd love to meet a group of people who know Linux and could
> point me in the right direction on some of this stuff.  At this point
> in the learning curve, I just need to get hands on experience with
> someone who knows what they're doing!
>
> Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you.
>
> Alon
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
> ----- Forwarded message from Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> -----
>
> Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:53:28 -0700
> To: Alon Gotesman <gotesman at gmail.com>
> Cc: installers at linuxmafia.com
> Subject: Re: InstallFest on Saturday!
> Reply-To: installers at linuxmafia.com
> From: Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com>
>
> Quoting Alon Gotesman (gotesman at gmail.com):
>
> > Your site was linked from the BALUG site, and I wanted to contact you
> > about possibly getting your guys' help with configuring my
> > partially-working Ubuntu box as part of an InstallFest (which I hope
> > are still going on!)
>
> Yes, of course!
>
> > As for some background: I'm fairly new to Linux, although I've been
> > hoping to try it for years now.  Ultimately I want to get MythTV
> > working, but for right now I'm just trying to get the machine to do
> > all the basic things really well.
>
> Just so you know, what is said to be by far the easiest path to a good
> MythTV installation is to start with the KnoppMyth "live CD"
> distribution, and go from there.
>
> > I have a list of issues that I haven't been able to resolve,
> > including: connecting to WEP encrypted networks,
>
> May or may not be something you'll get effective help with at tomorrow's
> event, depending on whom you get to help you.  (One common mistake is to
> seek help from _me_ personally for anything that takes longer than
> around 5 minutes; the problem is that, as host, I'm the one most
> interruptable person.)  We don't happen to have a WEP-using wireless
> network on-premises; the ones we have here happen to be open.
>
> > getting the machine to work on my monitor's native resolution (1680 x
> > 1050) using my on-board graphics (right now I'm limited to 1024x768),
>
> Now, _that_ is no sweat.
>
> > getting an AGP card recognized by the OS,
>
> Er, you didn't say what _sort_ of AGP card.  AGP is just a system bus
> (of sorts).  Ordinarily, I'd guess a video card, but then the
> particulars would still depend on what specific video chipset.
>
> > getting Bluetooth to work,
>
> Never personally done that, but I've heard it's not difficult in
> principle.  You might want to read, _in advance_, some of the primary
> documentation on Bluetooth for Linux, which appears to be still linked
> from or on this page:  http://www.holtmann.org/linux/bluetooth/
>
> > and getting a TV tuner card to work (for MythTV).
>
> And _that_ depends, of course, entirely on the chipset (as usual).
> Assuming the card is based on a Brooktree Bt848/849 or Bt878/879
> chipset, here's your information page:
> http://www.metzlerbros.org/bttv.html
>
> Plus, I have a little bit extra here:
> http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Hardware/tv-cards.html
>
> > Anyhow, I'd love to meet a group of people who know Linux and could
> > point me in the right direction on some of this stuff.  At this point
> > in the learning curve, I just need to get hands on experience with
> > someone who knows what they're doing!
>
> You're very welcome to attend.  It's partially a social event and partly
> technical with an emphasis on installing and debugging Linux & related
> software.  Nobody is obliged to bring food (you're perfectly welcome to
> bring just yourself and stuff to work on), though many entirely on their
> own initiative bring things to eat.  I'll be providing (at minimum) a
> fair amount of marinated beef to cook for the crowd, on my barbecue,
> plus some garlic bread.
>
> Afternoons and evenings in Menlo Park have been quite lovely, of late.
> We get started at 4 PM, and meander amiably until midnight, when people
> are expected to leave.  (You don't have to go home, but you can't stay
> here....)
>
> L'hitraot,
> Rick M.
>
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
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