TVSquad

A new version of open source Linux-based media center MythTV was released this weekend. It's been half a year since the last major MythTV release, which means there are a ton of bug fixes and new features in MythTV 0.21.

The latest version includes support for ClearQAM recordings using the HDHomeRun. That means if you have the proper hardware you can record unencrypted HDTV streams from your cable company. MythTV 0.21 also includes several new official plugins including MythMovies, which displays movie showtimes based on your zipcode, and MythZoneMinder for monitoring security cameras.

Here are a few more highlights:

• MythFrontEnd memory consumption reduced by up to 75%
• Automatic discovery of MythTV servers and frontends
• Enables multiple recordings with one DVB or ATSC card if the channels are in the same multiplex
• You can now choose to record main audio, a secondary audio channel, or both

[via Missing Remote]

Once upon a time turning your old PC into a homemade personal video recorder was a snap. All you had to do was buy a TV tuner card for about $100, plug in an analog TV cable, and use some free or commercial software to start recording shows. But the TV landscape is a bit more complicated these days, and if you have digital cable, HDTV, satellite TV, or other newfangled doohickeys hooked up to your TV, you might not even know where to begin.

Missing Remote has put together an excellent primer on choosing the right video source for your PVR. For example, if you want to record over-the-air HDTV using a digital antenna, you can use pretty much any modern TV tuner. But if you want to record the unencrypted HDTV signals your cable company sends out as well as standard definition digital cable channels, you're probably going to want something a bit more specialized, like Silcon Dust's HDHomeRun for the HDTV, and a second tuner with an S-Video port and an IR blaster to record and change the channels on your digital cable box.

Of course, there's a lot more to building a PVR than choosing the right TV tuner. You also need to choose the right software package, make sure you have enough hard drive space, and make sure your video card can support your display. But in end, your video quality is only going to be as good as your TV tuner.

SageTV has released a new beta of its PVR/place-shifting software for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Windows Home Server. I'm pretty sure that list of supported systems makes SageTV the most cross-platform software based personal video recorder on the market today.

There are a bunch of tweaks and bug fixes in SageTV 6.3.1. But probably the most exciting bits include hardware support. While SageTV has been supporting Mac OS X since this summer, the Mac client only supported two Hauppauge TV tuner cards. The update adds support for the popular ElGato EyeTV Hybrid and Hauppauge HVR-950 tuners. There's also Mac support for the HDHomeRun networked HDTV tuner.

It looks like SageTV has also built in support for the company's upcoming STX-HD100 Media Extender, which will do for SageTV what other media center extenders do for Windows Media Center. In other words, you'll be able to put the box next to television sets throughout your house, connect them to the home network and access live and recorded TV and all the other content stored on your main media center PC.

[via Brent Evans]

SilconDust's HDHomeRun now works with EyeTV. In a nutshell that means you can use the box as a tuner for recording over the air or unencrypted (QAM) HDTV signals on a Mac using Elgato's EyeTV software.

The coolest thing about the HDHomeRun is that you can connect the box to your home network using an ethernet cable and you can share the TV tuner among any computer on your network. That means you can record or watch live programming on the PC in the office or the Mac in your bedroom.

If you don't feel like shelling out the cash for a copy of EyeTV, you might want to check out HDhomerunner. A HDHomeRun user is developing his own Mac-based frontend for controlling the box.

[via Brent Evans]

PCAlchemy is running a special on a new hardware bundle through Sunday. You can pick up a HDHomeRun and a Gyration remote control for just $199. The two items sell for a total of $249 if purchased separately.

The HDHomeRun is a dual ATSC/QAM digital tuner that can be connected to your home network via ethernet. That means any PC on your network can access its tuners.

The Gyration remote control is both a standard media center remote control and a mouse-away-from your mouse. You can use the remote to control an on-screen cursor by moving the remote through the air. It's great for accessing web content and other material that isn't designed with a 10-foot interface from the comfort of your sofa.

[via Project HTPC]

Snapstream just pushed out a beta of BeyondTV 4.61. The big new feature? Support for the HDHomeRun. Why is that important? Because the HDHomeRun lets you record HD content in two ways.

First, it's got an ATSC over-the-air tuner. But you can also use it to record QAM unencrypted HD channels from your cable company. While most cable companies encrypt the majority of their channels, you can usually pick up your local network affiliates unencrypted. So BeyondTV 4.6.1 could let you record content from ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and the CW on your PC.

Setup isn't for the faint of heart. But Snapstream's got a set of instructions in their beta tester forum.