Remote Network PVR

Summary

This project was born with the idea of adding the remote control and visualization feature to an open source PVR software. It is based on Isaac Richard's MythTV ver 0.15.1 (the current version when I developed the project). This version of MythTV has been modified so as to offer a remote user the same interaction feedback as a local user via live (not file-based) network streaming using both live555.com library and videolan.

Remote Features

GUI remote visualization
Audio + video remote listening + visualization (perfect sync not achieved yet...)
2 different ways of GUI remote navigation and interaction: receiving LIRC commands and/or using web form remote control
Transcoding of original audio-video / GUI contents from MythTV to fit remote user's visualization device
Multiple configurations allowed: MythTV and the Transcoder module can be running in separate machines

Documentation

You can find some documentation here

Download & Install

Get a copy of mythtv ver 0.15.1, install it. Once it is working on your PC:
- Get a copy of Qt-embedded and compile it
- Get all my stuff bunched in a .zip compressed file here
- Replace your /mythtv program root folder with the one in the zip file
- Compile the resulting /mythtv program root folder with Qt-e (not with the default Qt/X11)
- Compile the mythvideo module (/mythvideo 0.15.1) present in the zip file also with Qt-e
- Compile the QVirtualFrameBuffer app (/qvfb) present in the zip file using Qt/X11
- Compile the modified lircEmu (/lircemu) app present in the zip file
Time for testing...
- Run mythbackend
- Run qvfb app (starts Q Windowing System at the specified viewport)
- Run mythfrontend -display QVFb:viewport
- Using a browser, connect to the web form http://your-ip:8081 to define the transcoding, streaming and GUI/playback control parameters
- Start the streaming and transcoding proceses using the web form
- Receive the frontend GUI streaming usinc VLC. Browse it using the lirc emulator or the buttons in the form
- Try to watch a movie using playback controls, browsing the EPG, programming show recordings...

Info & Contact

This project is developed by Xavier Grasa. It all began as a vague idea after amazingly discovering a bunch of open source PVR's. I realized the enormous set of possibilities that this kind of solutions could offer to the home user without spending a dime on TiVo-like payment solutions. So I put myself on the job of getting MythTV working on my PC. A new way of watching TV and accessing my media had arrived...Eventually, it became the Final Project of my degree in Computer Engineering. The development is currently on a stand-by. Fore more info and questions about the project, feel free to contact [email protected].