OK, I've been fighting with stuff for an HTPC for a while. Went thorugh 3
motherboards, three sound cards, a couple TV tuners, and a few OSes, and
still am not particularly usable. The best I've got was Windows2000 running
Showshifter, but that hangs too often for my taste and I'd like to try Linux
with MythTV.
Beinga newbie with Linux, I'm not sure what I need or what is really
recommended. I tried Red Hat, but at the time there was no mythtv install
instructions so I trashed that. A cowporker recommended Debian, couldn't
figure out how to get it to use my Radeon and it was stuck with the basic
VESA drivers, so I toasted that, and am currently on to Gentoo. Can't get it
to work with my Audigy2 even following the gentoo forum instructions for the
CVS emu10k1 driver, no luck, so I'll likely put my SBlive back in until the
driver is released officially and "just works" with the audigy2. Also haven't
been able to get gatos working with my Radeon allInWonder card, so may look
into the WinTV 250.
But as I'm so sick of fighting with Linux, trying to track down and figure out
how to install drivers for the hardware I have and all, I'd like some advice.
For someone that really does not want to become a Linux guru or sys-admin
level guy, for someone that just wants to install it and use the damn thing
with as little effort as is reasonable, please help me choose some new
hardware with working and easy to install drivers.
I'd like at least S-video outputs in addition to composite, and I'd like to be
capable of using something to talk to an HDTV in the near future, like the
Radeons can do with ATI's component adaptor. Does that thing even work under
Linux yet? Any word about their videosoap stuff working in Linux for cleaning
up blocky video a bit? Anything else have HDTV outputs that is compatible
with Linux? What about future support for the WinTV-D digital cable or HDTV
version, any chance of them working in the future, or should I go for the
WinTV-PVR250?
My current config:
Athlon XP 1700+
512MB RAM
120gig hard drive (will also have a 200gig when the already dead new drive
gets replaced)
Audigy2 platinum (with remote and controls in 5.25" bay)
Radeon AllInWonder 8500DV
Sony DRU-500A DVD writer via USB-2 external case
SiS chipset (don't remember exactly which one at the moment, toasted a Via
board...)
current Gentoo linux distro with latest KDE
Well, the Linux stuff is all on that dead drive I have to send back to WD...
The 120gig only has Win2000...
I have a SBLive and a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz board laying around if they're
easier to deal with than the Audigy2 is.
I appreciate any advice you folks may have to offer.
Bill Toner
motherboards, three sound cards, a couple TV tuners, and a few OSes, and
still am not particularly usable. The best I've got was Windows2000 running
Showshifter, but that hangs too often for my taste and I'd like to try Linux
with MythTV.
Beinga newbie with Linux, I'm not sure what I need or what is really
recommended. I tried Red Hat, but at the time there was no mythtv install
instructions so I trashed that. A cowporker recommended Debian, couldn't
figure out how to get it to use my Radeon and it was stuck with the basic
VESA drivers, so I toasted that, and am currently on to Gentoo. Can't get it
to work with my Audigy2 even following the gentoo forum instructions for the
CVS emu10k1 driver, no luck, so I'll likely put my SBlive back in until the
driver is released officially and "just works" with the audigy2. Also haven't
been able to get gatos working with my Radeon allInWonder card, so may look
into the WinTV 250.
But as I'm so sick of fighting with Linux, trying to track down and figure out
how to install drivers for the hardware I have and all, I'd like some advice.
For someone that really does not want to become a Linux guru or sys-admin
level guy, for someone that just wants to install it and use the damn thing
with as little effort as is reasonable, please help me choose some new
hardware with working and easy to install drivers.
I'd like at least S-video outputs in addition to composite, and I'd like to be
capable of using something to talk to an HDTV in the near future, like the
Radeons can do with ATI's component adaptor. Does that thing even work under
Linux yet? Any word about their videosoap stuff working in Linux for cleaning
up blocky video a bit? Anything else have HDTV outputs that is compatible
with Linux? What about future support for the WinTV-D digital cable or HDTV
version, any chance of them working in the future, or should I go for the
WinTV-PVR250?
My current config:
Athlon XP 1700+
512MB RAM
120gig hard drive (will also have a 200gig when the already dead new drive
gets replaced)
Audigy2 platinum (with remote and controls in 5.25" bay)
Radeon AllInWonder 8500DV
Sony DRU-500A DVD writer via USB-2 external case
SiS chipset (don't remember exactly which one at the moment, toasted a Via
board...)
current Gentoo linux distro with latest KDE
Well, the Linux stuff is all on that dead drive I have to send back to WD...
The 120gig only has Win2000...
I have a SBLive and a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz board laying around if they're
easier to deal with than the Audigy2 is.
I appreciate any advice you folks may have to offer.
Bill Toner