Can I use Mythbuntu for these things?

c.v.

I'm looking for a new media center set up for my family room. I've looked at LaCie's LaCinema, but it would be nice if I could get *one* box to meet all my needs, so that I can declutter my entertainment center.

That being said, does anyone know if I can use Mythbuntu for the following items...
1) a DVR for an HDTV receiving it's signal from an Over-The-Air HD Antenna
2) a DVD player for said HDTV
3) a Blue-Ray / HD DVD player
4) a music player (from hard-disk drives and CDs)

I'd really like to hear back from anyone who thinks it can work, or has heard of success stories with similar set-ups. [Sorry if my question is too noobish.]

Thanks! :)
EDIT: I forgot to add that before considering Mythbuntu, I had been looking at this combo: LaCie's LaCinema, Channel Master CM-7000PAL Antenna HD DVR, and Philips BDP5010/F7 BD Live Blu-ray Disc Player (with upconversion and DivX capabilities, and an sd card slot).
EDIT2: Oh yeah, I forgot that we have older media formats that we use in our home (such as our old VHS, music cassettes, and our vinyl record collection), but I understand that I'll probably need to use separate devices to play them. I've been wary of playing VHS in our family room because of our large tv screen, so we have three dvd/vhs players in some of the bedrooms for that. I do however need to address the situation, so that we can watch those as a family.

Answer
Mythbuntu is simply MythTV (standalone media center software) packaged with Ubuntu (a free Linux-based Operating System). So you can find more information about what Mythbuntu does on the MythTV website: http://www.mythtv.org/detail/mythtv

1) Yes. MythTV is designed to operate as a HDTV DVR for various TV/Video sources including OTA tuners, satellite tuners, cable tuners and SD or HD video capture cards like the Hauppauge HD PVR (which can also receive and handle cable TV from a set-top box by the composite or component (HD) video outputs).

2) Yes, MythTV will function as a DVD player (provided the computer it is running on has a DVD drive obviously)

3) No, because Mythbuntu is Linux based, it cannot be used to play Blu-Ray Discs. This is because Linux (+ variants) and MythTV use an open-source license which means the entire source code of the software and Operating System must necessarily be released to the public in full to be legally compliant.

This is a problem because Blu-Ray discs have a special encryption technology that requires every hardware or software player to have a 'secret key' to unlock the disc and play the movie. In order to create Blu-Ray software or hardware, you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the appropriate licensing body. The agreement clearly states that you are forbidden by law from revealing the secret key. Since the entire source code for the software has to be released, it would effectively expose the secret key to the public, ultimately circumventing the Blu-Ray copy-protection mechanism which would be illegal. Additionally, Blu-Ray playback requires an encrypted HDCP (over HDMI) connection to the TV/Display. Again this HDCP mechanism would run into problems because it relies on various Operating System components being kept closed and secret from the public.

In other words, you would have to use a separate Blu-Ray player, or use instead a Windows based Media Center that includes Blu-Ray playback support or can play Blu-Ray discs through a third-party plugin (I think MediaPortal can do this).

4) Yes, MythTV is designed to play music and other content from Hard Disks, CDs, etc.

suggestions on my new computer build?

nick

My new computer will be.
AMD 8 core 3.6ghz processor
8gb ddr3 1600
gigabite motherboard with usb 3.0 and sata 6gbs
blu ray bruner
all clear acrylic case
and a gtx 550 ti video card
and i am going to use ubuntu 11.10 untill windows 8 comes out
and for a harddrive i got some 200gb that i pulled out of a diffrent computer.

for the video card i dont want to spend over $150. i am not sure on the gtx 550 yet.

Answer
For AMD 8150, your mobo requirements would be met nicely with ASUS Crosshair V .

You could put some Patriot Extremes for your RAM

Asus carries some good internal blu-ray players and burners (what makes them nice is that their pretty quiet).

If you're not doing hardcore gaming, ASUS also carries a good quiet video card that is silent (no fan). It's the ENGT440. 1GB,128-bit,DDR3. It will support two monitors.

Also, Kingwin has a 500W power supply that's fanless, MORE SILENCE!

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