Hey all,
I'm attempting to do a first time dedicated Linux HTPC build, but I'm not sure about hardware and software support.

Software: I'm thinking Mythbuntu, but honestly once things are set up and working, the underlying distro doesn't matter too much. (and if there's something out there that does things better than Myth, I'd be open to that too)

Additionally, I would like these conditions to be met:
I want it to have a nice UI. Last time I tried the default Myth UI, it looked pretty gnarly.
I want it to work smoothly and seamlessly once set up.
I want HDMI output, corrected for overscan, with both audio and video output.
I want to be able to play Frets on Fire on it with the guitar controllers (should be integrated into the global menu).
I want to be able to play other games and emulators on it using USB gamepads, without having to reconfigure each time I used a different program.
Hopefully the menu interfaces could be navigated by a gamepad.
And I need a good analog/digital TV tuner card. Currently I have a Fusion HDTV 5 Lite, and in Vista I can't get analog sound working (probably a driver problem), and I've been unable to get it working in Ubuntu at all. If it's not too much of a pain to set up though, I'd prefer to use it in this new build.

And optionally, I'd like bluetooth support for the Nintendo Wii remotes and IR support for my TV's remote control.

Thanks for any help/suggestions you guys can give.

I don't think Linux is going to cut it for you based on your list. Myth works well for what is does and then some, it's not going to be a frontend for all the items you have. Bluetooth support is kind of dicey on Linux - I use it for connecting to my mobile phones network via my ubuntu eeepc with a dlink bluetooth usb device but I tried some other bluetooth devices like headphones as well as a few other esoteric devices and they did not work. I also tried another bluetooth usb device (belkin) and didn't work at all.
I too, have a Fusion 5 HDTV lite, and the HDTV worked but it has no built in hardware encoder for the analog so that is tricky to setup - I used a Hauppauge 150 for analog. - it does have a built-in hardware encoder.
I also use HDhomerun for ATSC.
If you know how to do some scripting/programming it might be possible to achieve a lot of what you want on that list but I don't know of any plug-and-play solution.

Which of my wants would be troublesome?
Bluetooth isn't a big deal to me.

It looks like the guitar controller works: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.marcianitos.org/foro/archive/index.php%3Ft-2077.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522linux%2Bguitar%2Bcontroller%2522%26hl%3Den %26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DbGu%26sa%3DG

Also, the "blootube" theme in mythtv looks far less "gnarly" than the default one. I'd even go so far to say that it's "bitchin' camero".

Actually, yeah, I tested out the guitar and it works with no config required at all (outside of the app).

I finally got the dvico fusion hdtv 5 lite to pick up channels, but playback is choppy/freezes and is essentially worthless.

Actually, yeah, I tested out the guitar and it works with no config required at all (outside of the app).

Groovy.

I finally got the dvico fusion hdtv 5 lite to pick up channels, but playback is choppy/freezes and is essentially worthless.

What's your CPU/RAM/VGA?

----------------
Now playing: Sonic Youth - Hey Joni (http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/sonic+youth/track/hey+joni)
via FoxyTunes (http://www.foxytunes.com/signatunes/)

Groovy.



What's your CPU/RAM/VGA?




Core 2 Duo e6300 overclocked to 2.6ghz
4GB of DDR2
ATI Radeon X1950XT with the latest fglrx drivers

Which of my wants would be troublesome?
Bluetooth isn't a big deal to me.

"I want it to have a nice UI. Last time I tried the default Myth UI, it looked pretty gnarly."
If you don't like any of the themes you could create your own.

"I want it to work smoothly and seamlessly once set up."
It should if setup properly.

"I want HDMI output, corrected for overscan, with both audio and video output."
There is no way to get audio thru the HDMI as of today, in Linux. I think ATI has a new card that is suppose to work but I've not heard anything about it yet as far as Linux goes.
Overscan can be done thru custom modeline and there is a bit of adjusting you can do in myth.

"I want to be able to play other games and emulators on it using USB gamepads, without having to reconfigure each time I used a different program."
I don't have any experience with gamepads in linux so I am not really sure about this.

"And I need a good analog/digital TV tuner card. Currently I have a Fusion HDTV 5 Lite, and in Vista I can't get analog sound working (probably a driver problem), and I've been unable to get it working in Ubuntu at all. If it's not too much of a pain to set up though, I'd prefer to use it in this new build."

The analog sound in windows is usually done with the connector from the Fusion card to the motherboard - I used the cd input connector if memory serves me correctly. This was for watching live - to record it was a pain, one not worth dealing with. It was cheaper and easier to buy something that works.

"And optionally, I'd like bluetooth support for the Nintendo Wii remotes and IR support for my TV's remote control."
Already mention concerning bluetooth.

I only used the Fusion for a short period of time and it recorded OTA HD very well in both windows and Myth. I don't remember choppy playback of recorded material but sometimes live tv can be choppy - it is due to a non-buffered stream so I usually pause the the live feed for a couple of seconds and then hit play and now you are watching buffered playback that is really smooth. You have more than enough horsepower to playback recorded material - I would suspect something else.

Core 2 Duo e6300 overclocked to 2.6ghz
4GB of DDR2
ATI Radeon X1950XT with the latest fglrx drivers

You might want to try nvidia video card, esp. for games (cedega).

Also, I've had game controllers working in Linux, no prob. You can make them do whatever you want (e.g., control media applications, etc.). There's a KDE utility, but I don't remember what it is offhand. You may even be able to use the analog stick as a mouse, although I haven't tried this.

Hmm, shame no HDMI works with audio. The new ati cards might, but ati seems like a bad choice for linux. Strange, isn't HDMI just digital audio and dvi combined into a single cable?

Fox5,

If you've got an open Optical or Coax digital audio input on your receiver, you could always use S/PDIF audio and HDMI video. You'd be able to do DD5.1 or DTS over S/PDIF.

Fox5,

If you've got an open Optical or Coax digital audio input on your receiver, you could always use S/PDIF audio and HDMI video. You'd be able to do DD5.1 or DTS over S/PDIF.
This is what I use currently as well, sorry about not pointing this out - it can be set as pass-thru so no lost cpu cycles as well.

I do have a coax input on my receiver, however my TV has an spdif out, and I'd prefer to run all my sound through it and out to the receiver so I don't have to manually switch between inputs.

I do have a coax input on my receiver, however my TV has an spdif out, and I'd prefer to run all my sound through it and out to the receiver so I don't have to manually switch between inputs.

Have you used the SPDIF out on your TV yet? I've seen a number of TVs that won't send DD5.1 or DTS out the digital audio output, only stereo. I hope it works for you though.

What's the functional difference for your setup between sending audio via HTPC>HDMI>TV>Optical>Receiver and HTPC>COAX>Receiver? I don't personally use my TV speakers at all. They've been permanently muted for the past 3+ years. :D My receiver is too old to do HDMI switching, so all sources connect to my TV directly. I just use a Harmony universal remote to do all the TV and receiver input changes required to watch Source A, B, C,and D.

Have you used the SPDIF out on your TV yet? I've seen a number of TVs that won't send DD5.1 or DTS out the digital audio output, only stereo. I hope it works for you though.

What's the functional difference for your setup between sending audio via HTPC>HDMI>TV>Optical>Receiver and HTPC>COAX>Receiver? I don't personally use my TV speakers at all. They've been permanently muted for the past 3+ years. :D My receiver is too old to do HDMI switching, so all sources connect to my TV directly. I just use a Harmony universal remote to do all the TV and receiver input changes required to watch Source A, B, C,and D.

Hmm, to be honest, I'm not sure if it outputs DD5.1 or just stereo. The TV does say dolby digital on it however.
Functional difference : PC isn't the only thing hooked up to the TV. By routing everything through the TV, I can mute the TV and have everything output directly to the same speaker channel.

...PC isn't the only thing hooked up to the TV. By routing everything through the TV, I can mute the TV and have everything output directly to the same speaker channel.

I'm admittedly confused about your audio setup. Please explain what AV components you're using and how they're currently routed. There may be alternatives that provide the same (or better) functionality.

My TV outputs DD only for signals it tunes that contain dolby digital track (cable card/ATSC). It won't output DD for other signals that are input via HDMI, only stereo... Not sure why, but I've heard this is common, and this is why I run all audio directly to my receiver.

So why not use optical (or coax) SPDIF from your HTPC to your receiver? Would this not encompass all tv recordings and dvd rips, etc.? My question is what other audio sources do you have that would require switching inputs?

The idea is that all of your media is centrally managed on a single source.

I'm admittedly confused about your audio setup. Please explain what AV components you're using and how they're currently routed. There may be alternatives that provide the same (or better) functionality.

Ok...

Have a sound system. Can input multiple things into it, however it requires manually switching between channels.
Have a TV. Can also input multiple things into it. However, it is capable of redirecting everything to an spdif output, so that everything passes over a single channel. Thus, everything (standard tv viewing, HTPC, wii, vcr, etc) will all output sound without having to switch channels on the sound system. Saves me from a mild annoyance.

OK. Thank you for clarifying that.

So, what kind of input is available on your TV that would be accessible from your HTPC other than HDMI? Do you have an optical or coax spdif input available?

Fox5 -- I have a XFX Gforce 7600GS, fanless, video card. It is the only one I found that had a real HDMI video output connector and a DVI connector (as well as S-Video or component video capability, as alternate outputs). It has an SPDIF input, which routes the audio to the HDMI output connector to provide the audio (from the PCs SPDIF audio output connector). I do not know of any other card that does that. Also, this video card is extremely hard to find, the on-line store I bought mine from, no longer sells them. I also looked on the XFX web site, and my model isn't shown anymore. The closest is their 7300GS (with fan) model. Most of their newer (Nvidia processor) cards use the common dual DVI outputs.

Most video cards, of any flavor, use a DVI-D to HDMI adapter. These do not have the capability of providing audio over the HDMI cable, AFIK.

My AVR provides the ability to assign a digital coax audio (SPDIF) to any input. Check your AVR (or equivalent) manual to see if you can do that too.

As mythmaster asked, your TV should have the capability of accepting the audio input from a non-HDMI input too, I haven't tried that with mine, since I would use the component input in that case.

OK. Thank you for clarifying that.

So, what kind of input is available on your TV that would be accessible from your HTPC other than HDMI? Do you have an optical or coax spdif input available?

Nope, only analog RCA inputs are available. I suppose there's a small chance that hooking a coax spdif output into one of those MIGHT be passed through by the TV if the TV is 'dumb' enough, but I doubt it.

I'm not sure if the analog inputs will work with HDMI anyway. I suppose component video is an option, but I'm not sure how hard it is to get that to work with linux.

It's probably best to go ahead and run SPDIF audio from your HTPC to your receiver even though it's a minor inconvenience to switch between sources. A good programmable, learning remote such as the harmony (http://www.silfreed.net/blog/2008/05/Program-your-Logitech-Harmony-remote-linux) will make this an easy "one-button" task for you.

This $75 device purports to take DVI + SPDIF inputs on one side (coax or optical) and combine them into an HDMI video+audio output:

http://www.supermediastore.com/apogee-dvi-to-hdmi-converter-spdif-optical-toslink-coaxial-input-output.html

Lowest cost analog VGA to HDMI convertor I've ever seen:

http://www.supermediastore.com/apogee-vga-to-hdmi-audio-converter-v1-3-full-hd-1080p.html

Analog component + SPDIF to HDMI convertor/combiner
http://www.supermediastore.com/apogee-rgb-ypbpr-spdif-hdmi-converter-v1-3-full-hd-1080p.html

This $75 device purports to take DVI + SPDIF inputs on one side (coax or optical) and combine them into an HDMI video+audio output:

http://www.supermediastore.com/apogee-dvi-to-hdmi-converter-spdif-optical-toslink-coaxial-input-output.html

Lowest cost analog VGA to HDMI convertor I've ever seen:

http://www.supermediastore.com/apogee-vga-to-hdmi-audio-converter-v1-3-full-hd-1080p.html

Analog component + SPDIF to HDMI convertor/combiner
http://www.supermediastore.com/apogee-rgb-ypbpr-spdif-hdmi-converter-v1-3-full-hd-1080p.html

Those are all nice devices, but they just add one more component to the input chain. Plus, Fox5 indicated that RCA analog stereo input is the only non-HDMI sound input.

Fox5, you should bite the bullet and buy a nice universal remote. There are lots of options in a wide price range. I currently use a Logitech Harmony 880. (http://www.compuplus.com/i-Logitech-Harmony-880-Advanced-Universal-Remote-966187-0403-1005129~.html?sid=411i33040e30xq7)

It can control most any device you can think of using available remote control command sets. If the Harmony database doesn't know of a specific code, remote or device, it can learn codes from another remote. You can setup custom actions to control all devices with one touch. My wife would never operate the theater without this thing. It got rid of SIX remote controls. The only times I use the manufacturer remotes are rare device specific events (setting up MCACC on receiver, TV Service Menu commands, etc).

I have the following devices configured:

Samsung HLP-5663W DLP TV
Pioneer VSX-54TX Receiver
Pioneer DV-563a DVD (for SACD/DVD-A Playback)
Panasonic DVD-S97S DVD (for DVD playback)
Zenith VCR/DVD Recorder (for archiving)
DirecTV HR10-250 DirecTivo
MythTV HTPC (Emulating a Microsoft Media Center PC/Remote)

I have the following Activities configured:

Watch TV (MythTV)
Watch DirecTV
Watch DVD
Record DVD
Record VHS
Listen to CD
Listen to Radio

Each activity automatically sets up each required device on the proper input, plus any custom settings I want for each device. The remote also overlays remote control functions as required for each activity: (volume, mute, surround processing, etc > recevier; channel up/down, guide, etc > HTPC or DirecTV; play, pause, ffw, rew, etc > DVD, CD, HTPC, or DirecTV).

The Harmony isn't a perfect remote... there are better options for more money. But for the price, it's all most people will ever need.

I second the harmonys. I have 3 680s and an 880 and they have made it simple enough for even my parents to come over and use my TV setups.