What Is MythFrontEnd?
MythTV is open-source software to add DVR functionality to any computer system. This allows computers to operate similarly to other popular proprietary devices that feature digital video recording of broadcast TV. The MythTV system is broken into two components, MythFrontEnd and MythBackEnd. While they may exist on the same machine, usually multiple MythFrontEnd computers feed off a central MythBackEnd.
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DVR
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The innovation of DVR technology has led to a variety of applications that significantly improve the viewing experience of live television broadcast. MythFrontEnd records television programs for later viewing and manipulates real-time programming with the flexibility of a recording. This allows commercials to be skipped and live events to be rewound and immediately watched again
Front End
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The MythFrontEnd component feeds a variety of data from the MythBackEnd server and allows viewers to configure and watch all video. While the back end interacts with TV broadcast signals and houses all video data, the front end controls the playback, scheduling and recording experience. In this sense, the MythFrontEnd computer serves a purpose similar to a cable box. By separating the front end from the back end, multiple televisions may feed from a central video server.
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Construction
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Since the MythFrontEnd system is merely a small computer without server-grade hardware requirements, it is possible to build the front end system, or create multiple MythFrontEnd components for multiple rooms. Alternatively, inexpensive computers may be purchased and formatted to run the MythTV software. Custom construction requires some expertise but results in a quieter machine that accents a room better than a standard computer. The software is native to the Linux operating system, but availability with Mac OS and Windows is improving.
DVD
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The ability to rip the contents of a DVD for independent viewing without the disc is a feature of the MythFrontEnd system that most DVR devices do not offer. Once initiated by MythFrontEnd, the video data is centrally stored on the back-end server along with video from other sources, such as television broadcast. MythFrontEnd may then playback the DVD contents in the same fashion as any other MythBackEnd content. The viewing experience replicates the interactive DVD features, including the DVD menus.
Music
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The MythTV system can record, store and play back digital media of any kind, including music. In addition to a library of videos from any source, MythFrontEnd acts as a jukebox for music collections of any size. As with DVDs, MythTV plugins can rip music from CD sources to store the media independently. MP3 files and other popular audio formats contribute to the music library on the back-end system, which is controlled by the MythFrontEnd component.
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References
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of George Kelly
