InstallFest and Conference?
H P Ladds
The drumbeat is getting stronger and louder -- based upon requests from folks on the ALE list and at Freeside Atlanta, there seems to be growing interest in a MythTV Installfest. What say ye members of MUCH? Any interest amongst the MUCHers? Perhaps we expand the scope to include all open source media centers: Boxee, XBMC, etc?
I'd be great to see the crew again, and hopefully it would be a fun get together as well. I still vote for burgers over pizza, but I always lose that one
Thanks,
Preston
Watson, Keith
Preston,
I assume this will be at Freeside again? They have great facilities.
I'm up for it. Is there a projected date yet? I have to make sure I have time cleared for it.
I'll also have to scrounge a box as my DVR, Tivax tuners, and SiliconDust HDHomeRun are in use. Depending on when we do it I might be able to take them offline and bring them with me.
I won't have an antenna this time as I mounted it in the attic.
I can bring the usual power cords/strips, tools, and adapters.
I wouldn't mind burgers.
keith
--
Keith R. Watson Georgia Institute of Technology
Systems Support Specialist IV College of Computing
keith....@cc.gatech.edu 801 Atlantic Drive NW
(404) 385-7401 Atlanta, GA 30332-0280
H P Ladds
Preston,
I assume this will be at Freeside again? They have great facilities.
Freeside is certainly a possibility.
I'm up for it. Is there a projected date yet? I have to make sure I have time cleared for it.
Nope. I vote the sooner the better as summer's coming.
I'll also have to scrounge a box as my DVR, Tivax tuners, and SiliconDust HDHomeRun are in use. Depending on when we do it I might be able to take them offline and bring them with me.
I won't have an antenna this time as I mounted it in the attic.
That's the greatest advantage of Freeside, many methods of reception: OTA, DirecTV, Cable (might be encrypted) can be had there. Folks will be able to reproduce what they have at home.
I can bring the usual power cords/strips, tools, and adapters.
Beautiful.
bur...@earthlink.net
since I have not been involved in one before (I joined the group just
after last year's?? Installfest) but I am quite interested as I do a lot
of work with PCs and Macs on a daily basis.
I don't have a whole lot of experience with Unix or with MythTv, but I
did build a Myth TV box last year so that I'd have a DVR, and it has
since become my full-fledged house-wide media server, and I use several
front ends and streamers to pull music and recordings off of it.
Is this event mostly for people who want to build their own Myth TV
boxes, or for those who have one already and want to update it, or is it
for test building boxes with spare parts that will then be re-utilized
after the build?
Burgers sounds good . . . .
I'd love to participate if scheduling works out.
d.b
My Computer Assistant Company
My Backup Assistant Company
bur...@earthlink.net
conversation, not to kill the conversation.
I'll try not to break protocol again. Still would love to participate,
though, if needed for anything.
d.b
Watson, Keith
Responses inline.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: much...@googlegroups.com [mailto:much...@googlegroups.com] On
> Behalf Of bur...@earthlink.net
> Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 12:44
> To: much...@googlegroups.com
> Cc: H P Ladds
> Subject: Re: [MUCH MythTV Users and Creators ..] InstallFest and
> Conference?
>
> I don't really know how the details about how an event like this works
> since I have not been involved in one before (I joined the group just
> after last year's?? Installfest) but I am quite interested as I do a lot
> of work with PCs and Macs on a daily basis.
Typically we find a place with network access and hopefully over the air (meaning an antenna we can connect to) and or a cable TV feed.
The cable TV feed can be problematic as many of the cable companies have been encrypting previously unencrypted content. This means people without a tuner that handle encrypted cable will not be able to set up their tuner. Usually there are a few channels that are unencrypted so at least you can test your setup to make sure it is working.
Last year the install fest was hosted by Freeside Atlanta.
http://wiki.freesideatlanta.org/
It would be great if we could have it there again but we haven't talked to them about it yet.
I probably could sponsor an event on the GT campus however parking is not free ($1.50/hour with a $10 maximum).
>
> I don't have a whole lot of experience with Unix or with MythTv, but I
> did build a Myth TV box last year so that I'd have a DVR, and it has
> since become my full-fledged house-wide media server, and I use several
> front ends and streamers to pull music and recordings off of it.
This is great! We try to get people with all levels of experience at the installfest. Everybody helps in whatever way they can to get the new people installed and up to speed.
>
> Is this event mostly for people who want to build their own Myth TV
> boxes, or for those who have one already and want to update it, or is it
> for test building boxes with spare parts that will then be re-utilized
> after the build?
All of the above. Last year I built a box to test with. It went very well. We had several presentations of MythTV related topics and several people brought in completed systems to show what could be done with MythTV.
One of my favorites at the last fest was the Intel Atom powered fanless system that would do full 1080P while running other applications.
>
> Burgers sounds good . . . .
>
> I'd love to participate if scheduling works out.
>
> d.b
> My Computer Assistant Company
> My Backup Assistant Company
>
We use the list to find a date that works best for everybody so stay tuned.
Hope to see you there.
Watson, Keith
> From: much...@googlegroups.com [mailto:much...@googlegroups.com] On
> Behalf Of bur...@earthlink.net
> Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 20:41
> To: MUCH...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MUCH MythTV Users and Creators ..] InstallFest and
> Conference?
>
> conversation, not to kill the conversation.
>
> I'll try not to break protocol again. Still would love to participate,
> though, if needed for anything.
>
> d.b
>
No. not at all. It got very busy yesterday so I couldn't respond till today.
If there's a protocol no one told me about it. :)
Preston tends to do most of the heavy lifting but we'll take all the help we can get.
If you have ideas, suggested locations, or questions, please post them to the list.
H P Ladds
Sorry all. Perhaps I spoke out of turn. I meant to add to the conversation, not to kill the conversation.
I'll try not to break protocol again. Still would love to participate, though, if needed for anything.
What is this "protocol" that you speak of? We have no such thing here ... well possibly H.264 and the like :)
No apologizing necessary -- except perhaps by me, I don't "get to" my e-mail as frequently as some folks. My cycle time might be a bit slower then you expected.
Preston
H P Ladds
Last year the install fest was hosted by Freeside Atlanta.
http://wiki.freesideatlanta.org/
It would be great if we could have it there again but we haven't talked to them about it yet.
Sure we have. I'm a Freeside Atlanta member. We're can use our crude, but effective, facility.
I probably could sponsor an event on the GT campus however parking is not free ($1.50/hour with a $10 maximum).
I wonder how the Asterisk (VOIP) Conference held at GT handles that the parking issue, in the past they have arranged for participants to drop off their equipment at the entry, and them drive a bit to parking. I'll check with It's organizers and see.
Watson, Keith
> From: much...@googlegroups.com [mailto:much...@googlegroups.com] On
> Behalf Of H P Ladds
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 10:56
> To: much...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MUCH MythTV Users and Creators ..] InstallFest and
> Conference?
>
>
>
I didn't realize you were a member of Freeside Atlanta. I really like the Freeside Atlanta space. I would be more than happy to have the fest their again.
Dropping off equipment is no problem. I would request space in the Klaus Advanced Computing Building (KACB). There are doors right next to the meeting space we can drop off equipment. It is even semi-covered if it is raining. The parking lot is about a block from the drop off spot.
Is there some reason we would not want to do it at Freeside?
H P Ladds
Some might find Freeside's location and facility off-putting; it is ghetto chic and funky. But then again, there are very few worries in hosting it at Freeside Atlanta. Parking is plentiful, drop-off of equipment can be covered, networking is plentiful, cable, DirecTV and OTA are available, heck with a bit of forethought we could try to hook into other satellites floating around out over the 101. (I'd probably need help with setting this up.) In short, I not opposed to hosting it at Freeside, I'm simply building consensus.
The Klaus building is beautiful, the hall space is perfect for presentations, and it's just a cool place to visit. But refreshments and food are not allowed in the lecture halls. There are parking issues, and building access is tightly controlled. Those arriving late might find entry difficult without a student ID (or a pizza box in hand; I hear both work about equally as well).
Preston
Calvin Harrigan
integerate other programs into a myth system like huludeskop, playon, etc.
Watson, Keith
> presentations, and it's just a cool place to visit. But refreshments and
> food are not allowed in the lecture halls. There are parking issues, and
> building access is tightly controlled. Those arriving late might find
> entry difficult without a student ID (or a pizza box in hand; I hear both
> work about equally as well).
>
> Preston
Preston,
I did some digging about the Klaus building.
We already discussed parking but I'll include it here for completeness.
Parking is $1.50/hour with a $10 maximum and is a block away.
There is semi-covered area we can use to unload equipment right by the conference room. If the weather is particularly nasty I think I can arrange to drop equipment in the parking deck under the building but we won't be able to park there. The elevator drops you right by the conference room.
The door is by the elevator and semi-covered equipment unloading area right next to the conference room can be scheduled to be unlocked so there won't be a problem with people getting in.
We have to make sure the install fest doesn't coincide with a campus event that restricts access/parking on the campus (like a football game). There is a number I can call to get this kind of information.
We can have food in the room.
There is a kitchen with a refrigerator right behind the conference room.
The one major downside is that we have to pay for a minimum $114.84 for 4 hours of custodial time for clean up after the event.
They have a cable TV feed but no OTA so we would have to bring an antenna.
Networking and bandwidth is not a problem and I can provide network switches.
There is an overhead projector available.
There are plenty of long tables and chairs.
We will have to bring our own power cords, network cables, and RG6 quad shield cables.
I'm not trying to sell using the Klaus building just trying to put all the options on the table.
H P Ladds
Well folks, our choices seem to be consistent with the rest of the life's decisions: cheap, easy and slightly repugnant vs. upscale, less convenient and a bit pricey. What say ye?
Even if you're not planning to attend, it would be interesting to hear your feedback.
I'm leaning toward Freeside because of the ease of execution: any date/time is fine, set up can be spread out over days, parking is not a problem, rain won't cause much of an inconvenience, and if you needed to do some work on the metal lath while your there, hey we can do that too (JUST KIDDING about the lathe thing!). But there truly might someone working on the lathe or a welding class might running at the same time.
Watson, Keith
> From: H P Ladds [mailto:househo...@gmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 21:14
> To: much...@googlegroups.com
> Cc: Watson, Keith
> Subject: Re: [MUCH MythTV Users and Creators ..] InstallFest and
> Conference?
>
>
> Well folks, our choices seem to be consistent with the rest of the life's
> decisions: cheap, easy and slightly repugnant vs. upscale, less convenient
> and a bit pricey. What say ye?
>
> Even if you're not planning to attend, it would be interesting to hear
> your feedback.
>
> I'm leaning toward Freeside because of the ease of execution: any
> date/time is fine, set up can be spread out over days, parking is not a
> problem, rain won't cause much of an inconvenience, and if you needed to
> do some work on the metal lath while your there, hey we can do that too
> (JUST KIDDING about the lathe thing!). But there truly might someone
> working on the lathe or a welding class might running at the same time.
I vote for Freeside.
Calvin Harrigan
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: H P Ladds [mailto:househo...@gmail.com]
>> Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 21:14
>> To: much...@googlegroups.com
>> Cc: Watson, Keith
>> Subject: Re: [MUCH MythTV Users and Creators ..] InstallFest and
>> Conference?
>>
>> Thanks Keith,
>>
>> Well folks, our choices seem to be consistent with the rest of the life's
>> decisions: cheap, easy and slightly repugnant vs. upscale, less convenient
>> and a bit pricey. What say ye?
>>
>> Even if you're not planning to attend, it would be interesting to hear
>> your feedback.
>>
>> I'm leaning toward Freeside because of the ease of execution: any
>> date/time is fine, set up can be spread out over days, parking is not a
>> problem, rain won't cause much of an inconvenience, and if you needed to
>> do some work on the metal lath while your there, hey we can do that too
>> (JUST KIDDING about the lathe thing!). But there truly might someone
>> working on the lathe or a welding class might running at the same time.
>
> I vote for Freeside.
>
> keith
>
indeed. I missed the last one and sure don't plan on missing this one.
Preston
I'm still not certain that their is enough support for an Installfest,
but what the hell.
May 21th @ Freeside Atlanta -- nine weeks from today. (Any obvious
reason why that date won't work?)
If anyone is interested in helping organize this event -- which will
be more "media center" oriented than exclusively dedicated to MythTV,
please let me know.
Thanks,
Preston
Watson, Keith
keith
--
Keith R. Watson Georgia Institute of Technology
Systems Support Specialist IV College of Computing
keith....@cc.gatech.edu 801 Atlantic Drive NW
(404) 385-7401 Atlanta, GA 30332-0280
> -----Original Message-----
> From: much...@googlegroups.com [mailto:much...@googlegroups.com] On
savithari
Please please please please lets have one.
-Narahari
H P Ladds
The response I'm receiving for a MythTV Installfest is fairly weak.
Later today I'm going to contact all those that signed-up for the last
one and see what their thoughts are.
I noticed that you are on the list as one of those that signed-up to
attend the last one. Did you make it?
Also I'm guessing that the advise I provided on the ALE list was not
that helpful. In reading your question, posted there, I think that you
are not far from success. Any update?
Preston