[01:03] <qwebirc44714> hello, I would like to know if it possible to run the mythbuntu livecd in a low-memory (<= 512MB RAM) and to avoid loading the XFCE session and X, and instead just load the console virtual terminals, for me to be able to record using tv tuner cards by accessing /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 ('scan' to scan channels, 'azap' to switch channels, and 'dd' to dump the digital video stream).
[04:41] <qwebirc26523> hello, I would like to know if it possible to run the mythbuntu live-dvd in a low-memory (512MB RAM) and to avoid loading the XFCE session and X, and instead just load the console virtual terminals, for me to be able to record using tv tuner cards by accessing /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 ('scan' to scan channels, 'azap' to switch channels, and 'dd' to dump the digital video stream).
[04:42] <qwebirc26523> hello, I would like to know if it possible to run the mythbuntu live-dvd in a low-memory (512MB RAM) *system* and to avoid loading the XFCE session and X, and instead just load the console virtual terminals, for me to be able to record using tv tuner cards by accessing /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 ('scan' to scan channels, 'azap' to switch channels, and 'dd' to dump the digital video stream).
[08:31] <qwebirc26523> hello, I would like to know if it possible to run the mythbuntu live-dvd in a low-memory (512MB RAM) *system* and to avoid loading the XFCE session and X, and instead just load the console virtual terminals, for me to be able to record using tv tuner cards by accessing /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 ('scan' to scan channels, 'azap' to switch channels, and 'dd' to dump the digital video stream).
[14:06] <tgm4883> qwebirc26523: you would have to temporary start X in order to configure the backend
[16:14] <qwebirc43178> tgm4883:  as I had mentioned before, I am not planning to run the backend but instead interacting directly with the tuner card device file (/dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0) via 'scan'/'azap'/'dd'.  i just wanted to know if it was possible to load mythbuntu without loading the X server (for example using some kernel boot parameter) which would greatly help me out due to very limited memory (512MB) on one machine.
[16:15] <qwebirc43178> I would be happing loading the livedvd, and recording using the command line interface to the raw device file.  So, I just wanted to eliminate the loading of the X server.
[16:15] <qwebirc43178> recording using the command line from a virtual terminal, i mean.
[16:17] <qwebirc43178> and i am specifically referring to the latest mythbuntu live-dvd, as I do not wish to install mythbuntu onto harddrive, but merely record from the functionality (drivers, firmware and command-line apps) provided by the live-dvd.
[16:17] <tgm4883> hmm
[16:18] <tgm4883> You could try, I'm not 100% sure if it's possible. You'd have to get from the boot menu into the kernel parameters to add 'text' I believe
[16:19] <qwebirc43178> by using the command line, i mean using 'scan' to scan for all the ATSC channels, 'azap' to change to the channel i wish to record, and 'dd' to dump the video stream to file on hard-disk/network-fs.
[16:22] <qwebirc43178> "text" is the actual linux kernel paramter if i'm not mistaken.  what i'm reffering to is actually higher-level distribution boot parameter like "toram" which instructs the live-dvd to load its contents into RAMso that the live-dvd does not need to remain inserted into the system after it has fully loaded into RAM.  like that, if there is a distro boot parameter to disable X, that would be what I was looking for.
[16:24] <qwebirc43178> and I know that knoppix, for example, has several "cheat codes" that you can add to the "boot: " prompt to customize the how/what the live-dvd loads
[16:25] <qwebirc43178> so, i'm really looking for mythbuntu-live-dvd specific boot options that can be added when the "boot: " prompt shows up.
[16:28] <tgm4883> I'm not aware of any. If any did exist, it would be the same as Ubuntu, so you might have better luck searching with that
[16:31] <qwebirc43178> and the "text" linux kernel parameter does not really prevent the loading of X IINM.  it just makes it so that you can see the boot process in text mode (for example, with greater verbosity) without any graphic/splash screen.
[16:32] <qwebirc43178> i see, that's probably true.  the mythbuntu live-dvd boot options should be the same as those it inherited from ubuntu.  now, if I could just find where all the boot options have been comprehensively documented online...
[16:33] <qwebirc43178> for the ubuntu live-dvd, i mean...
[16:36] <tgm4883> I thought "text" booted you into no graphical land
[16:38] <tgm4883> qwebirc43178: removing "quiet" from that line removes the splash screen. Adding "text" boots you to a cmd line login prompt
[16:43] <tgm4883> qwebirc43178: and adding "text" works on a ubuntu ISO, so it should work in Mythbuntu as well
[17:02] <qwebirc43178> tgm4883:  i see, that might be true, i was thinking about "text" from another kernel/grub line, back when in the day when I was using gentoo.  but that still might not work, as it is a linux kernel paramater (unless it is also doubles as a live-dvd "boot: " prompt keyword), not a live-dvd "boot: " prompt keyword, but I will try it out and see if it works.
[17:02] <tgm4883> qwebirc43178: well I just tested it on a ubuntu ISO in a VM, so...
[17:02] <qwebirc43178> also, as a feature request, i propose that "emacs" comes pre-loaded onto the next mythbuntu live-dvd release, so that emacs users like me don't have to keep installing emacs everytime we load the live-dvd.
[17:03] <tgm4883> heh
[17:03] <tgm4883> yea, that's not going to happen
[17:04] <qwebirc43178> oh, ok.  so then the "text" "boot: " live-dvd prompt option just eliminates loading X altogher and just takes the user straight to the virtual termainal after the boot process completes?
[17:04] <tgm4883> yes
[17:05] <qwebirc43178> hmmm...  ;-(  why not?  aren't there enough emacs users out there to want that added on?  i guess it would have to be added onto the Ubuntu-based live-dvds which mythbuntu is based upon.
[17:05] <tgm4883> no, we could add it here directly
[17:05] <tgm4883> but you are literally the first person to ever ask for that
[17:08] <qwebirc43178> oh, i see.  The reason i was asking is because I tend to run all commands from within emacs *shell* buffers so that I can easily save the entire *shell* buffer to file, once I'm done with the session.  can't really do that within a console virtual terminal.. (at least, I don't know how).  And I do many other things within emacs as well, its almost a application-level operating system for me.  ;-)
[17:09] <tgm4883> well, all the commands would be in your bash history. And also you could run "script", which logs everything displayed on the terminal
[17:10] <tgm4883> depending on what you're looking for
[17:17] <qwebirc43178> right, the .bash_history does not save the stdin/stdout/sterr fromt each command.   and 'script', I remember using that along time ago.  it is a good option if emacs is compeltely unavailable/unfeasbile.  but of course, the console virtual terminal doesn't offer the rich editor features (full keybindings) emacs, and more importantly all of the limitless functionality provided with all of those elisp code, accessible via "M
[17:19] <qwebirc43178> but now my next question, is since i'm looking into installing a TV tuner card into a very old machine which limited memory, and that machine only has PCI slots (no AGP, no PCIe), I wanted to know what is the best quality ATSC PCI tuner card there is (or ever was)...
[17:21] <qwebirc43178> oh course, i mean best quality ATSC PCI tuner card that is actually supported by a linux kernel (drivers + firmware)...
[17:22] <tgm4883> qwebirc43178: honestly, not sure. I'd recommend an HDHomerun though
[17:34] <qwebirc43178> I cannot find HDHomerun listed under supported devices list at:  http://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/ATSC_Devices .  Is it a PCI or USB, because if I recollect correctly, there are several models/versions of HD Homerun...  I didn't know they were supported under linux.
[17:36] <tgm4883> qwebirc43178: they are ethernet
[17:37] <tgm4883> oh hold up
[17:37] <tgm4883> you wanted to just dd it
[17:37] <tgm4883> yea, that's not going to work with that
[17:59] <qwebirc43178> i'm not limited to 'dd' as long as there is another command-line commands for tuning/switching/dumping-stream-to-file.  i'm just not sure how that would work with a network device.  oh so, it would need its own IP address, and the stream is sent via IP?
[17:59] <tgm4883> yea
[18:03] <qwebirc43178> but there is also a dvb driver available for HDHomerun here... http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvbhdhomerun/  .  Does that mean HDhomerun can also connect via USB or something?
[18:03] <tgm4883> Not that I know of
[18:43] <qwebirc43178> I see, assuming that HDHomerun does not work as well with the dvb interface (and i prefer not to use a network device especially since I want to avoid any router modification and I want more fine-grained control using 'scan'/'azap'/'dd'), then if anybody had recommendations about the best quality PCI (not PCIe) device(s) for ATSC recordings, I would appreciate that input.
[18:44] <qwebirc43178> I assume the best tuner device(s) would be PCI and not USB2, because even though PCI is obsolete and slow it is still a faster technology than USB2 (being internal as opposed to external), although I could be mistaken about that...