Here’s an example xorg.conf which works with X-out on a PVR-350 with a PAL TV

This blog entry used to contain an overview for constructing a MythTV box from Ubuntu and a Hauppauge PVR-350 card. I’ve moved it from the blog into a permanent page here.

Install the ivtv driver as described here http://www.willmer.com/kb/2005/02/installing-ivtv-driver-for-pvr-350-card/ Then, following the instructions in utils/README.X11, install -c -m 0444 ivtvdev_drv_o /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/ivtvdev_drv.o Then, set your default kernel to use a frame buffer. Add vga=791 to your kernel line Add this to the line starting # kopt… in /boot/grub/menu.lst vga=791 Identify the PCD ID of the PVR-350 card. lspci and look for the line relating to the PVR card.

Platform: Ubuntu Hoary Preview Release AMD64 Hauppauge PVR-350 if you don’t already have it, get the basic stuff for building a kernel module. Get basics for building a kernel module Following the instructions at Ubuntu Linux FAQ $ sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-uname -r If you get an error like this, make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.10-2-386/build: No such file or directory. Stop. make: *** [all] Error 2 this is the bit you need to revisit.

If you install grub, setting it up for a dual boot Linux and WindowsXP, and then you get an “autochk fail” error when you try booting into WindowsXP, check that the Windows partition is not hidden. If it is, add an “unhide” line before the “root” line in your menu.lst. Like so, title Windows XP Professional unhide (sd0,1) root (sd0,1) makeactive chainloader +1 This example shows a SCSI disk with WindowsXP on the 2nd partition.

Note: This will not necessarily get you the installation you would have from an official installation CD! Use with caution… I installed Hoary into a single partition, formatted as ext3 on a SCSI disk, with one other partition as swap. So I’ll be referring to /dev/sda5 and /dev/sda6 in this walk-through - you will need to use the right names for your installation. Why did I do this? I wanted Hoary on one of my machines.

I need to install an apache module from source, but apxs2 is nowhere to be seen on the system. apt-cache search apxs2 doesn’t help, where can it be? A quick question on irc.freenode.net #ubuntu, and the answer is there: install apache2-prefork-dev.

Before we moved house, we lived in a Freeview area. I’d bought a great cheap Humax box which acted as a Freeview box with hard disk recorder. It was great, no messing around with videos, automatic channel change, timeslip function, the works. Then we moved… Now I live in a Telewest area, so we use that instead, a much cheaper option than upgrading the TV aerial to digital etc. And we use the cable for phone, and I use the Internet option for work.