~$ cd /etc/kde4/kdm
~$ sudo kate kdmrc

Search for the [Shutdown] section, and make sure the shutdown and reboot lines aren’t commented out with ‘#’ hashes. Add (or uncomment) these commands.

HaltCmd=/sbin/shutdown -h -P now

RebootCmd=/sbin/shutdown -r now

• Inexplicably, several apps were uninstalled including GIMP and Wine. Easily remedied.
• This weird error message proved more difficult to fix:

dpkg: warning: parsing file '/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 20544
package 'handbrake-gtk':
error in Version string 'svn3834ppa1~maverick1':
version number does not start with digit

Very odd because handbrake-gtk wasn’t installed on the system at the time of the upgrade. It was installed via a PPA some months ago, then deleted, and I thought I had wiped all traces of it away… Apparently not.

I tried a bunch of solutions from various forums until I hit on this one which worked:

sudo dpkg --clear-avail && sudo apt-get update

All in all, one of the smoothest upgrades I’ve had with Kubuntu (I always do it during beta; I’m too impatient to wait for the release to mature).  And KDE (now version 4.6.2) just gets more gorgeous with every incarnation.  Be sure to invite your friends over for a look, so they can see what the next version of Windows will be stealing.

Happy hacking.

Solution:
sudo apt-get install os-prober
sudo update-grub

Fixed.  And while you’re down there, add some other useful stuff:

sudo wget –output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/$(lsb_release -cs).list && sudo apt-get –quiet update && sudo apt-get –yes –quiet –allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring && sudo
apt-get –quiet update

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras w32codecs libdvdcss2 flashplugin-installer gstreamer0.10-alsa

Those will come in handy sooner than later.

Lubuntu’s LXDE desktop is very snappy and the default applications are, as you would expect, lean on resources.  My need for good Audioscrobbler support and streaming audio left me dissatisfied with Aqualung (otherwise a great little player for CDs and digital music files).

After testing Audacious (broken last.fm plugin, even in 2.4.0), Banshee (too many dependencies, including Brasero; CD playing issues), Rhythmbox (too many dependencies), xmms2 (in development; not quite prime time), I went with Exaile.  It’s a bit heavier on resources than I’d like, but very light on dependencies.

Installed well, but came up with an error when I tried to play a CD:

Playback error encountered! Configured audiosink bin1 is not working.

The solution, which I found here after quite a bit of reading, is to install an audio sink to connect to with GStreamer and restart Exaile. For Lubuntu, this is: gstreamer0.10-alsa

I still have my eye on Audacious’s next version, but for now I’m sticking with Exaile.

People are bowled over by Linux with the new KDE 4 desktop, believing that they’re looking at Windows 7. (I’ve been using Linux with a KDE desktop since early 2005).

Over a year ago I bought a Sansa Fuze by Sandisk.  I wanted a device with Linux compatibility and support for open audio file formats like Ogg Vorbis and FLAC.  Sandisk is one of the few manufacturers I’ve ever seen to mention both Linux and MacOS compatibility in their specifications.  Sandisk has even gone as far as to feature Tux, the Linux Mascot, on their packaging next to the Windows and Mac logos.

But open source and open format compatibility by itself isn’t impressive to me either.  What’s the point of buying a device if it’s inferior to the competing products like the Apple iPod or Microsoft Zune?  And what if the customer support pales in comparison to that offered by larger corporations?

No worries on either front: this device has been an absolute gem.  The firmware has continued to be developed and improved long after my purchase, the community support has been good, and my interactions with tech  support were extremely positive.

Sansa Fuze Features:

• 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB of internal storage
• Expandable memory via microSDHC / microSD slot
• Plays video (MPEG4 (SP) QCIF+ 20fps. Additional formats supported via the Sansa Media Converter software)
• Plays music and audio books (MP3, WAV, WMA, secure WMA, FLAC, Ogg-Vorbis)
• Displays photos and album art
• Digital FM radio with 40 preset stations
• Voice and radio recording with built-in microphone
• Bright 1.9″ screen
• A real, physical jog/shuttle wheel
• Up to 24 hours for audio playback and 5 hours of video playback with internal rechargeable battery
• Music subscription ready
• 1 Year Limited Warranty
• Dimensions: 3.1 x 1.9 x 0.3 in. (HxWxD)
• Available in five colours: blue, red, pink, black or silver

Would I buy this product again today?  Definitely.  At $80 CDN, it was a bargain one year ago, and the fit, finish and functionality still make it an excellent device today.

While I’m not against Apple, I do dislike the restrictions they build into their hardware and software.  If you’d like to do your own investigation of the options beyond the iPod, I recommend you browse Anything But iPod for additional possibilities.  I definitely recommend the Sansa Fuze, but if you’d like something even more compact and less expensive, I’ve read the same customer kudos about the Sansa Clip.

After about 3 years of running Kubuntu on the family desktop, I’ve switched to openSUSE.  Not a huge change I guess, switching from one flavour of Linux to another.  Certainly the difference isn’t apparent to my wife, beyond some minor cosmetic issues.  Specifically, the big K that used to signify the launch button in the lower left corner of the screen is now a green gecko logo.  But to me, it feels more significant.

I last used openSUSE before it was called such.  I chose SUSE Linux 10.1 as my OS when I returned to graduate school in the fall of 2006.  While I’d been a hardcore Debian user up until that point, I hadn’t had any experience with Debian on laptops.  In order to get up and productive as quickly as possible, I started the first semester with a more polished, corporate OS.  I liked it fine.  It certainly looked more striking than raw Debian, but architecturally it turned out to be much rawer.  The package manager was especially cumbersome.  I coped with this in the short term by switching to the Smart package manager, but this didn’t prevent the dependency problems inherent with an RPM-based system.

I’ve always admired Debian’s APT system.  It’s fast, efficient, solid, and provides sensible options to resolve issues with conflicting software packages.  I’ve never had a system I couldn’t salvage, no matter how difficult I’d made a situation through experimentation or idle tinkering. 

Ultimately, what drove me away from Kubuntu wasn’t its overall function or diminished feature set (in comparison to Ubuntu), but… lingering OpenOffice problems.

For some time, I’ve been bothered with the slowness of the suite on Kubuntu.  I did quite a bit of research and tinkering, but was never able to resolve the insanely slow dialogue boxes, particularly when saving files.  The problem was though to be the KDE 4 integration package.  It made the icons and operability with Kubuntu wonderful, at the expense of making it absolutely painful to use.

I’d heard glowing reports about the new SUSE release, so I back up all the family data on an external firewire drive, and reinstalled from scratch.  It wasn’t perfectly painless.  Finding repositories for those evil but essential proprietary software packages and drivers took some time, as did getting my accelerated video and wireless networking up and going.  In these areas I still have to give a serious advantage to Kubuntu / Ubuntu.  It was more than just lack of familiarity that held me back; Canonical’s products really do a much better job of harnessing hardware that requires proprietary drivers.

Overall though, I’m quite satisfied.  There have been some other changes needed.  In particular, I had to replace the rather lame duck version of KTorrent that openSUSE provides with the fully functioning version from the Packman repositories.  But the most important thing, my office suite, now works perfectly and looks great.

It’s funny what it can take to make a person change.  OpenOffice was my deal breaker.  It makes it easier for me to understand how the desire for Microsoft Office is the deal breaker that prevents many people from switching to Linux.

I’m not complaining; it’s two blessings in one. More tangible enrichment; less etheral mind candy. Still, it’s nice to be able to pig out every now and again, and a DVR (or PVR) fits the bill nicely.

There are a lot of reasons not to rent a box from your cable company: the monthly cost, limited storage space, no user-upgradability, automatic deletion of programs (whether you’ve watched them or not), and the inability to back up your shows on external media (funny that VCRs should have a technical advantage in that respect).   Plus, if you want to have DVR access in additional rooms, you need to rent additional boxes.

TiVo is now also an option for Canadians, but the unit price is high, storage volume is low, expandability is nil, and the electronic programming guide costs are significant (details here).  EPG costs are a fact of life with any DVR, but with MythTV the charges are not for profit.  Currently I pay $20 US per year  for excellent service from Schedules Direct.  In comparison, TiVo charges $13 per month.

So what’s so great about MythTV? What is MythTV? The website says:

MythTV is a Free Open Source software digital video recorder (DVR) project distributed under the terms of the GNU [General Public License]. It has been under heavy development since 2002, and now contains most features one would expect from a good DVR (and many new ones that you soon won’t be able to live without).

They aren’t lying.  Ever wish that your DVR would automatically skip all the commercials so you could easily watch your one hour program in 40 minutes?  MythTV does that, and once you get used to it, you’ll find it a chore to watch someone else’s DVR. And if you suddenly decide you want an additional unit in your bedroom, there’s no extra expense.  Put the software on a moderately-powered computer that works as a “front end” — sending commands and retrieving recorded content from your main recording box (“back end”).

MythTV is actually much more than a DVR though.  In addition to its recording abilities, it can play audio, photo and video multimedia of any kind; display news and weather; download and play movie trailers; browse the Internet; emulate old-school video game platforms — nearly any function that people can write a plugin for.  But for now, let’s consider its use as a really great DVR.

Basic Hardware Requirements

I built my MythBox out of a slightly older PC.  If you know someone (or are someone) who buys a new system every two years, you may have access to the perfect hardware to start building with.  Alternately, you could buy a used PC, or a new one that just isn’t state of the art anymore.  If you go with a new one, I’d recommend getting one from a dedicated computer store that sells their own line of no-frills, store-built boxes with no operating system installed.  There’s no reason to pay for a copy of Windows that you’ll just delete to install MythTV.

Use the best hardware you can acquire (or that you’re willing to pay for).  For standard definition TV, a 3.0 MHz CPU (single core) would be adequate; if you’d like the capacity for high definition signals, go dual core.  AMD or Intel are equally fine, but steer clear of their cheap lines (like Sempron and Celeron, respectively).

Memory and hard disk space is very inexpensive these days, so there’s no reason your box should have less than 2 GB memory and 1 TB of storage.  Again, don’t buy these from big box consumer electronics stores; go to the same specialized, small box computer places that sell their own homemade boxes.  And to keep costs low, get OEM versions rather than retail boxed versions of hardware.

A MythBox needs a minimum of two video cards/devices: one display card and one video capture card/device/tuner.  If you intend to use your MythBox as a DVR, this may be all the hardware it ever needs.  If you want to use your Box to watch live TV while you record, additional capture devices will be needed (note: some external devices include more than one tuner, allowing them to record more than one program at a time).

Video Hardware

Your video display card should use the NVIDIA chipset.  ATI might work but I don’t recommend it.  NVIDIA has provided very consistent support for accelerated video, and you want your box to work hassle free.

The MythTV wiki lists many video capture devices, with links to individual specifications. For a start, consider those on the following list.

HDTV*:

• Hauppauge HD-PVR [a.k.a. HD-PVR 1212] (external device)
• Silicondust HDHomeRun (external device with dual tuners)

SDTV:

• Hauppauge HVR-1600 (internal card)
• AVerMedia M179 (internal card)
• Hauppauge PVR-150 (internal card)

*HDTV is tricky.  Cable companies don’t really want you capturing their HD signal onto a box that you have full control over.  They use encryption to make their signals unusable, unless you use their equipment.  Fortunately, manufacturers are already finding ways around this.

Because it encodes analog HD output (via the component video outputs on cable or satellite TV boxes) the Hauppauge HD-PVR is currently the only way to record HD content from providers that encrypt their digital data streams. Don’t be alarmed by sound of  ”analog HD”: everything I’ve heard indicates the difference in quality is negligible.  So unless you’re one of those people who bought a Super Audio CD player, the HD-PVR 1212 looks like the first wave of the HD DVR future.

I elected go to the simple route: one tuner card and SDTV recording. I bought the Hauppauge (pronounced “hop-hog”) PVR-150. It’s no longer being manufactured, but I found one through a Canadian on-line retailer. Used ones are plentiful on eBay, and for much less.

Software

MythTV is a software package that runs on (gasp!) Linux.  Do not panic.  You don’t need to install Linux, or even really understand Linux, to use MythTV.  The simplest way to get going is to install a MythTV distribution that combines MythTV and the operating system in one disc.  It saves installation time, configuration, and disk space.  It gives you a highly specialized and streamlined system that does just MythTV, and does it well.  Best of all, it turns your old computer into an appliance; something you turn on and just use, without having to launch this and minimize that.  The DVR runs in full screen (although there’s a graphical desktop you can get to, if need be).

Among the most popular ready-to-install distros are Mythbuntu (MythTV on Ubuntu Linux) and Mythdora (MythTV on Fedora Linux).  I’ve tried both and prefer Mythbuntu for it’s leanness, plus a number of geeky technical preferences which you can safely ignore (unless you’re suffering a bout of prolonged insomnia, in which case we should discuss these at length).

Further Investigation

Do I have your attention?  A step-by-step installation is beyond the scope of this article, but there are a number of resources I recommend for more information:

• The MythTVCast podcast – great for learning during your commute to and from work.  Start from Episode 0, and listen to them in order.  The hosts (Pat & Dan) are immensely likable and the content is pure gold.
• Video tutorials, including a Mythbuntu installation, also from the guys at MythTVCast.
• The official MythTV wiki.
• The official Mythbuntu support forum.

This is a short list by design.  Start here, then venture out onto Google and YouTube to learn more.

Can't check DMA mode. Permission denied or no such device: "/dev/dvd"

Odd, considering that Amarok, K9copy and K3B were having absolutely no problems finding and using discs. And there was the clue: in K3B’s configuration screen the drive was identified asscd0. So, I checked from the command line:

me@kubuntu-desktop:~$ ls -l /dev/dvd*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-14 19:58 /dev/dvd1 -> scd0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-14 19:58 /dev/dvdrw1 -> scd0

And sure enough, there was no symbolic link between scd0 and /dev/dvd. Simple enough to fix though:

me@kubuntu-desktop:~$ sudo ln -s scd0 /dev/dvd
me@kubuntu-desktop:~$ ls -l /dev/dvd*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-15 00:03 /dev/dvd -> scd0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-14 19:58 /dev/dvd1 -> scd0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-14 19:58 /dev/dvdrw1 -> scd0

All fixed. But for good measure, I checked the cdrom situation. Same issue:

me@kubuntu-desktop:~$ ls -l /dev/cd*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-14 19:58 /dev/cdrom1 -> scd0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-14 19:58 /dev/cdrw1 -> scd0

So, for good measure (even though I hadn’t come across any problems):

me@kubuntu-desktop:~$ sudo ln -s scd0 /dev/cdrom
me@kubuntu-desktop:~$ ls -l /dev/cd*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-15 00:04 /dev/cdrom -> scd0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-14 19:58 /dev/cdrom1 -> scd0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2008-04-14 19:58 /dev/cdrw1 -> scd0

Now, with all roads leading to Rome, I fired Kaffeine back up again and enjoyed my movie.