Basically, mythtv.org is an open source TIVO/ Replay TV program. You port your cable hookup through a PC equipped with a TV tuner card ($100) and a decent sized hard drive, set up the open source software on the PC, and connect the PC to a large monitor or TV & stereo. Then you use the software to record your favorite programs. There’s a web interface that lets you set our programs remotely, say, from work.
A very cheap version of TIVO. (Tivo is about $300 for the Tivo box, and $12.99 a month). My co-worker Brent is using Myth TV now. He says there’s some monkeying around with it, but he’s got it working well, and there’s a lot of other stuff that you can do with it, like slide shows for digital photography, etc. that he hasn’t messed around with yet.
I figured this would be the kind of thing my younger brother Scott would really get into. It’s a little too bleeding edge for me, especially since my DVR box only costs $5.00 a month, but it’s interesting.