Which HTPC Linux Distro is Best?
For lots of people Linux is their operating system of choice for their HTPC. Why? Because it’s free. Most people don’t want to pay for windows again just for their HTPC (it’s expensive).
Although it will take longer to set up if your new to Linux, once it’s all set up you probably won’t have to fiddle with it again (unlike your normal PC that does everything, your HTPC has a set task, and once you’ve set it up to do this, you can just happily use it).
The main program used on Linux for HTPCs is MythTV, which provides everything you need to use Linux as a HTPC (playing movies, watching and recording TV, listening to music, looking at photos etc.). So it only makes sense to use a Linux distro that already has MythTV installed by default, because it is already set up to be used as a HTPC.
The three most popular of these MythTV Linux distros suitable for the HTPC are KnoppMyth, MythDora and MythBuntu. All three of them are good distros, and it comes down to personal preference and need to which one you will prefer. We will try and outline some of the key features of each to help you decide which Linux distro is best for your HTPC.
MythBuntu is the distro I had the most bias towards, as I love Ubuntu and run it on my Linux desktops. It is a good distro, but feels like it could do with more refinement. Unlike the other 2 distros, when installing it asked both Linux and MythTV setup questions mixed up, which threw me a bit off. The other 2 distros asked you to setup and install Linux, and then once that was installed you set up MythTV.
MythDora felt the most refined. It was the best and easiest to setup, and once setup it felt the best to use. The only problem with fedora was that it installed the most packages, making it the heaviest System (although not bloated, everything it installed is good), and the slowest to start up. Since I leave my HTPC on most of the time, the slow start up isn’t really a problem for me, but if this concerns you then MythBuntu is probably a better choice.
KnoppMyth for me was the worst of the distros. You cannot update individual packages trough a nice package manager like for MythBuntu or MythDora, making it not as flexible or as configurable. It provides the same MythTV functions as the other two distros, but I like having the flexibility of having lots of other programs to install really easily, just in case I want to do something else.
Otherwise the three distros provide very similar functions. They all use the same version of MythTV, and support the same plugins. Some people have a preference for one distro or the other because they think it is easier, but this is just because they have used them more. To be honest you will get used to and learn whichever distro you choose, and find them all just as easy.
I chose to install MythDora on my HTPC. I really like MythBuntu, and might consider it in the future when it has been worked on more, but right now I feel MythDora has the most refined release. Whichever option you choose, all three make setting up your MythTV operating system on your HTPC quick and easy.
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One Response to “Which HTPC Linux Distro is Best?”
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Nice overview. I have played with the same three a little and feel about the same toward them. But I don’t have all my hardware together to actually get a full-on working install. Hopefully that will come soon. What I was hoping for was a comparison between MythTV and some other projects, like Linux MCE, Freevo (or whatever it’s called), and whatever other ones are out. I heard XBMC is branching out beyond just XBoxen too.
Cheers
Mojo