Really need some advice

So... I finished a preliminary Mythbuntu test machine i.e. my old old laptop i.e. CrapTop from years ago. It was working fine up until I started ruing out of room on the small harddrive. I was wondering if I read correctly. The NAS and/or portable harddrive(s) need to have the ability to mount correct, same file structure as /var/lib/mythtv, and finally the directory above it owned by root and the directories on the drive owned by the mythtv group?

My second question was about lowering the quality of the recordings. The avg size of recordings being an 30 mins to 1 hour long is 26 GB and while I appreciate it actually working. It's frustrating to have to delete and/or backup the files to a portable harddrive.

My third question is, is there a guide for ordering, naming, and preparing recordings for viewing on laptops, phones, ipads, etc?

My fourth question is, how do I enable the auto removing of commercials from the recordings?

My fifth question is, is there a way to repair the video damage from the phasing on the antea i.e. the blurriness once in a while?

My last question is, do you have to use SchedulesDirect or is there a way to configure the backend to receive the hdhomerun tv tuner(s) free tv guide?

Thanks,

Espryon