[mythtv] NEWBIE: Disk space vs. CPU speed

Stefan Wallner mythtv-dev@snowman.net
Wed, 20 Nov 2002 14:37:38 +0000 (UTC)


Hello,
 I would like to reuse a somewhat older Linux (Debian) box for
Mythtv. It's a P3-733. I have a couple of questions:

* After reading the requirements it seems that this speed might just not
be good enough for higher-quality video. My question would be if I can
trade off CPU speed for disk space? What if I put in a 160GB HDD or bigger
and drop the compression down to almost nothing, will this work? I am
wondering if the throughput to HD with record & playback might then become
a bottleneck.

* Is there a ballpark figure for how much space I need e.g. for 1hr of
video at default compression, how much would it be at a lower compression
setting?

* Can you also record at full NTSC DVD resolution (for this question I'd
be willing to assume a faster CPU)?

* Any recommendations on a VGA-to-TV (external) converter?

* How close do you feel is Mythtv to replacing a Tivo (e.g. stability,
ease-of-use, etc.)?

Thanks in advance for any input. Before I go spend money on additional
hardware I would like to understand Mythtv a little bit better.

Thanks again,
Stefan