[mythtv-users] New setup

[Kelly Reed Schuerman]

<snip>

I am currently running an Athlon 650, 256MB PC133 SDRAM, and two WinTV 401
tuner cards as a frontend/backend PVR system. In order to compensate for the
low CPU speed I adjusted the bitrate to approx. 1800 and the resolution to
320x480. 

The video quality is okay and only looks really poor when dealing with skin
tones, but the quality is good enough that my 5 year-old daughter and my
wife both watch recordings without complaint. Somebody that demands more and
better quality certainly wouldn't want to use my setup.

There are some other issues with slower hardware, watching live TV is
possible (I can even do PIP), but it's not really a good idea.  I can record
two shows at once without too much difficulty and I can record a show while
watching a show without too much difficulty. Recording two while watching
one however isn't a good idea.

This system was first put together as a test system using hardware I had
lying around (kids educational gaming system) to see if I could make Myth
work. Now that I have a pretty good idea how to get it up and running and
have my wife convinced, I am waiting to hear more results of setups using
the Asus Pundit before I invest any money in a more capable system.

I hope this helps anybody interested in giving it a try without a big
investment.  I have spent approx. $135 beyond the hardware I already had
including the two WinTV cards, a VGA-to-TV scan converter, and an ATI Remote
Wonder....this was all purchased to prepare my system for the living room
after I already had it running in my office.

Sherm    <><
--------------------------------
Kelly Reed Schuerman
kschuerman at thekeyboardcowboy.com
http://www.thekeyboardcowboy.com