[mythtv-users] Re:Hardware Decode on Epia running Debian is working (sort of...)

[Torsten Schenkel]

On Tue, 2003-10-28 at 23:01, Dan Fleming wrote:
> Torsten, how is the PVR-350?  Is the video out and decode working well
> for you?

Well, the quality of the TV-out is perfect, can't tell a difference
between PVR and TV-Set direct. Encoder/Decoder is a dream. I watch
720x576 4500/6000 bps VBR with <10% CPU each on front- and backend (most
of the time 6% each) on a 600MHz Eden. No prebuffering pauses, no
stutters, perfect.

What's not (yet) perfect is:

- ivtv decoder-alpha stability, but this is constantly improving, I'll
have to get home to try the new snapshot, should fix some problems. Up
to yesterday the driver will freeze when switching to and from
framebuffer (X or OSD) out of decoding.  

- No Videoplayer with pvr out ATM. But (see arpi's post) that seems just
around the corner.

> I have another one of Via's generic ITX boards with a video trident
> chipset, maybe the PVR-350 would work well with it...

With a little patience, those little boards will soar.

BTW, it's definitely true that WinXP MCE DOESN'T support TV-out on the PVR-350, i.e.
the best they can get on TV is a GF MX TV-out, which is crap compared to the pvr's 
dedicated TV hardware sync.

Short: Doesn't work yet, but looks VERY promising.

Torsten