[mythtv-users] Re: Plextor PX-TV402U-NA

[Justin Gombos]

* Tim Sailer <tps at buoy.com> [2005-02-27 23:46]:
> OK, so I'm really interested in this beast. One question, for those
> of you who have actually touched it under Linux. Does is also show
> up as an audio device, or is a sound card required for it?

I've been looking at the same hardware, and wanted to add to the
questions.

Are there linux drivers to support both the audio and video?

Why does the Mac version exclude DivX?  It's disturbing to find that
Plextor would strip the DivX out of the Mac version, then charge more
for it.

Requirements:  I noticed a P3-800 is required for the PX-TV402U-NA,
while the PVR-350 merely requires a P2-600.  I'm guessing the ConvertX
box has higher requirements because it does not have a decoder, and
consequently the CPU will have to do the decoding work in the cases of
watching while recording.  

So the question is, suppose the Plextor box is used on a server only,
and the client is a MediaMVP; would that type of usage lower the
requirements of the Plextor server down to a P2-600?  Is the answer
the same if the the machine is both a server and a client and the
video card has a decoder chip?

I really like the idea of a/v hardware being external.  Not only is it
easy to switch the hardware from one machine to the next, but it also
protects the analog signals from inducing the copious electronmagnetic
waves present within the case.  I'm amazed to see that internal audio
and video cards are still the most common, when they only have
disadvantages compared to the external gear.