[mythtv-users] ITX vs ATX for dual-DVB system

[Stutty]

I originally went this route, but I'll never be completely satisfied
until it is completely silent, and it isn't there yet (The 3.5" HD
hums just too loud). I've have finally decided to bite the bullit and
built a server in my loft. This solves all sorts of problems (loads of
space for disks, loads of room for DVB cards, close to the arial for
good reception, etc. etc.).

I'm actually using a EPIA SP 8000 for the server, does a grand job,
using the Active PCI riser card you highlighted, works a treat. Things
to note:

I got my riser card from another retailer, and it did not work on the
EPIA SP, however Tranquil were kind enough to send a replacement and a
prepaid envelope for return of the duff one.

DVB cards seem to get very hot, especially if lying horizontally (as
they will with this riser card), with no ventillation (you don't want
fans in the living room), and in a small form factor case. I'm having
'issues' with the card in my living room setup (its a hush case), and
I'm pretty sure they are temperature related.

I'm using an EPIA MII 12000 for the living room PC, and it doesn't
really provide a perfect solution, but it is adequate. Turning on
deinterlace & doing lots of On-Screen-Display (e.g. browsing channels)
changes cause lots of prebuffering.

Hope this helps!

Paul

On 10/8/05, Jules Bean <jules at jellybean.co.uk> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm slowly getting up the nerve to make a hardware purchase and start
> building my first myth box. So, I'm looking for some advice. I've read
> the docs, and the howtos, but there are still a couple of decisions
> I'd appreciate advice on.
>
> The system will be for watching DVB-T digital broadcast TV, as well as
> DVDs. This means that it presumably doesn't need to be terribly
> powerful from a CPU point of view? No encoding or transcoding to do.
> It will be in the living room, under the TV, so it has to be quiet and
> look reasonable. No HDTV; I doubt we'll have HDTV DVB in the UK for a
> few years.
>
> One of the key branch points seems to be on the source of TV-OUT
> support. On the one hand their are the cute little VIA boards with
> built in TV-OUT, a graphics chip well supported under linux, in the
> mini-ITX form factor. The problem with these is that I really want 2
> tuners, and I don't much like the idea of USB tuners dangling off the
> back of what is supposed to be a neat little machine. It *is* possible
> to buy 2-card PCI risers, but I don't know if they are reliable, or if
> they even fit inside the
> cases. (http://www.tranquilpc-shop.co.uk/acatalog/PCI_Risers.html)
> (but only the most expensive epia, the EPIA SP has SATA, and I think I
> probably want SATA?)
>
> The other approach would be a standard mini-ATX motherboard, in a case
> large enough to take at least low-profile PCI cards (the AverTV 771 is
> low-profile, I believe). This would probably mean a socket 939 setup
> with a cheap AMD64 chip and some expensive quiet fans, and an
> expensive quiet case. But the sticker is the graphics card. I gather
> that most people on this list are either using the TV-OUT abilities of
> their Haupage PVR cards, or are using GeForce cards. A Haupage is
> clearly pointless in a DVB-only setup, and I really, really, really
> don't want to have an nvidia card, and nvidia's closed drivers, on the
> box. The sensible option then seems to be a cheapo Radeon 9250 TV-OUT,
> which is supported by the gatos drivers.
>
> Does anybody have any feedback on this? It's the PCI riser I'm most
> scared about, I don't understand PCI deeply enough at the hardware
> level to know if they provide good enough performance for two DVB
> tuners running in parallel.
>
> Many thanks for any advice anyone can offer,
>
> Jules Bean
>
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