[mythtv-users] Where to dedicate processing power?

Steven Adeff adeffs.mythtv at gmail.com
Wed Mar 8 22:06:15 UTC 2006


On 3/8/06, Jim Minihane <min02jsm at minihane.tzo.com> wrote:
> This arrangement I've suggested is more of a "proof of concept" for me. I
> want to understand how the system can be "broken up". I have another thread
> running asking about capturing DD5.1. One solution was an integrated SPDIF
> input on the mobo. This would require 1 machine per tuner. It would probably
> be the weakest machine(s) in the system. Don't worry about network. They'd
> be in their own small network 10/100 or Gbit.
> When it comes time to implement, I'd like to be able to add additional
> tuners if I want to. The RAID will most likely be a 3Ware 9500S-12 or
> 9550S-12 card.
> Here's my vision (bear with me)...
> I have a 19" enclosed telecom/RF cabinet. I'd want 4+ DirectTV boxes
> connected 4:1, 2:1, or even 1:1 with slave backends capturing S-Video and
> DD5.1. They'd be managed by the Master backend with no tuners. The
> RAID/storage would be in the master backend. Several TVs and a projector in
> the house would be connected by their frontends to the master. If I wanted,
> then I could add another machine to do commercial cutting.
> Call me nuts, but this sounds pretty good. I don't mind spending the money
> for hardware if I know it will all work when I hook it up. 1, 2, and 4U
> servers are pretty cheap on ebay.

I would still use a master backend that does the capturing and leave
the frontends tuner-less.

To capture with DD5.1 will require a non-PVR card (ie regular tv tuner
card) using the CPU to do video encoding to match up with a 5.1 input
signal from your soundcard. I don't think all the DirecTV channels
send 5.1, so what I would do is setup one or two tv and sound cards
for 5.1 capture and a PVR500 for regular channel capture, then set up
the 5.1 channels only on the inputs it has, so when you want to record
those channels it has to use one of the 5.1 setup instead of the other
two DirecTV tuners.

Get a motherboard with onboard 5.1 soundcard and get a second PCI
soundcard. With a PVR500 and two TV cards you'll only need 4 PCI slots
for tuning. Get a fast enough processor to handle the encoding and
MySQL tasks.

--
Steve


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