[mythtv-users] seeking video hardware recommendations

[Sarah Hayes]

Richard Bronosky wrote:
> Thanks for the advice.  Even though you feel confident that playing
> MPEG2 isn't a problem, I know that my old machine can't handle HD.
> Also I hear that PCI video cards can't handle HD.  Not that I'd buy a
> PCI video card.
>
>   
>
I heard it said a while ago, dunno if it's here or a random net page I 
stumbled upon but: "HD is the land of the Core 2", it just seems to 
require that much grunt to handle.  The MPEG2 accelerator on my MII10K 
has, by the accounts of others, a resolution limit on it, so even if it 
wasn't a puny insect it couldn't actually accelerate HD sized content.

What sized Core 2, I couldn't tell you.  My laptop (Duo 2.0Ghz 2MB cache 
version, GeForce 7900 GS) ticks over at 22% playing a PAL SD h264'd AC3 
audio'd mkv and 50%ish on a 1080p H264'd mov wrapped movie trailer in 
mplayer.  I would assume less is required for MPEG2 as it's a simpler 
algorithm (apparently).  The MII10k chokes on either, but that goes 
without saying :)