[mythtv-users] minimum specs for PCHDTV-5500?

[Roger Heflin]

Mary Strimel wrote:
> hello mythfolk,
> I have put a pchdtv-5500 into my myth box which consists of a 4-years old
> AMD Athlon 64 (I think the CPU is rated at 800 mhz).
> 
> In theory, my box should be capable of recording from this card in HD.  In
> fact PCHDTV minimum specs say 400 mhz pentium would be enough.
> 
> As for playback, I downloaded an HD testfile - I forgot from where, it
> appeared to be a computer-animated short film that my computer played back
> in beautiful widescreen HD with no problems.  My video card is a nvidia
> fx-5200.
> 
> So how come, when I try to record QAM from Comcast cable on this card, the
> results are unwatchable, blocky and hesitating to the point where it barely
> looks like tv?  (I think it is a resource problem, since when there is a
> still frame or very little movement, the blockiness reduces somewhat).  I
> have tried to record, then stop and watch (so as not to be taping and
> playback simultaneously).  I have also tried XVMC playback, which seems to
> make no discernible difference in the results.
> 
> Please try to resist telling me not to buy the pchdtv-5500, 'cause I think
> it's too late to return :)  Could it be that the specs on the PCHDTV site
> are just plain wrong?  Seems more likely I am doing something wrong.
> 
> cheers,
> Mary

How fast is your machine and how much ram do you have?   Recording will work 
fine on a 400Mhz machine, playback of HD will not work on that slow of box, I 
*think* that playback of HD-1080i would require quite a bit more.

My experience is that for playback you will need something quite a bit faster, 
but this also depends on the resolution of what you are trying to playback, 
1920x1080 takes quite a bit more than 1280x720 does, what was the resolution of 
the file that worked, and what was the resolution of the file that failed?

                             Roger