[mythtv-users] Asus Eee Box vs Dell hybrid vs Mac mini

[Brian Wood]

Reid Anderson wrote:
> I'm in the market for a new (additional) frontend and am considering
> one of a few machines for it.  The machine will be attached to a 32"
> HDTV in the bedroom, so it has to be silent, or very nearly silent...
> 
> The Asus Eee Box would be the cheapest of the bunch, but I've read
> about the Atom processor not having hardware support for HD decoding
> (and I do have an HDHomeRun with several HD channels and more on the
> way) and thus leaving the CPU to handle the decoding in software,
> pegging it out for even modest bitrate 720p.  That alone could nix
> that machine.
> 
> The next on the list would be a Dell hybrid, and the only thing I've
> read being an issue with them is the Intel X3100 integrated graphics
> and the lack of support for it in Ubuntu 8.04 (I run Mythbuntu across
> the board).  VESA drivers apparently do the trick, and 8.10 will
> hopefuly solve this as well.  I suspect that I would need to bump up
> to 2GB over the standard 1GB RAM since the graphics memory is shared.
> I'm also curious about support for 802.11n (draft, I know).
> 
> The last one would be a Mac Mini, but that too has intricacies
> revolving around Intel graphics support among other things.  It is
> also the most expensive (or very near it depending on particular specs
> of the hybrid and the mini) of the options.
> 
> So, In looking for a FE for a bedroom (considering volume as a key
> component), any thoughts or experience with one or more of the above?
> Anyone by chance running the alpha release of 8.10 and able to speak
> to the concern on Intel integrated graphics (namely the X3100) or
> Ubuntu support for the 802.11n cards in any of the above machines?
>
For SD the Media MVP is about as small, silent and cheap as you can get.
I hear rumors of an updated one that will do HD.

A lot of people seem happy with the Mini, not sure how well the AppleTV
is working out.

> 
> PS- Am I correct in thinking that 802.11n would be the way to go?  To
> push 1080i/p HD content wirelessly would take some throughput and if I
> want to still use my laptop reliably, do I need (or would it be worth
> it to use) n instead of g?

I wouldn't use any sort of wireless if you can possibly avoid it.
802.11n is not yet a final standard for a reason, any wireless link
introduces issues, including interference from microwave ovens, cordless
phones and the like. Wireless, even a system that seems to be "working",
is not really great at sustained high throughput.

beww