[mythtv-users] The $99 frontend is here. Is this too good to be true?

[Jean-Yves Avenard]

Hi

2009/7/2 Jarod Wilson <jarod at wilsonet.com>:
> As I (thought I) said, I watch HDTV content ALL THE TIME without VDPAU.
> Hell, I'm not even using nVidia graphics, I'm using Intel.

I'm guessing your HDTV content is just mpeg2 ...

My E8500 (3.16GHz Core 2 Duo, 6MB of cache per core), struggle with a
few bluray RIP (h264 content) I've (the worse being Stardust, it
stutter like crazy).
That's 1080p at 24Hz.

If I want to use any of the advanced software deinterlacer (like Yadif
2X) on 1080i content, CPU usage jumps to over 140% and it starts
stuttering, so I had to settle for lesser deinterlacers (usually
kernel 2X)

But, you said you don't even use any deinterlacers ... Personally, I
don't understand how anyone wouldn't be bothered watching
non-deinterlaced content on TV ...

Looks to me more and more than those who criticise heavily VDPAU has
not being necessary or useful actually never ever tried it.

Few people here, have commented on how vdpau wasn't necessary, yet
once they tried didn't go back to their earlier setting.

Personally, I've been using VDPAU exclusively for months. Yes there
are issues from time to time with the PC freezing, this happens a lot
with 185.18.14 (at least for me), maybe once a week with drivers
180.60.

But as how reliable is VDPAU in mythtv, I would say very... I have
never seen a DVD playing properly with software decoding but not with
vdpau.
Back in the early days (like 4 months ago) sure...
but not now.

Mark Kendall and Isaac have done a tremendous job here.


>
>> > And VDPAU for DVD playback? Why?!?

Because, unfortunately, mythtv doesn't let you use a given decoder for
a specific codec. only depending on the resolution.
So if you use VDPAU, it has to be for all content.

> I wish. I'm on the other side of the pond, where everything is mpeg2,
> and ain't going to change anytime soon. Perhaps VDPAU is far more of
> a necessity outside the US then. Hadn't considered that.

If you use a HD-PVR, it seems that software decoding requires a C2D > 3GHz...

> back. My workstation handles anything and everything w/o a problem, but
> its a core 2 quad w/a quadro fx video card (which does support VDPAU,
> but I've not bothered to set up for such). Of course, I wouldn't want
> to put that in the living room...

I think having a dual or quad CPU here will make no difference, only
the frequency.. h264 decoding currently isn't multi-threaded... So
with a quad core, you'll find that one core is at 100% the others at 0

>
>> > Moral of the story: VDPAU still development code, and not a magic
>> > bullet (yet). Don't expect miracles. Play with fire, get burned. Etc.

I'd say it is just mildly warm now.. Actually quite nice thing to hold :)


> Typical American, I wasn't considering that the rest of the world isn't
> stuck with the same bullshit broadcast standards we have. Thank you for
> bringing this to my attention, it all makes more sense now. :)

Oz is stuck with mpeg2 too unfortunately, so we are stuck with very
low quality content.
They have just introduced new channels but as they can't use new
frequencies, all they could do is reduce the quality of the channel to
broadcast new ones.

One channel even stopped broadcasting a channel is HD just to add another one...

Should they have used h264, this would have never happened.