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

[Jarod Wilson]

On Jul 2, 2009, at 6:52 AM, Jean-Yves Avenard <jyavenard at gmail.com>  
wrote:

> 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 ...

I said as much. I do have some h.264 stuff too though.


> 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.

Not sure what to say about that. My 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo w/Intel video  
handles the bulk of my BD rips fine. Would have to compare apples to  
apples though.



> 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 ...

You seem to assume the video must have real bad interlacing artifacts.  
But here's the thing: there aren't any.

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

Haven't tried, because it doesn't buy me much of anything, especially  
considering I have Intel graphics in my primary frontend, and my  
content being primarily mpeg2.

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

If its ultimately better video output once its stabilized, sure. But  
again, it doesn't buy *me* much right now. I'm likely to play with it  
more when I've actually got frontend hw that can use it.


> 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.

See, now, that's still way too often for my taste.


> Mark Kendall and Isaac have done a tremendous job here.

Didn't say they weren't doing fantastic work -- they are. Just that  
its still a work in progress.


>
>>>> 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.

Uh. What? Use vdpau only for greater than dvd resolution, problem  
solved, no?


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

Wrong. I have one. Its recordings play on the 2.16GHz c2d. Mine is set  
up for only 720p though, to be fair.


>
>> 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

Single-slice h.264 decode is still single-threaded. Multi-slice can  
use multiple cpus just fine.



>
>> 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...

Ew.


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

US cable companies are amusingly nuking all their analog for pure  
digital, blaming it on the government's mandate that broadcast tv be  
all digital soon... Its mainly to reclaim that bandwidth for more  
mpeg2 hdtv, I believe. And force customers to upgrade...

-- 
Jarod Wilson
jarod at wilsonet.com