[mythtv-users] Minimum hardware recomendation

[Brian Wood]

On Sunday 21 June 2009 12:40:53 Brian Wood wrote:
> On Sunday 21 June 2009 12:25:24 Raymond Wagner wrote:
> > jedi wrote:
> > >    Since this is an MPEG2 based system for "someone else" perhaps a
> > > VDPAU approach isn't the best idea. Anything with good xvmc support
> > > should be more than adequate for playback.
> >
> > XvMC is not an ideal solution when you can readily pick up machines
> > capable of HD MPEG2.  Any Ath64 or Core2 machine will do nicely.  Higher
> > end P4s and AthXPs should work as well.  About the only modern machines
> > that cannot easily do this in software will be VIA and Atom systems.
>
> You could even get a core-2-duo Mac Mini for $400 these days, which should
> be able to handle HD MPEG2.
>
> Larger desktop machines that can handle HD MPEG2 can be had for $200 or
> less as refurbs, even cheaper as "used" (refurbs usually come with a
> minimal warranty, used machines do not).

You could also get one of the many UPnP client/renderers that use hardware to 
play back MPEG2, if you were willing to give up some of the higher level 
frontend functions like commercial skipping. This would allow a very 
low-power machine to run the backed, all that requires is disk I/O, not a lot 
of CPU.

If your "customer" has a game console like an Xbox 360 or a PS3, that could be 
used to play back recordings from Myth's UPnP server.

-- 
Brian Wood
beww at beww.org