[mythtv-users] Laptop as a Front-End (HD)

[Nick Rout]

On Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 9:17 AM, Dan Wilga
<mythtv-users2 at dwilga-linux1.amherst.edu> wrote:
> On 2/18/10 1:59 PM, Nick Rout wrote:
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 5:38 AM, Dan Wilga
>> <mythtv-users2 at dwilga-linux1.amherst.edu>  wrote:
>>>
>>> Personally, I have a late-2006 Macbook Pro that I use for my frontend in
>>> the
>>> bedroom. Even a machine this old is capable of playing 1080i.
>>
>> In what codec?
>
> Good point. This is MPEG2. It probably can't handle h.264 at that size (I
> haven't tried.)

In answer to the original question, handling HD h.264 will probably be
difficult in most laptop hardware. However the new CrystalHD method
may work. Of course there is no support in mythtv for that yet, but it
should come eventually. XBMC apparently has support and can be used as
an approximation of a frontend.

The point being that many laptops have a minipci-e slot, originally
designed for wireless cards, but capable of being pressed into use for
a crystal HD card. Of course unless you have two minipci-e slots (some
do, see a recent post by Jarod in the crystalHD thread), or some other
wireless solution, you'll be wired only. I don't care too much for
wireless frontends in any event, but it would be nice to try a laptop
with crystalHD and a 802.11N wireless setup.

So I would be trying for a laptop with two minipci-e slots, wireless-n
and then hope for CrystalHD support in mythfrontend real soon now.