[mythtv-users] Is this the ultimate HTPC motherboard so far?

[Brian Wood]

On Monday 29 March 2010 01:54:21 pm Kirk Bocek wrote:

> >
> > Whether the added CPU core, additional RAM capacity and the audio port is
> > worth the additional cost over a single-core Revo, only you can
> > determine.
> >
> > Plus you get that wonderful OS (XP) with the Revo :-)
> 
> My thoughts too. I doubt you could get any smaller form factor right now
>  than the Revo. Mine is front-end only but I suspect it would have enough
>  power to encode a channel or two. Especially digital channels.

There's no encoding required for digital channels (well, not at the Myth end), 
all you need is disk I/O, and  most analog cards used with Myth do the 
encoding on the capture card (PVRs and the like).

I don't know about commflagging or transcoding with the Revo, it would be slow, 
but it all depends on how much of a hurry you are in.

The eSATA port on the Revo, as well as the USB ports, allow for external 
drives, but I think NFS mounts are the way to go. Using a 2.5" internal drive 
is probably not a good idea, though an SSD might work well.

IMHO the Revo is the best F/E today, unless you need the really high-end de-
interlacers. Whether it would make an acceptable B/E is moot. As support for 
the CrystalHD gets better, the fact that it can accept one of those is a plus.

But for building your own machine, the mobo that started this thread certainly 
looks useful.