[mythtv-users] Possible 'holy grail' of frontends?

[Michael T. Dean]

On 09/06/2011 02:33 PM, linux guy wrote:
> Do you need that much processing power ?

No, you can live with a limited system that can't do Flash playback*** 
and that only decodes good-quality video without any errors and that's 
in the formats/profiles supported by VDPAU.

*** Unless the website chooses to allow VDPAU support by limiting how 
they can use the video.  Though, since web sites that provide video 
seldom try to do things like micro-manage the experience and add eye 
candy effects, I'm sure they'll all just enable Stage Video and be happy 
to live without the additional control using Flash Video objects provide 
so that they can support GNU/Linux users--even though things work 
perfectly fine on Windows-based systems even using the Flash Video 
objects approach (see 
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/stage_video.html and 
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/stage_video.html ).  
Looks like you can watch your YouTube garbage using VDPAU, though.  And 
Big Buck Bunny--if you don't want to just download it and watch it with 
a real video player.  And, one day, vimeo videos--it says "coming soon".

>
> Do you need a BD in every front end ?

BD is optional.  The only challenge is finding one configured with a DVD 
drive, instead, since ASRock doesn't provide direct purchasing options 
allowing you to customize it your way.

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/Vision3D/index.asp?c=Models shows 
specifications , and notice that the "D" models (137D and 146D) have DVD 
drives (under "ODD"--meaning Optical Disc Drive, not that using a DVD 
would be odd, IMHO).

> I'm in the process of testing an Eee Box PC.
>
> - $200 (less RAM and HD, but with video, sound and Wifi.)
> - Nearly totally silent.
> - Mounts to the TV mount if you want.
> - No IR receiver.
> - Very low power draw.
> - Totally self contained.
>
> Should I be looking at something else ?

The entire list probably knows what I think of the Atom-bomination 
created by Intel.  "Energy efficiency through placing an artificial 
ceiling on power draw and computing performance and making it sell for a 
cut-rate price by chopping out useful functionality including idle mode 
power savings" is one approach--but I'll take the "energy efficiency 
through effective idle mode power savings and/or frequency scaling, but 
allowing sufficient headroom to actually do computations including 
software decode of video and audio of the formats I'd be likely to use 
on a MythTV box," any day.

Mike