[mythtv-users] Netbook as low-power combined back-end / front-end?

[jedi]

On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 12:39:16PM -0700, Ross Boylan wrote:
> On Tue, 2012-08-28 at 14:05 -0500, rsh1k wrote:
> > On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 1:30 PM, Simon Hobson <linux at thehobsons.co.uk> wrote:
> > > rsh1k wrote:
> > >> Plus, it opens up new charging opportunities -
> > >> solar, wind, etc - things that with an up-front investment could lower
> > >> the annual operating costs even more.     Hmm......
> > >
> > >
> > > Why do I have visions of the cash registers going wild !
> > >
> Don't forget your time!  If you like tinkering, I suppose it could be a
> benefit, not a cost.
> > 
> > Yep, that's a very real concern!
> > 
> > With my current electric bill, I have a modest budget at hand if
> > averaged out over a few years.  But if the payoff period is too long,
> > then it wouldn't be worth the effort to build something exotic.   And
> > there is a curve to it - where it becomes more and more expensive to
> > save increasingly smaller amounts of power, and the additional return
> > for the investment lessens.
> > 
> > ... which brings me back to Netbooks and the combined frontend /
> > backend setup.   :-)
> I'm also interested in the ultra-small since my furniture and my family
> both think the case I was thinking of (Antec NSK 2480), and even some
> smaller variants, is too big.

   Pshaw! My first Tivo was bigger than that.

   It's not a bad case if you've got room for it. The main problem with 
normal PC cases is depth. A lot of cabinets aren't deep enough. In terms
of the front plate footprint, the Antec is not out of line at all.

[deletia]
> Zotac boxes with ION2 are said to work.  But quality and support sound
> poor.  newegg comments on Antec ISK cases are filled with remarks about

    I just get ready made boxes and just use them. Since they are low
profile machines, they probably are a bit like a swiss watch on the 
inside. I don't know really. I haven't ever taken one of my low profile
machiens apart.

> poor quality, bad fit, and physically altering components to jam them
> in.  Nor is it the only ultra-small with such comments.
> 
> >From an earlier thread I found http://www.logicsupply.com/, which looks
> interesting.  They have remarks on which boards fit in which cases.  I'm
> concerned about ventilation with the small cases.  The thread also
> references mini-itx.com, which I haven't looked at.
 
     The larger black boxy Asrock systems seem able to keep themselves
pretty cool despite being fairly tiny. Probably have more room to work
with than a Zotac Mac or a Revo.