[mythtv-users] Best settings for transcoding HD content to save space?

[jedi]

On Wed, May 14, 2014 at 12:32:13PM -0400, Eric Sharkey wrote:
> On Wed, May 14, 2014 at 11:56 AM, Preston Crow
> <pc-mythtv13 at crowcastle.net> wrote:
> > Well, yes, but I'm still running a single combined FE/BE system that is
> > quiet enough for our living room, so those options aren't going to work very
> > well considering the aesthetics, noise, and space constraints.
> 
> Aesthetics are really a matter of opinion.  Unless you're living on a
> submarine, I'm guessing you have enough space for a case that can hold
> multiple drives if you really think about it.
> 
> The first time I bought a case specifically for my backend (which is
> also in my living room) I got an "HTPC" case.  In retrospect, that was
> a mistake.  My current case cost $29 with free shipping and, if I can
> recall correctly, can hold 6 3.5" and 3 5.0" drives.
> 
> > Moving from 3TB with no data protection to 6TB or more with RAID
> 
> RAID is not data protection, it's high availability. If you want data
> protection, you need backups.
> 
> I don't feel the need for high availability, nor am I overly stressed
> at the potential loss of recordings, so I'd advise against RAID for
> typical MythTV installations.

   Once you've gotten to the point where you need to aggregate multiple
drives together in order to get more total capacity, you might as well
"splurge" and have one be a parity drive. It's not perfect protection 
but it's better than nothing and likely will be less resource intensive
than a "proper" backup.

   Replacing a failed RAID drive is probably the simplest and least
disruptive "disaster recovery" procedure once you start considering your
end users and how they are likely to react to alternatives.