[mythtv-users] Zotac Zbox Replacement

[R. G. Newbury]

On 08/12/2016 07:52 AM, Michael A Weber wrote:
>
>> On Aug 11, 2016, at 10:15 AM, R. G. Newbury <newbury at mandamus.org> wrote:
>>
>> On 08/11/2016 12:58 AM, Michael Papet wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I've got a Zotac Zbox of uncertain vintage running Debian testing that
>>> simply cannot seem to draw OTA HDTV when the frames get "busy" (think

>>
>> If you open a console and run dmidecode and lspci -v you cam learn a lot about the machine.
>>
>> I have an early Zotac Ion which runs an Atom 330 CPU at 1.6G and it handled OTA HD perfectly *with the proper nvidia driver installed*. Mine has an nvidia GeForce 9400M gpu which now uses the 'Legacy' 340.xxx series driver.
>>
>> It's been my VOIP box for some years now but I ran it as a myth frontend for a while for testing purposes with iirc a 190.xxx series nvidia driver. It had no problems even with very high bit-rate HD content. (Normal network broadcast HD runs about 7Gig per hour recorded, but CBS for one, broadcasts sports (NFL!) at a higher bit-rate and runs about 11Gig per hour. The Zotac had no problems with that).
>>
>> Maybe you should try installing the nvidia driver again? It's fiddly to do but worth it.
>>
>>
>> Geoff

>
> +1
>
> Or, if those commands Geoff suggested let you know that your existing Zotac hardware is definitely not capable, I recommend checking into a used Zotac Zbox with better specs.  I picked mine up from eBay on the cheap, attached it to my network and setup a network boot, and it’s been an outstanding performer (and certainly not bad on the eyes or a space hog).  It’s an ID84 for whatever that’s worth, no hard drive and 2GB ram.
>
> Mike

My box is the original Zotac Ion. The second gen ION 2 was even more 
capable. I don't think that there is anything deficient in the hardware 
for mythtv playback. As noted, installing the nvidia native driver is a 
pain but it's just a longish series of finicky steps

The hardware itself is rock solid. Mine has been running as a VOIP 
server for seven and a half years now and all I have had to do is clean 
the little fan. The case is rather small and it needs a 40 mm fan. I 
have had uptimes into the 240 day range and present uptime is 75 days.
Asterisk forever!

Geoff