[mythtv-users] New laptop - what video do I need for MythTV these days?

[Stephen Worthington]

On Mon, 14 Jun 2021 09:44:46 -0400, you wrote:

>I got a new laptop last August. Acer Nitro 5. I found if I want anything 
>that is beyond the basic and is not a business machine, it has to be a 
>gaming laptop.
>
>https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C1VTNPR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
>
>I use it mainly for development.
>
>I do not watch MythTV with it, preferring a TV with fire stick. It has 
>NVidia graphics. It runs MythTV and supports VDPAU and NVDEC with 
>MythTV. The built in screen is 1080 15.6 inch and the ubuntu display 
>allows refresh rates of 60 and 120. I don't know if something can be 
>done to support 50. Externally you can attach a 4K screen and I use that 
>regularly for development.
>
>There is one Linux glitch, and I have a workaround. When suspending 
>several times a day, about once a week it locks up solid with a crash in 
>the NVidia drivers. It is reported on Ubuntu, but my workaround has 
>completely prevented it.
>
>https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-graphics-drivers-435/+bug/1850776

Thanks, we do get Acer laptops here in New Zealand, and the Acer Nitro
5 is listed, but not in stock.  We are having all sorts of problems
getting stock of computer equipment in NZ at the moment, due to the
world wide shipping snarl ups.  But it looks like there are lots of
variants of the same sort of thing from multiple vendors, based around
having an Nvidia GTX 1650 of some sort, and they are generally not
horrible prices.  Anything with a 2000 or 3000 series Nvidia is just
(lots of) wasted money as I do not do gaming, and a 1650 type GPU is
excellent for MythTV.  So something like that with a 15.6" screen
seems to be the cheap and available option to do what I need.  The
only downside I can see for the 1650 GPUs is that they seem to only do
up to 4K30, not 4K60.  But I have yet to confirm that.