[mythtv] Re: [mythtv-commits] Re: Ticket #512: Chromakey OSD

[Michael T. Dean]

Carl wrote:

> Michael T. Dean wrote:
>
>> Carl wrote:
>>
>>> As an update, the same problem is happening on the 6200.
>>> Hopefully this isn't the end of the road for something usable in the 
>>> osd
>>> department on these cards since they'll become more common than not in
>>> the future..
>>
>> Just don't use the Chromakey OSD if you have a card that doesn't use 
>> overlays for Xv.
>
> That may be my only option.
> But the reason this whole thing is being pursued in the first place is 
> that hdtv playback works quite well on my "low-end" living room 
> machine unless the osd comes up.  At which point everything falls 
> apart with stuttering, audio drops, and unusable menus.
>
> As an aside, that machine (a 2500+ btw), absolutely requires that xvmc 
> be used or it can't even play back hdtv without it looking like a 
> slideshow.
>
> So, in summary, it would be nice if a usable osd in this slower 
> machine (with xvmc) can be done..
>
> If it can't, then I'll eventually get sick of the stuttering and 
> upgrade the thing to something that can playback hdtv without xvmc.

If you don't want to upgrade the proc (and possibly motherboard, etc.), 
there's always the option of "upgrading" to an older NVIDIA card--like a 
GF 5200.  The 5200 uses overlays, and it's a $40 upgrade compared to a 
potentially much more expensive one.

> I'd rather not spend the money if I don't have to....
> The whole idea of using linux and mythtv, is to build a multimedia 
> system that doesn't neccessarily kill your pocketbook while providing 
> a great living room experience, plus the fact that it (mythtv) get's 
> better and better as each day goes by... 

Well, for me, the whole idea is to get a PVR that works correctly.  I've 
spent significantly more on my system than I would have had I got a TiVo 
or done the cable/satellite company $4-6/mo rental (considering the 
electricity used by the Myth box is costing me nearly $5 a month).  
Granted, I have more capability than I would have gotten from the 
commercial PVR, but far more importantly, the PVR I have works correctly 
(and I have the option to change it if I ever disagree--although I doubt 
that will ever be a problem since the devs are doing things right).

For example, while recording a show the other day, a rain storm caused 
my DISH receiver to lose signal for a few minutes.  When the signal came 
back, the receiver refused to display the program until it had 
downloaded the guide data--which took over a minute (and I've got it all 
on my Myth box to prove it).  Now, anyone who has ever used a TV should 
realize that seeing the show is more important than watching a message 
box say, "Downloading guide data" for over a minute, but it seems that 
OpenTV (which is far from Open, BTW) developers have never watched TV.

Mike