**SPAM** [mythtv-users] Ausu Pundit / Hauppauge Freestyle and some morequestions ...

[Will Dormann]

>1) I read Hauppauge PVR 250 will be a tight fit in Pundit, but it is
>possible. How about Freestyle. I guess it should be of the same
>dimension ?

Same dimensions.


>3) How is the build in graphics card performance ? 

Not that great.   Playback of an MPEG2 stream from my PVR250 takes around
50-60% CPU on my 2.2GHz celeron.  This may be due to poor XV support or
just a poor graphics chip design.  I'm not sure.

>Can I use it to play
>some occasional 3-D games ? Is 3-D acceleration supported in Linux ?

No and No.

>4) Today is the last day for the circuit city PVR 250 deal and I am
>thinking if I should go for it. I already have 2 tunner cards (WinTV go
>and Aver Studio). They system I  am think of building is Pundit + 2.4
>GHz HT P4 + 133 ATA 80GB HD + DDR 333 512MB RAM. Do I still need a 250
>to store high quality video ?

Probably not.  Don't feel rushed by the circuit city deal, though.   Zbuy
has a Freestyle for $86, which is what I use.  Personally, I like the
hardware MPEG2 quality of the card.   CPU usage is near zero while
recording.   Though the P4 should be a pretty fast CPU for a mythtv setup,
the high CPU usage of the Pundit's video playback may put a strain on the
CPU while watching live TV.   (simultaneous video compression,
decompression, and playback)

That's just a guess, though.   Maybe somebody who has experience with
software-encoding mythtv on a Pundit (or other system with onboard SiS
graphics) would be more qualified to answer your question.

-WD