[mythtv-users] Hardware ideas

[James Satterfield]

David Wood <obsidian at panix.com> wrote: 
>Hi Timo!
>
>On Fri, 25 Jun 2004, Timo Boettcher wrote:
>
>> > So far it sounds like an Athlon XP 2xxx+,
>> Why that big cpu? I have two pvr350's, and my p3-933 can deal with it
>> very good (even though I only use the pvrs as encoder, and use a
>> regular graphicscard for playback, with the cpu as decoder (my display
>> has a dvi in))
>
>Good question. I'd certainly like to use less powerful stuff; save $$$,
>electricity, noise etc. I think it came out of:
>
>1) Box will be both a front+back end
>2) Live TV
>3) No PVR-350 TV-out due to driver stability issues, so no hardware decode
>4) Also need to playback DivX/Xvid/younameit
>5) Was considering software encode as well (i.e. AverTV etc rather than
>PVR-250/350), though now it sounds like that's not worth it.
>
>EPIA sounds neat, especially some "fanless" configurations, but I was
>unsure this would fly as a front+back end in this config. Actually, it
>sounds from what I'm hearing now like it probably would work with a 350,
>but Jarod explains that his EPIA+350 isn't strong enough for some codecs -
>of which I have too many.  :( So close, yet so far.
>
>> > a big HD, and a Hauppauge PVR-350. But I have some reservations
>> > about the 350, since it sounds like the TV output device driver is
>> > in flux and not reliable/stable. And is it true that I won't be able
>> > to play movies through it that aren't in MPEG2 format?
>> No, you just won't be able to use the TV-out with
>> hardware-acceleration for mpeg if you are doing something non-mpeg.
>> There is a framebuffer-driver that you can use.
>
>OK. I'm getting inconsistent reports on this. I've read recent posts that
>people couldn't playback certain video formats due to performance problems
>with the current framebuffer driver. Then other folks (thanks again Jarod)
>have mentioned they think it might be fast enough if you have a good CPU,
>but it's just too unstable to tell.  :)
>
>If I felt like the 350 was stable and could play all my codecs I'd
>certainly get it. But if there are going to be issues it sounds better to
>get an mx440 and 3d graphics as a fringe benefit. Provided... provided the
>tv-out on the nvidia can be made to look decent on linux. There's no point
>in any of it if it looks like crap.
>
>> > Will I have to awkwardly switch between using it as a decoder and
>> > using it as a regular X display?
>> no
>
>OK, that's good. :)
>
>Thanks for sharing your ideas.
>

I'm running pvr350 tvout and I have a 1.7Ghz p4. If you're playing non-mpeg2
media (even DVD playback due to the lack of ivtv mpeg2 decoder support in
xine/mplayer) you're going to use the framebuffer. Using the framebuffer,
the quality is still spectacular. The only problem is that it takes some
CPU. I haven't tried any divx media at all, but DVD playback on my 1.7Ghz P4
consumes about 50% CPU. I presume that I've got enough CPU to handle any
divx media you'd actually throw at it. I suppose I'd have to go encode
something to test it out. I've been running my front/backend combo box for 5
days now without a single glitch. I've recorded over 20 hours of TV, watched
about 5 hours worth of recorded video and another 5 hours worth of live tv.
Also played a couple DVDs. All without a single problem. Wow.. I watch a lot
of TV. =(
I'm using a 55" not HD tv and the video out I got from a BFG Tech. gf4
mx4000 card was horrible. I switched to the pvr350 tvout and the picture is
perfect. It's better then my tivo. I know I'm in the minority of people that
have had a bad experience with the nvidia cards, but I still cannot suggest
that someone use one for their myth box. If you get the right ivtv drivers
(I'm using 65b) and use the ivtvdev X driver and have the CPU to handle
non-mpeg2, you should not have any troubles with the pvr350 tvout.
James.