[mythtv-users] Questions about tuners, networking, and audio

Rich West Rich.West at wesmo.com
Mon Dec 11 23:52:39 UTC 2006


Steve Atkins wrote:
> On Dec 10, 2006, at 7:24 PM, Dewey Smolka wrote:
>
>   
>> On 12/10/06, David A. Caruso <dcaruso at cox.net> wrote:
>>     
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I recently installed Myth 0.20 on a box with the goal of seeing what
>>> Myth was all about before taking the plunge and setting up a  
>>> dedicated
>>> system.  Kudos to the devs...you all have created an impressive  
>>> piece of
>>> software.
>>>
>>> At this point, I pretty much have everything I'm interesting in  
>>> working
>>> but I do have a couple questions and was hoping I could get some  
>>> input:
>>>
>>> 1) Does the dedicated decoder on the Hauppauge PVR-350 introduce any
>>> issues, configuration/hard-to-find-drivers/otherwise?  Does it  
>>> need that
>>> same patch ( http://www.blushingpenguin.com/mark/blog/?p=24 ) that  
>>> the
>>> PVR-150 does for its IR receiver?
>>>       
>> Yes, as the 350's decoder is no longer officially supported. You can
>> still get it to work, but it's generally considered not advisable.
>> You're better off saving money and getting a PVR 150, 250, or 500
>> (2x150 on one card), and doing the video out from an nvidia card. The
>> fx5200 is the gold standard, though other fx and gf cards work as
>> well.
>>     
>
> This is a shame, as the video quality out from the PVR-350 is
> perfect, and it runs at zero CPU load.
>
> I'm using a PVR-350 and don't recall having to do anything special
> to make the IR input work.
>
>   
>>> 3) 802.11g...enough bandwidth?  Specifically, enough bandwidth for
>>> multiple frontends?
>>>       
>> Enough bandwidth for one FE, but you may run into problems with
>> multiple FEs streaming simultaneously. Probably not adequate for HD,
>> but I don't have any direct experience as far as that goes.
>>     
>
> It depends on what other traffic is around too. One 802.11b
> transmitter will push you down into compatibility mode. You might
> want to try some load tests and see how much real bandwidth
> you have available (the numbers in the spec and on the box
> are lies, so try shipping some big files around and see what
> happens).

You don't need that patch unless you want to use the IR Blaster that 
comes with the PVR-150 and PVR-350 (does the PVR-350 come with one?).

The onboard encoder is actually a desirable item.  It takes the pressure 
away from the CPU. :)  The 350 might not be supported, but it should 
work since it was only just recently said to be "unsupported".  If you 
have one already, give it a whirl.  However, I wouldn't go out and buy 
one off the shelf.. if you are going to do that, go for the newer 150 or 
500.

-Rich



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