[mythtv-users] Cost of MythTV Machines

[Steven Adeff]

On 2/3/06, Rudy Zijlstra <mythtv at edsons.demon.nl> wrote:
> Nick wrote:
> >On 02/02/06, Rudy Zijlstra <mythtv at edsons.demon.nl> wrote:
> >>Nick wrote:
> >>>On 27/01/06, Ow Mun Heng <Ow.Mun.Heng at wdc.com> wrote:
> >>>>On Mon, 2006-01-23 at 09:02 -0500, Tom Hines wrote:
> >>>>>I assume the systems to which you are referring are HD capable and
> >>>>>"just work".  My motive for building my own box was that I wanted to
> >>>>>tinker with VIA min-itx mobos and it was just time for another DIY
> >>>>>project.  I forget what the price breakdown was, but I'm in it for
> >>>>>over $600 now.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>VIA EPIA M10000 (provides networking, video out, sound)
> >>>>>
> >>>>A Via is nice, but seriously underpowered. PLaying DVD uses up to 80-90%
> >>>>of CPU and let's not even talk about playing RealVideo. That's even
> >>>>worst. It won't even play smoothly!!
> >>>>
> >>>>Nice Form Factor though. What's nice would be the new Omega-sd boxes
> >>>>using a Pentium M chip.
> >>>>
> >>>My next MythTV machine (hopefully not required until HDTV hits the UK
> >>>shores) will likely be based on a Pentium M CPU (I currently run
> >>>Celeron 2.4/1.3 CPUs). My laptop (wireless FE) uses the 1.8GHz P-M and
> >>>the fan is hardly ever on, but the power is there. Now if only
> >>>Silverstone would drop their prices a bit - £185 (KustomsPcs) for a
> >>>LC16M case in the UK - any better prices out there?
> >>>
> >>If HD will be H.264 (likely), i do not think your P-M will have enough
> >>power.
> >
> >Bugger! Looks like you're correct on the HD -
> >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H264. Bearing in mind a 2GHz Pentium-M
> >has roughly the same power as a P4 3.2GHz or a A64 3000+, what kind of
> >CPU power do you think is necessary for HD H264 content?
> >
> Seems to need the most powerfull dual A64 at the moment....

nVidia promises new drivers (at least in Windows) that will offload
all/most of the h264 processing to the 6xxx and 7xxx GPU. We'll see if
that makes its way to linux...

All I know is, h264 better be worth all the processing power it uses,
1080p with mpeg2 isn't that much of a storage hog. (esp if they don't
throw in all the extra frames that are unnecesary. if its 23.97fps
don't convert it to 29.97 or 59.97 for no reason!)

--
Steve