[mythtv-users] Output from the Hauppauge HD-PVR?

[Robert McNamara]

>> I asked about this in another thread and was told and explained that
>> my AMD 64 X2 4200+ simply doesn't have the power to play back h.264
>> video.
>> In fact, I believe the quote was something emasculating like
>> "woefully
>> inadequate". Yup. There it is:
>> http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/345697#345697

*sigh*.  Here we go again.  As explained in the very first sentence of
that post, That system (and those like it) are inadequte for all but
*the lowest bitrate HD-PVR samples*.  And what fact is everyone
ignoring here?  The sample in question is at 6 Megabit/s, less than
half of the bitrate the HD-PVR is capable of.  Also, as John Poet
mentioned last time, the VBR setting on the HD-PVR is now usable when
recording in myth which brings the requirements down a bit.

I *never* said it didn't have the capacity to play back h.264 video,
so it would be nice not to have words put in my mouth.  In fact,
"h.264 video" in itself is a totally generic term.  Even very low spec
systems could play back h.264 given adequately (there's that word
again!) low bitrates and encoding options.  When dealing with the
HD-PVR at bitrates that are of good/great quality (read: 12-13.5
Megabit/s) you are dealing with both medium bitrate, complex encoding
options and, as I mentioned before, single sliced encoding, making it
currently playable in only a single core in linux.  Guess what the
HD-PVR's setting at 6 Mbit/s is called in windows?  "Low Quality."  So
yeah, my original statement stands.

The other thing that is giving the OP a major speed boost is the fact
that Myth is throwing out the audio as he hasn't compiled in support
for it.  Myth doesn't have to waste any cycles decoding or (more
importantly) syncing the audio to the video.

So, what have we learned?  6 Mbit video != 13.5 Mbit video.  Audio
decoding/sync == takes cycles too.

Also, if one is emasculated when the power or capability of their
computer is called into question, well then... I don't know how to
help with that problem.

Robert

PS, to the OP, the library you want enabled is not libfaac, it's
libfaad.  libfaac is the *encoder*, you want to --enable-libfaad, the
decoder.