[mythtv-users] HD thin client?

[Kisner, Thomas]

Tom Flair wrote:
> On Jan 29, 2008 8:36 PM, Mitch Gore <mitchell.gore at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> On Jan 29, 2008 8:32 PM, Anthony Giggins <seven at seven.dorksville.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS3656381487.html
>>>
>>> would these be fast enough to be a silent diskless HD mythtv
frontend
>>> maybe with an Nvidia card in the PCIe expansion module?
>>>
>>> or is an AMD Sempron 2100+ clocked at 1GHz not enough power to cut
the
>>> mustard?
>>>
>>
>>
>> I doubt it would work even with XvMC.
>>
>> I once had a AMD 1800 running as a FE and with XvMC it barely played
HD
>> and that is clocked at 1.5Ghz
>>
>>
>>
> I have a Sempron 2300+ 1.5Ghz using xvmc that plays back HD decently.
It
> stutters if I try to bring up the OSD, but otherwise it is acceptable.

>What everyone so far seems to be over looking is:

>"provides hardware acceleration for 2D, 3D, MPEG, and WMV9"

>...and...

>"One change made by HP is the shift from Neoware's homegrown NeoLinux 
>distribution to the Linux-2.6-based Debian Etch (4.0)."

>So, if the drivers they are using on Debian work, and work well enough,

>to accelerate the listed codecs, it's quite possible that they would 
>have the grunt needed to play back HD.  The audio output looks to suck 
>(1 headphone/line-out on the back) according to the HP page.

>Remember, the FiireStation used for LinuxMCE can playback HD content 
>using a lowly 15 watt Via 1.5 Ghz CPU.


I think we seriously need to re-evaluate the requirements for HD content
on Mythtv.

I seen in many many documents that 3 Ghz or higher is needed to play
back HDTV.  And a year ago, I would definitely agree with that
statement.  

However, I think the devs have made so many improvements to the code in
the last 6 months that this is simply no longer the case.

I have an AMD 64 3000+ on a combined backend/frontend running .20+fixes
that I used to have to use XvMC to for HD.  Not only do I no longer have
to use XvMC, but I checked last night and while watching live TV in
1080i, top reported the frontend process was only using 40-45% of the
CPU.  

So, I think it might be reasonable for a Sempron 2100+ *without* XvMC
given the recent improvements made to the frontend code...