[mythtv-users] Energy Efficient Front End

[jim Peters]

I have a Jetway JTF2WE2G board that uses the C7 2.0 that I actually
was using as a "carputer". I no longer needed it in the car so I
pulled the hard drive out of it and got a cheap HA-IR01SV usb remote
and stuck it in the bedroom for a frontend.It is a VIA chip set and
uses unicrome graphics, it has VGA, S-Video and composite out. I have
the composite out connected to the AUX input on my old 27 inch
Magnavox CRT tube TV running Minimythh. It works like a champ.

On Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 7:15 PM, Brian Wood <beww at beww.org> wrote:
> On Wednesday 25 March 2009 19:03:29 Tyler T wrote:
>> > When I looked at doing this the via EPIA boards were what most people
>> > were using.  They have inbuilt S-Video and handle standard def pretty
>> > well.  They're still around but guess they're pretty long in the tooth
>>
>> I recommend you avoid Via in general and Epia in particular. I have a
>> Via Epia Mini-ITX board for my FE and have had nothing but problems
>> with it. I regret buying it.
>>
>> A recommendation was made for a laptop... you could take that idea one
>> step further and get a solid state netbook. Preferably not one with
>> Via inside. ;)
>
> Used laptops that can handle SD are pretty common and cheap these days,
> especially if you don't need a battery, so that might be the way to go.
>
> Netbooks run the gamut of CPUs, I have a MIPS-based unit, an Atom and a
> Celeron. I see some are now available with C7 processors, but that's VIA
> again, but I did see one with the Sylvania name on it that had a DVI output,
> for around $200 US.
>
> Used iBooks and other Apple portables are starting to get cheaper as well, if
> you can use a PPC processor.
>
> I think a used "laptop" or "notebook" is going to be cheaper than a new
> Netbook, at least for a while.
>
> My experience with VIA is that their products are fine, if all you are going
> to do is run Windows, but otherwise I'd stay away from them. They work in
> some cases, but not in others, and by the time you know it won't work it's
> too late.
>
> --
> beww
> beww at beww.org
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