[mythtv-users] Is NVIDIA worth the bother?

[Christopher Meredith]

On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 3:10 AM, David Segall <david at segall.net> wrote:
> I note that, if anyone asks the list for a GPU  recommendation, the
> answer is almost always an NVIDIA that supports VDPAU. I also note that most
> of the difficulties with graphics drivers posted in the list are from NVIDIA
> owners!
>
> My current GPU, an Intel 865G, has worked out of the box over a couple of
> MythTV software upgrades. It's time for a hardware upgrade but I'm reluctant
> to switch to an NVIDEA GPU unless there are observable benefits. Are there?
> The display will be a 32" 1920×1080 LCD.

If you already have a working xorg.conf for that display and you
intend to continue using the same interface you're currently using,
upgrading to an NVIDIA card is as easy as plugging it in, downloading
the binary driver, and running the installer. I do all the incremental
driver upgrades and have never, ever had a problem. It's very easy.
And is it worth it? That depends on whether you think being able to
play back seemelss 1080p at ANY bitrate using about 6% of a
ten-year-old 1.6 ghz P3 is a good thing.