[mythtv-users] Seeking Motherboard Advice

[Matt Garman]

> On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 05:15:28PM -0600, Kenneth Emerson wrote:
>> So the question that begs to be asked, do I have to have an NVIDIA
>> video board (either on-board or add-in)?  I am looking at the ASROCK
>> mobo (ASRock H67M-ITX LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini
>> ITX Intel Motherboard) which has the Intel graphics 2000/3000 built
>> in.  I have seen that there has been work within MythTV for VA-API
>> which originally came from Intel (but not much discussion about it).
>>
>> So, can I use the Intel graphics on this mobo for H.264 playback as
>> well as mpeg2 1080p files without stuttering?  Does the va-api support


This topic---the use of Intel Sandy Bridge (SNB) graphics on
Linux---is of significant interest to me.  I believe SNB is a nearly
perfect platform for home theater PCs (i.e. MythTV): super powerful
general purpose CPUs, good enough GPUs, built-in video decoding
capabilities, very low power, and arguably low cost.  With an SSD or
laptop hard drive and efficient power supply, it's easy to build a
very small, quiet system that consumes less than 20 Watts AC power
when idle.  The only problem is that it seems the Linux support is
lagging Windows quite a bit---nearly a year if you factor in
ease-of-use.  I've seen on many forums people talking about their
SNB-based HTPCs running Windows, and it's more or less "plug and
play".  But all the information I've read suggests that only within
the last month or so has the Linux SNB graphics support become as
capable as Windows.  And even then, you need the latest drivers and
latest kernel.  You'll also need beta/experimental versions (or need
to manually apply patches) to the actual software you use (e.g.
mplayer, mythtv, etc).  So if you're willing to put in the time and
effort to get it all working, it looks like it can be done.
Personally, I don't have the time for this, and the WAF of messing
with and/or an unreliable MythTV is extremely low.  But it appears
that things are moving in the right direction, so hopefully the big
distributions will start offering decent "out of the box" SNB graphics
support.  Maybe in six months to a year SNB graphics on Linux will
have the same "just works" factor as Windows.

Regardless of platform, one caveat for SNB as a HTPC platform is the
"24fps bug".  Web search for plenty of info.  Hopefully Intel will fix
this in Ivy Bridge.

In the meantime, I'm sticking with nvidia for my own stuff, as it
pretty provides the "just works" capability that i most important to
me right now.  My base system is H67 + SNB CPU, so once all this stuff
matures, I'm hoping I can just sell my gt430 and migrate to a smaller
case.

Here are some threads that discuss SNB graphics on Linux:

"Sandy Bridge Graphics w/MythTV", July 20, 2011, mythtv-users mailing list:

       http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/486314


"Anyone using Sandy Bridge graphics in a front end?", Nov 30, 2011,
mythtv-users mailing list:

       http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/497971


"Sandy Bridge graphics for media / home theater PC?", Nov 30, 2011,
Phoronix Forums:

       http://phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?65319-Sandy-Bridge-graphics-for-media-home-theater-PC


Lastly, here is a review/writeup of a typical SNB HTPC build that
makes me envious of the Windows folks.  14.5 Watts AC idle power
consumption!

       http://www.missingremote.com/review/intel-core-i3-2100t-and-bh67cf-mini-itx-motherboard