[mythtv-users] Anyone using arm with mythbackend?

[Simon Hobson]

Can I throw my 2d worth in ...

I can see several subthreads in this discussion :
Arm vs Intel, "Full on" vs "low power", hardware vs software decoding.

Perhaps what's needed is not so much a "don't use arm" approach, but a "well it can do it, but these are the reasons you probably don't want to use a low powered system, and arm devices are pretty well all low power" - given that almost all the issues are not due to being arm, but down to low power and/or lack of hardware features.
It's already been said - if someone asked about running on a PIII then the answer would be much the same.

Though I do find it worrying to see statements like "Rpi will never be a viable frontend" - as that shows a deeply entrenched attitude that's based more on personal preferences than actual fact. OK, it's a bit light on memory - but if someone puts the code on a diet or the memory gets upgraded (it's already happened once) then that problem is eased. I can quite see why someone might want to make use of hardware that is lightweight, small, cheap, and totally silent - I can also see why we should advise people to stay away from hardware which (at the moment) is not up to the job.
So really it should be "Rpi isn't viable at the moment", and if you are that way inclined add "and it wouldn't be **MY** choice anyway". That is a valid and reasonable statement. Don't forget that it's not so long since it would have been just as valid to pronounce that "a PC will never be able to handle live TV".


Perhaps if everyone spent less time arguing about why others are wrong, and more on accepting that different people have different priorities, then we'd get along better and have fewer of these drawn out "discussions".

So to summaraise, I believe the advice should be along the lines of :
Arm systems are generally low power and/or lack important features. Just like very low powered Intel systems, they can be made to run Myth - but the limitations in power, resources, and/or features is likely to result in a poor experience for new users. A new user is strongly recommended to stick to a moderately specced Intel/AMD system as this will allow them to find their way with Myth without the problems they are likely to encounter with a low powered system.A secondary issue is that arm is less mature, and setup can be more difficult than a "standard" Intel/AMD system. This is also likely to cause frustration for inexperienced users.


Once you have experience, then you will know what tradeoffs suit your use case, and whether a low powered system will suit that use case.
Some people are running Myth on low powered systems, and for them it works. However they have the experience to know which elements they want to use, and how the system resources impact on that.

Discuss !