[mythtv-users] best method to performance tune?

[Brian A. Vance]

It's probably safe to say that the primary goal of most MythTV'ers is to
squeak the best possible performance out of the hardware they currently
have.  So the question is this... 

What is the best way to find optimal settings?

(I realize 'optimal' is an ambiguous term and depends on personal
preferences.. i.e. resolution, clarity, sound quality, file size, etc..)

- Do you start at the lowest possible settings for each compression type
and just slowly bring resolution/quality up until your hardware just
can't keep up? 
(This can get very tedious as it's tough to make a determination on
quality without taking a large sampling.  i.e 30 mins on different
channels)

- Are there ways of gathering dropped frame rates other than counting
messages from the console?

Right now I just seem to be making stabs in the dark.  Seems that
without making a huge matrix and keeping track of quality levels for
each setting, my attempts are futile!

What are people's preferred methods?  Are there general guidelines when
picking settings?


-Beev