[mythtv-users] Re: Combine ATI TV Wonder, TV Wonder VE, and PVR 250?

[mythtv at hearlefamily.com]

Actually I'm only using the TV Wonder VE as my single tuner card, so I can't 
compare it to a PVR 250 since I don't have one.
I'm recording MPEG4 (software encoding) at the max resolution (not sure what 
that is) with a bitrate of 2000 (KB I assume). You could get much better 
quality but I'm trying to keep disk usage low. I get about 710MB/hour.

My system is an Intel P4 1.8 GHz with 512MB of RAM, and recording uses 10-15% 
CPU. The system can record, watch a recording, stream to another frontend, and 
burn a DVD with xcdroast simultaneously at about 50-65% CPU.
I could be wrong, but I believe that higher bitrate would consume less CPU 
since it wouldn't have to compress the video as much (?).
I think you're right about the PVR-250 doing MPEG2. RTJPEG is just software 
encoding in MythTV's case I believe, as well as MPEG1. You probably *could* use 
MPEG1 or RTJPEG but you wouldn't be using the PVR-250's encoder... you'd be 
using your CPU. Hardware MPEG2 is the way to go. 

(Side note: if you're going to be exporting the videos to disc or anything, 
I've heard that the .nuv files created by the PVR-250's hardware encoder are 
just normal MPEG2 files with a different extension. Rename the files to .mpg, 
put 'em on a CD-R or DVD-R, and you can play them in Windows Media Player or an 
unpatched version of MPlayer.)


 ~ Drew



Quoting cmisip <cmisip at insightbb.com>:

> I already have a 2 tuner system, and I was thinking that a PVR 250 which
> has an onboard encoder would not tax the system so much and might work
> as a third tuner.  My two other tuners have to do software encoding
> which uses a lot of cpu power.  What resolution are you capturing at and
> is it RTJPEG or MPEG4 for the ATI (I think the PVR only does MPEG2?  How
> do the videos compare between the ATI and the PVR 250?  What are your
> system specs? Thanks
> 
> 
> On Thu, 2003-10-02 at 19:15, mythtv at hearlefamily.com wrote:
> > I'm using an ATI TV Wonder VE and have had no problems with it so far. On 
> > Mandrake 9.1 it works right away after modifying one line in
> /etc/modules.conf. 
> > I haven't tested its tuner much because I'm just using composite, but I
> know it 
> > works. 
> > Again, it doesn't have exceptional quality (or possibly just my encoding 
> > settings) but IMHO it's a good card for the average user on a budget. I got
> 
> > mine for $25 at BestBuy.
> > 
> > 
> >  ~ Drew
> > 
> > 
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