[mythtv-users] re: Can I test pcHDTV on old hardware?

[Brandon Beattie]

I have been trying to do this as I run an AMD 2600 and it's not fast
enough to deinterlace 1080i.  (This is due to the de-interlacing
filter used, using a better one for HDTV will fix this).  I have been
testing and working on transcoding HDTV for a few months (Mostly
testing)  It works for about 70% of the shows.  Myth's mpeg2->mpeg2 is
still being worked on and it needs a bit more work for HDTV use. 
Unforunately, atleast my power supply went bad a few weeks ago and I'm 
in the process of determining what else has gone bad.  I'll be 
receiving a new HTPC case (The antec Overture quiet case) shortly.  
I know several people have been working on things that may help fix
transocidng issues for HDTV, this is regarding PID's and GOP detection
in the HDTV/ATSC stream.  mpeg2->mpeg2 works well for DVB and pvr-x50
cards so it's hopefully going to work when other HDTV bugs are fixed.  

If you were to get the card right now you'll be mostly happy.  You may
miss some shows on some stations at times though and myths transcoding
daemon will just give up and leave the full mpeg2-ts stream there and
you're system will suffer under that load.  I'm hoping I'll get time, if
others don't before me, in the next few months to improve this.  At that
time, transcoding down to something your processor can handle will work
just great.

--Brandon

> Message: 18
> Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 12:10:16 -0600
> From: Erick Burtness <erickb at burtnesseng.com>
> Subject: [mythtv-users] Can I test pcHDTV on old hardware?
> To: mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.2.20040302120757.01ca2048 at localhost>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
> 
> Hey All, I want to use Myth to record HDTV, but the only machine I have
> handy to play with is an 800 MHz P3. From what I'm reading, that CPU won't
> be nearly enough to decode 720p. The video card is a GeForce2 MX - I
> haven't checked but I'm not expecting that to give me any help with the
> MPEG2 decoding.
> 
> So, I'm wondering if I could do the following, purely as a
> proof-of-concept:
> 
> - Buy a pcHDTV and put it in this P3 800 machine.
> - Record a 720p broadcast.
> - Transcode it to something like 480p. (let it run all night if needed)
> - Play back that lower-res stream.
> 
> I'm not sure about the exact format, maybe that CPU can't decode 480p in
> real-time either, but if I can play a DVD in software then there must be
> some DVD-ish resolution that could be decoded in real-time by that CPU.
> 
> The whole point of this is just that I'd really like to prove that I can
> receive and record a 720p stream, and play back some version of it, before
> I go and spend a good chunk of money for all the hardware I'd need to do
> it well.
> 
> Will this work? Have I overlooked anything that will be a problem?
> 
> Thanks!
> Erick
> 
>