[mythtv-users] Is HDTV on a Pundit possible, or is it time for me to give up?

[Jason Weinstein]

I've got a Pundit (not Pundit-R) with a P4 3.06 with HyperThreading
and 512MB of RAM. I'm trying to use the built-in SIS video to connect
to my analog tv via S-Video. Buying a new TV is financially out of the
question for now. I've got a PVR-350 and a pcHDTV HD-3000 in the two
PCI slots.

The PVR-350 works great, but I'm using it as a 250 because I am not
using its video-out. I'v got the HDTV working via the DVB drivers, but
veiwing any channel uses 100% of the processor (at least 45% is being
used by X) so I'm getting dropped frames.

After many trials, different kernels, different drivers, different
settings, and upgrading my CPU from a 2.4 to the 3.06 w/HT, ATSC is
still not "watchable". I'm not even running any deinterlacing filters,
which make the interlaced programes even more "un-watchable". My best
guess now is that the SIS driver is having to scale everything to NTSC
resolution and that scaling is what's got X's cpu usage so high.

So, would I be better off using a nVidia video card/driver in my
situation? If so, I'd have to pull the PVR-350 (and I was looking
forward to having 2 tuners). If not, I guess I'll just leave the
pcHDTV idle until I can buy a digital TV (at least a year off).  Or
does anyone else have any ideas?

Thanks,
Jason