[mythtv-users] New FE machine feedback and Q's

[Paul Bender]

Brian Foddy wrote:
> I'm setting up a new FE for my parents, config:
> Asus M2NPV-VM motherboard,
> AMD X2-3800 EE cpu
> Antec Fusion case
> 1GB ram, only a system HD (no video content), but very quiet.
> 
> Goals of this machine,
> 1.  Very quiet / nice looking case.
> 2.  No more XvMC for HD / ATSC playback
> 
> My first impressions are very positive.  Even using the stock
> cpu cooler, the machine is very quiet, you have to be within
> 5 feet to hear it at all.  Handles HD playback very easily, and
> I have the VFD display working using mythtvlcdserver, a first
> for me with a lcd/vfd display.  I have some success with 
> Quiet-n-Cool also (also a first for me), more on that below.
> Using a kill-a-watt, machine at idle @ full cpu ~ 70 watts,
> about 60 watts if the cpu slows to 1000Mhz with Quiet-n-Cool.
> Full load & cpu speed ~ 110watts.
> 
> Now for the questions:
> 1.  Anyone found the best settings for the cpu scaling drivers?
> I've been playing with using "conservative" and "ondemand" governors,
> generally conservative works better as ondemand jumps the speed all around.
> But even conservative has problems with 1 heavy cpu load on a 2 cpu/dual core
> box.  If both cpu's are busy, it works much more predictable.  What I'd like 
> to see is if a single process uses > 80% (for instance), it should speed up to
> the next step, < 30% slow down.  But I find it goes long periods of time with
> 1 process at or near 100% and the other processor idle.  Especially playback
> HD content.  So most of the time on conservative, it plays HD at the slowest
> 1000Mhz setting, it does it barely, but going to 1800 would make much more
> comfortable.  I've played with changing
> the /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/conservative tunable params,
> but haven't found a good combo yet.  Anyone have settings they really like?

Is there any reason to have a dual core CPU? I have an Athlon64 3200+ 
and it is more than enough to playback HD without XvMC.

> 2.  Speaking of HD playback, playing Lost on ABC (720p), the X server takes
> almost 100% of 1 cpu (even at fastest cpu speed), while mythfrontend takes
> only 30%.  But a CBS/NBC show (1080i), the Xserver takes almost nothing,
> and the mythfrontend takes ~30-40% (fast cpu).  But strangely the video 
> resolution is set to 720p.  I haven't gotten the output up to 1080i or 540p
> yet (more work on that one), but I find it very strange that it works much
> harder when the content and video resolution match.  Anyone have any
> clues why, or settings to look for solutions?

Try adding

Option "UseEvents" "true"

to the nvidia driver device section of your xorg.conf file.