[mythtv-users] VDPAU update from the front lines, December 2008

[Yeechang Lee]

mikp <mikpolniak at roadrunner.com> says:
> When i got the HD-PVR in October i read this thread to get the
> HD-PVR working with my 0.21-fixes.

Yes, that's what I had in mind when I mentioned that HD-PVR support
had been unofficially backported to 0.21-fixes and hoped for same with
VDPAU once it becomes completely usable. Others' experiences tell me
the latter is most of the way there already.

The thing holding me back from patching my fixes setup for HD-PVR, and
putting the HD-PVR sitting in its carton six months after arriving to
work, is frontend horsepower. As I've previously reported I know I
could play 720p @ 6Mbps HD-PVR recordings, and they look pretty darn
good, but it seems a shame to waste part of the available incoming
quality because my frontend can't handle anything bigger. Of course,
were VDPAU fully ready to go today, with a fully-functioning OSD and
fully-clean MPEG2 and MPEG4 playack, that'd be a different story. If
my frontend were a Core 2 Duo with enough horsepower for traditional
CPU-based MPEG4 playback that'd be different, too. But otherwise I'm
going to stick with FireWire capturing for the time being.

Also, I don't have a Windows box and unless this has changed there
isn't another way to install new HD-PVR firmware, so I wouldn't have
5.1 audio support.

> I have made hundreds of H.264 recordings with the HD-PVR and now its
> my primary method of recording because of the quality (which
> compares to HD OTA ) and the fact that the encoding to H.264 is
> about 1/3 the size of comparable MPEG2.

I'd still love to hear more on your experience with the HD-PVR on
0.21-fixes. Anything else to report, pro or con? Or is it so
straightforward that there's nothing else to say?

-- 
Frontend:		P4 3.0GHz, 1.5TB software RAID 5 array
Backend:		Quad-core Xeon 1.6GHz, 6.6TB sw RAID 6
Video inputs:		Four high-definition over FireWire/OTA
Accessories:		47" 1080p LCD, 5.1 digital, and MX-600