[mythtv-users] PCI graphics card, but with decode on the CPU - any chance of working?

[Paul Gardiner]

Lee Koloszyc wrote:
> Paul Gardiner wrote:
>  > Hi,
>  >
>  > For SD decode, I'm using ffmpeg and opengl on a Radeon 9000, and
>  > getting superb results - best I've had out of MythTV. But the
>  > card is AGP and it's really difficult to get an mATX motherboard
>  > with AGP these days. I was thinking of buying a PCI Radeon 9200.
>  > Is there any chance that PCI will have sufficient bandwidth? I
>  > reckon it would be fine if I was doing the decode on the gpu,
>  > but presumably the combination of ffmpeg and opengl, means
>  > sending decoded frames between cpu and gpu.
>  >
>  > Failing that, anyone know of a nice slim case that will take
>  > a full-size ATX motherboard?
>  >
>  > Cheers,
>  > Paul.
>  >
>  >
> If you are buying a new motherboard why not buy one with PCI-E and/or a
> built in GeForce8series+ and then you don't have to worry about PCI or
> AGP. This way when Myth .22 arrives you get all the benefits of VDPAU
> (if you decide to move to HD) and you have a machine that can function
> right now.

Yeah, I'd like to go that way, but I currently have no source of HD
material, and I have a really good SD TV that I don't want to replace.
 From my experiences with MythTV so far, it seems that the only way
to get a really sharp, and correctly colored image, with smooth,
non blurring motion from an SD TV is to generate an interlaced
VGA signal with TV timings, and connect it to the TV's Scart
via a convertor circuit.

> Is the Radeon 9200 even supported by ATI drivers in Linux anymore?

Yeah, the Radeon 8 and 9 series are possibly the only cards now for
which the drivers support interlaced TV timings from VGA.

> I have a PCI video card and without VDPAU using mythtv it was fairly
> useless (with XV).
> PCI-E Nvidia 8 series cards can be had for $30-$40, really no reason to
> go any other way.

I'd love to be able to use one of those cards - as you say it's future
proofing for when I go for HD - but I don't believe any current nVidia
drivers support interlaced output correctly. I'm tempted to try an
8 series, but I already have an FX5200 and a Radeon 7000 that I bought
speculatively hoping they would also work. That's not to mention the
£150 VIA board I bought in the hope that component out would give
really good quality, which now sits on a shelf because I could never
get the playback smooth.

Cheers,
	Paul.