[mythtv-users] Pentium M laptop as frontend for HDTV?

[Scott D. Davilla]

>I'm looking for a frontend for my bedroom. Currently I have a laptop
>with a processor that is just barely too slow to do HDTV (it starts to
>stutter after about 10-15mins of playing back HDTV). I think its a
>Celeron M 1.6GHz with 1GB of RAM and a Intel 910GML graphics card.
>Other than the HDTV issue it runs fine, and it plays HDTV fine for
>those first 15mins, then it seems to need to "chill" for about
>10-15mins to "cool off" or it just stutters constantly.
>
>So I'm looking to replace it. I'm looking at some laptops that have
>Pentium M's, up to 1.8GHz. I know the AppleTV has a 1.0GHz Pentium M
>and seems to do fine with 720p, but not so well with 1080 content, so
>I'm wondering if anyone knows what the minimum Pentium M required to
>smoothly play back 1080i with deinterlacing enabled is (since I'll be
>connecting it to a LCD monitor).

1.7 GHz Pentium-M or better would do fine if you had and nvidia 
chipset. I have one here for cross-testing against the 1GHz Pentium-M 
in the AppleTV. You will need an nvidia display card and not the 8xxx 
or 9xxx as these do not have XvMC. A 5xxx, 6xxx or 7xxx will be fine 
but watch your 6xxx choice as some do not have XvMC.

Since you have an 910GML video in the Laptop, you are out of luck, 
maybe a fast Pentium-M without any deinterlacing enabled.

If you don't want to use XvMC, then any Core Duo Mobile will be fine, 
the lower clock versions run cooler than the Pentium-M. But I don't 
think you can put a Core Duo Mobile in a Pentium-M socket, you might 
check though.