[mythtv-users] Mac Mini Video Acceleration Question (h.264)

Brian Wood beww at beww.org
Mon Aug 24 00:58:14 UTC 2009


On Sunday 23 August 2009 18:40:34 Dennis Cartier wrote:
>
> Recently while I was pondering how a WDTV could be made to be a Myth
> frontend, it occurred to me that if it could become a slave that accepted
> content over the network while forwarding the IR remote keystrokes back out
> to the controlling frontend, all the while exposing a simple network
> interface for the master frontend to provide direction through it could get
> around the limited resources that the WDTV is saddled with.

Specifically which limited resources are the bottleneck? I wanting to try 
getting a frontend to run on a Myka, which seems to have a Sigma chip:

# cat /proc/cpuinfo
system type             : Sigma Designs TangoX
processor               : 0
cpu model               : MIPS 4KEc V6.9
Initial BogoMIPS        : 291.84
wait instruction        : yes
microsecond timers      : yes
tlb_entries             : 32
extra interrupt vector  : yes
hardware watchpoint     : yes
ASEs implemented        : mips16
VCED exceptions         : not available
VCEI exceptions         : not available
System bus frequency    : 198000000 Hz
CPU frequency           : 297000000 Hz
DSP frequency           : 297000000 Hz

The OS is on a hard drive, so no having to fool around with building and 
flashing images. They even encourage development.


The Sigma-type hardware playback method seems better to me than coaxing a chip 
designed for high-power 3D games into just playing back video. The only 
drawback might be a codec coming along the Sigma can't deal with, but that 
would likely have a long enough lead time to not be a problem, and the chips 
are cheap anyway.

Having a Myth frontend that was more of a UPnP server than a video driver 
could allow multiple slave frontends similar to what you describe.

I think you are on the right track, and things like the Netfilix Roku box 
might also be candidates.

-- 
Brian Wood
beww at beww.org


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