[mythtv-users] Energy Efficient Front End

[Brian Wood]

On Wednesday 25 March 2009 19:03:29 Tyler T wrote:
> > When I looked at doing this the via EPIA boards were what most people
> > were using.  They have inbuilt S-Video and handle standard def pretty
> > well.  They're still around but guess they're pretty long in the tooth
>
> I recommend you avoid Via in general and Epia in particular. I have a
> Via Epia Mini-ITX board for my FE and have had nothing but problems
> with it. I regret buying it.
>
> A recommendation was made for a laptop... you could take that idea one
> step further and get a solid state netbook. Preferably not one with
> Via inside. ;)

Used laptops that can handle SD are pretty common and cheap these days, 
especially if you don't need a battery, so that might be the way to go.

Netbooks run the gamut of CPUs, I have a MIPS-based unit, an Atom and a 
Celeron. I see some are now available with C7 processors, but that's VIA 
again, but I did see one with the Sylvania name on it that had a DVI output, 
for around $200 US.

Used iBooks and other Apple portables are starting to get cheaper as well, if 
you can use a PPC processor.

I think a used "laptop" or "notebook" is going to be cheaper than a new 
Netbook, at least for a while.

My experience with VIA is that their products are fine, if all you are going 
to do is run Windows, but otherwise I'd stay away from them. They work in 
some cases, but not in others, and by the time you know it won't work it's 
too late.

-- 
beww
beww at beww.org