[mythtv-users] Small front end???

[Nick Rout]

On Tue, Nov 3, 2009 at 11:42 AM, Brian Wood <beww at beww.org> wrote:
> On Monday 02 November 2009 15:28:04 A JM wrote:
>> On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 2:25 PM, Ken Bass <kbass at kenbass.com> wrote:
>> > A JM wrote:
>> >> Just cam across this on Engadget... thought peeps might be interested.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/02/xbmc-arm-port-teased-will-manage-hd-p
>> >>layback-from-pocket-sized/
>> >
>> > Looks like it completely misses the mark on the audio front. Who wants HD
>> > with only analog Stereo output?
>> > It has no digital audio capabilities. Its HDMI port is video only. It
>> > does not really align with a HTPC purpose, but might be neat for handheld
>> > video games or something.
>> >
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>>
>> I'd also be good with HDMI and analog... not that digital wouldn't also be
>> nice.
>>
>> I'm also very skeptical that something this small will be able to deliver
>> and will believe it when I see it. I just can't image that it will be able
>> to do 1920x1080... I like the direction things are going though...
>
> Something that small doing 1920x1080 is not surprising, many devices using a
> Sigma chip are about that size.
>
> As long as it's using hardware decoding, small sizer and low power
> requirements make sense, the main reason I don't like software decoding.
>
> VDPAU is partial hardware decoding, but not totally, the drivers seem to be
> doing a fair amount of the work.

Not sure what you mean there, any device needs drivers to interface
between the video playing software (myth, mplayer etc) and the
hardware.

>
> But for the price point being mentioned, I'll certainly give something like
> that a go.

Exactly, and if no one gives it a go we'll never know what it is capable of.

There are videos on youtube of it playing 720p , eg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdnDpH3543Q

The examples seem to be gathered here:

http://beagleboard.org/media

If someone gets xbmc running well on it, it should do OK as a myth
frontend, given that xbmc works OK as a frontend. (not with the polish
or flexibility of a real frontend, in that not all the options are
there. But as an occasional frontend in a bedroom or kitchen etc it
could work well (and you have a real frontend in the lounge to do
scheduling etc)).

So it won't suit everyone, it won't suit someone who wants digital or
surround sound. But its possibly another tool in the armoury.