[mythtv-users] IPad and mythtv.

[jedi]

On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 01:03:54PM +1000, Jean-Yves Avenard wrote:
> Hi
> 
> On 24 May 2010 12:36, jedi <jedi at mishnet.org> wrote:
> >
> >    An iPad doesn't meet the technical requirements of a MythTV frontend.
> 
> looks like you're the one defining what the "technical requirements
> are" ... thanks for letting us now of your new role :P

    "plays what MythTV generates" seems terribly obvious actually.

     If it can't play recordings, how can you call it a MythTV device?

> 
> > It doesn't support any of the file formats normally associated with MythTV.
> 
> This is just as meaningful as stating that the linux kernel doesn't
> support any of the file formats normally associated with MythTV.

    Not really. Linux is not a closed platform. That means that 3rd parties
are free to do interesting things like VDPAU and ffmpeg. 

> 
> Or saying a windows PC can't play most of the files either because it
> doesn't come with the required 3rd party programs.

    A Windows PC isn't a closed system either. Nor is a Mac.

    Either one of these can use ffmpeg or VLC to good effect. You won't have
to worry about whether not not you can install any of that stuff on a Mac or
a PC. You don't have to worry about any of that being disallowed.

> 
> > It's ability to support those file formats purely in software is very limited.
> 
> Really? why is that? .. Actually, don't need to answer.

    Weak CPU. It's the same reason the AppleTV or Mini9 doesn't make a very
good frontend if you've got HD h264 recordings. Although the ARM is even 
weaker than an Atom. Software playback on iDevices is gruesome.

> 
> Why is it so hard to consider having ffmpeg compiled on the iPad (or

    That whole apple store approval process would be the first problem.

> any platforms for that matter) and use the hardware decoding engine
> wherever you can (though, I'd assume you would only need it for h264,
> which is the most technically challenging and that the iPad can do
> anyway)

    In a very limited way. It's very misleading to claim that the iPad
can do h264. 

> 
> > Having some other box do the heavy lifting across the network is impractical
> > because such a machine would likely have to forego nice things like VDPAU and
> > would have to handle stuff like 1080i HD-PVR recordings strictly in software.
> 
> This makes no technical sense whatsoever... VDPAU is for playback only
> and even today, isn't used by any of the mythtv backend processing
> facilities whatsoever.
> 
> Less than 2 years ago, no-one considered that you would be able to
> play HD-PVR videos without having at least a dual core > 3GHz either..
> And even then, my 3.3GHz Core 2 Duo could barely cope.

     That does not alter what can or cannot play back something.

> 
> Would be great if we could come back to a technical only conversation,

    Fine. Go ahead. You seem to be the one with an axe to grind.