[mythtv-users] Secrets for low powered front ends ?

[Patrick Ouellette]

On Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 03:17:24PM -0400, Raymond Wagner wrote:
> On 10/12/2011 14:22, Patrick Ouellette wrote:
> > On Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 01:53:10PM -0400, Raymond Wagner wrote:
> >> Don't make the mistake that it is an "equivalent" system though.  A
> >> single 2.4GHz SandyBridge core is going to be considerably more powerful
> >> than the fastest Atom chip on the market.  The point were trying to make
> >> is that should hardware decoding fail for whatever reason, you have
> >> nothing to fall back on.
> > Unless I'm using the system for commercial flagging&  transcoding, that extra
> > processing power is going to go unused.  Since the purpose is a frontend,
> > commercial flagging&  transcoding are not going to be happening on it.
> 
> Yes.  The frontend is to be used for playback.  If you wish to play any 
> content other than what VDPAU offers support for, you need CPU power.  
> That means codecs not supported, codec options not supported, and even 
> some data corruption from a bad recording that ffmpeg can push through 
> but VDPAU chokes on.  If you want to do flash video, which still does 
> not provide hardware accelerated scaling and colorspace merging, you 
> need CPU power.  Having a worthwhile CPU offers the flexibility to do 
> something you may not have initially planned for, without having to buy 
> all new hardware.

Please tell me *what* codec support I need *right now* that is not handled
by VPDAU other than  flash (which I don't watch on my television - I'm a member
of the "flash is crap" club).  What codec is coming out tomorrow or next month?
If you follow the logic train of "I need to future proof the system I buy" you 
will never buy anything.  Every system has limitations.  I know what they are, 
and I chose the hardware according to my intended use in light of the 
limitations.

Data corruption is a red-herring argument, it can and will "adversely affect"
any system.

> 
> >>> VESA mountability
> >> So get a mini-itx 1155 board, and a case that allows VESA mounting.  
> > Find me a mini-itx 1155 board and mini-itx case that allows VESA mounting
> > at the price point we are discussing.  I haven't been able to find one.
> 
> Foxconn MiniITX H67 board            $55
> Intel Celeron G530                            $57
> 2x2GB Mushkin DDR3 1333             $26
> Rosewill MCEUSB remote                $25
> M350 Case (VESA compatible)        $40
> PicoPSU-120 + 102W adapter         $60
>                                      Total                $263
> 
> The cheapest ION barebones on Newegg is is $240, but then you have to 
> add memory and infrared.  You can find ION motherboards for $153, but 
> then you have to tack on a case, and power supply, and memory, and IR, 
> putting you right back up there with that Celeron system.

jetway mini-top Atom 525/ION N82E16856107081 $229.99
included VESA mount, IR and remote  just add RAM to netboot.

I get it, you don't like the atom systems.  As for having to replace the
hardware when the "next big thing" comes down the road - we will all have to
anyway - that is the nature of computer technology.

-- 

Patrick Ouellette                 pat at flying-gecko.net
ne4po (at) arrl (dot) net         Amateur Radio: NE4PO 

What kind of change have you been in the world today?