[mythtv-users] Raspberry Pi now ships with 512MB RAM

[tortise]

On 16/10/2012 10:53 p.m., Simon Hobson wrote:
> tortise wrote:
>> If the R'Pi does H264 well, how hard would it be to convert content
>> such as mpeg2 et al to H264 on the backends, and serve it all freshly
>> converted up to run on R'Pi frontends? Especially now with the mega
>> Intel CPU processing power now available?
>
> If you are going to do that, why bother with a low power frontend
> (that's not powered up most of the time) as you'll be putting in a
> powerful backend that will need to be on all the time ? My backend can't
> do real-time transcoding anyway - when doing an H264 transcode for iPad
> it takes about 5-6 hours per hour of program for UK Freeview (DVB-T) SD
> recordings. But then it only takes 50W total, and effectively only cost
> me £140* plus the tuners (£20 or less off eBay) and drives (some of
> which I already had).
>
> HP Microserver, £240 with £100 cashback offer that seems to never expire !
> http://www.ebuyer.com/281915-hp-proliant-turion-ii-n40l-microserver-100-cashback-658553-421
>
> I see they are now £250 but still with £100 cashback. Mine is the
> earlier N36L version.
>
>
> And as pointed out, you can buy an MPEG2 decoder licence for a pittance
> anyway.
>
>
> I believe H264 and MPEG2 will account for the majority of media. But I
> can see your point where other formats are involved - isn't that (in
> part) what the HLS facility is about ?
>

Yes that was part of my point and I agree I might have expressed it more 
clearly rather than simply assuming it would be understood.

An Intel Ivy Bridge I7 3770K 3.50GHZ draws maximally 77W (and commonly 
much less than this) and as a dedicated back end has no need for a 50+W 
(or any) video card. I wager many backends max out (comparing oranges 
with oranges) higher than 77W, however while noting yours does not, the 
cpu power is also a mere 10% of the CPU I am quoting and a single core 
of the 3770K is over twice the computing power of the whole CPU in the 
proliant box. (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/midlow_range_cpus.html)  I 
acknowledge chipsets power drawer has not been considered here but would 
also have influence.

Having said that I am not intending to criticise the proliant setup 
which clearly has its merits, but rather to explore an idea which might 
have appeal to a segment of users. One makes one choices and pays the 
respective dosh resulting....

Of course running a R'pi compared with most other FE options saves 
significantly more power.  Running a few frontends quickly adds up the 
benefit.  I also understand a backend can be configured to power on and 
off as required.  The benefits of the R'pi are not limited to power 
saving, as size, CEC and quietness also come to mind.

I am not especially lobbying for this to happen, but rather simply being 
interested in some comment about this approach as it seems one that has 
not enjoyed much consideration and for some hardware scenarios may well 
have merit as an approach, so far it does not seem to be excluded as a 
viable approach.  It may be, but I do not know, readily implemented 
within existing mythtv options however this side of myth I do not know 
at all well.