Via Epia

[mciarcia]

Good day everyone,

First off, I love GBPVR. I've been using it for over 4 years. Absolutely love it. However, this is what I'd like to do.

I am not using GBPVR as my video output. I'm using it strictly as a scheduler and to record TV shows. I use my Xbox (XBMC) to watch the video. (Please don't smite me).

I'd like to install GBPVR on a VIA EPIA box. Some of the VIAs have video input, does GBPVR work well with those video inputs? Being that I'm using GBPVR JUST to record shows and transcode videos to XVID, would GBPVR work well with a VIA board? (I know I've seen a number of posts about VIA use, I'm wondering what everyone recommends, and any gotchas).

I'd like my VIA box to run a vmware server as well, so I'm wanting to have something with a 'little' more power.

Any recommendations?

Thanks!!!

[sub]

I've owned a couple of VIA EPIA boxes and to be honest I found then too slow to do stuff like transcode, run comskip. They are also too slow for the new PVRX2 UI. They would be able to record ok, but everything else was pretty painful.

I'm not aware of EPIAs with video input, but if they exist I imagine they dont have hardware MPEG2 encoder GB-PVR requires for recording analog channels.

Sorry...

[mciarcia]

Thanks for the information.

Upon looking further, I misinterpreted some specs, they don't have video input.

So, realistically I can use a VIA with a Hauppauge (PCI Card) to record fine enough.

Just the transcoding would be painful.

Ok, at least I know.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a mini-itx board? Atom? Via?

[Haggis]

I have an EPIA SP13000 which is rated at 1.3GHz, but realistically compared to AMD/Intel is about 600MHz. It can record and play pretty much ok, but thats about it, and it relies on a version of GBPVR which is no longer available.
My recommendation would be to not bother, Ive came to the conclusion that im going to reuse my one as something else.

For more info, look for posts by turajb, who has done lots of investigation into the EPIA.

[Haggis]

...who just beat me to the post....

[whurlston]

The 780G mini-itx boards are starting to come out now.

http://www.jwele.com/motherboard_detail.php?419

They are easily powerful enough depending on the processor you use.

[mvallevand]

I'm planning on porting mvpmc to this Intel mini-itx mb as soon as linux drivers are available

http://www.intel.com/products/desktop/mo...erview.htm

it's moved ahead of the ps3 on my list especially if I can work out nice USB-boot diskless solution.

Martin

[pBS]

sweet...are those available anywhere yet? [DG45FC]
waiting on that one....sweetest of the bunch i see coming..and plenty of power..[c2d]

before you get an epia, i'd look at the atom boards just out, available at your local fry's for 79$..
atom processor, [should be enough] with gma950 video and 1 pci slot...plenty enough for sd, and when i used evr, was good enough for HD too...
[tho it is pushing it a bit]
but they need a 80w+ ps [bigger than most epia cases have]

[pz1]

I'm planning on porting mvpmc to this Intel mini-itx mb

Martin, do you intend this as a MediaMVP replacement?

sweet...are those available anywhere yet? [DG45FC]

They are offered here for around 100 Euro. One merchant claims availability 15 August

[mvallevand]

Martin, do you intend this as a MediaMVP replacement?

I still think the Popcorn Hour and other NMT devices currently offer the best value and potential as a MediaMVP replacement, it is getting better with every firmware update. What I do plan on doing is continuing some things I've worked on, on the DG45FC to see if I can integrate emulation mode right into mplayer (linux flavour) because I hate the Microsoft "tax" (both on the pocketbook and on the hardware power) so much. I like the fact that I can boot from usb use lirc for any remote etc, and I have have a spare C2D and some DRAM around I will be quite happy if it works but I am doing this more for the hobby than for a release.

Martin