[Mplayer-users] DVR box - how much CPU

[Emma Tonkin]

>
> But with all this I don't want a box which needs heaps of whirring fans to
> keep it running.  Looks like could easily end up with PSU and case fan,
> chipset, processor and graphics chip fans... !  Be a shame if the movie
> was drowned out by the noise of the box playing it.
>
> Can I underclock and lower cpu voltages to reduce heat and eliminate fans?
>
> Sources of quiet fans?

Try overclockers' fan sources- in the UK there's the overclocking store at
http://www.theoverclockerstore.co.uk or something along those lines... or
www.extremeoverclocking.com apparently has some links. To be frank I've
found the biggest problem in terms of sound is a) computer case chassis
vibration, which you can address by padding and so on and b) hard disks.
It's hard to find a large, fast /quiet/ hard disk.

> Which chipset/processor puts out least heat for the performance?

I'm an ignoramus but I would have thought AMD was the better idea, since
Pentiums have a nasty habit of being one step away from actually burning
holes through the motherboard.

> Should I rather drop back the CPU power drastically and include a
> hardware mpeg2 decoder?  (But then, what about non-mpeg2 video output?)

Pass: I have no idea if hardware mpeg2 can even be driven by linux...

> All these questions - you can tell I'm rather overwhelmed.  I this stuff
> discussed somewhere already?

Dunno. But if it isn't, it ought to be. Much like the Wearable PC HOWTO: A
DVR box HOWTO would be a desirable thing. Care to compile one? I'd host
it...

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