Vista or XP for new Sage Box?

[bznotins]

I have been running my Sage box on XP with some sluggish hardware and decided to upgrade.

En route from NewEgg is a new Gigabyte Fanless 8500GT, E2140 CPU, and Mobo. I'll double the frequency on the CPU by overclocking, so I think the hardware will be able to handle whatever I need to throw at it.

For TV cards, I have an old ATi eHome Wonder and the new(ish) HVR-1600. Thus far I have been recording OTA HD (in Houston TX) using rabbit ears with suprisingly good results except when my old hardware can't keep up (hence the upgrade). Not sure if I have the QAM-capable HVR-1600 or if TWC in Houston even offers QAM channels in the clear, but since I don't plan on using any software but Sage, QAM is probably moot anyway.

Anyways, my question. Since I'm rebuilding my rig it's a perfect time to choose a new OS if that's the right way to go -- should I choose XP or Vista?

After a bit of research on the forums, it seems that Sage is quite stable in XP but less-so in Vista. But on the other hand, I read that the 8500GT can't do hardware-supported HD acceleration in XP.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Since I started recording Dancing with the Stars in HD, the WAF has skyrocketed and I'm definitely being judged on the new build. Stability is very important, but so is non-stuttering HD content!

[ybrew]

Originally Posted by bznotins

I have been running my Sage box on XP with some sluggish hardware and decided to upgrade.

En route from NewEgg is a new Gigabyte Fanless 8500GT, E2140 CPU, and Mobo. I'll double the frequency on the CPU by overclocking, so I think the hardware will be able to handle whatever I need to throw at it.

For TV cards, I have an old ATi eHome Wonder and the new(ish) HVR-1600. Thus far I have been recording OTA HD (in Houston TX) using rabbit ears with suprisingly good results except when my old hardware can't keep up (hence the upgrade). Not sure if I have the QAM-capable HVR-1600 or if TWC in Houston even offers QAM channels in the clear, but since I don't plan on using any software but Sage, QAM is probably moot anyway.

Anyways, my question. Since I'm rebuilding my rig it's a perfect time to choose a new OS if that's the right way to go -- should I choose XP or Vista?

After a bit of research on the forums, it seems that Sage is quite stable in XP but less-so in Vista. But on the other hand, I read that the 8500GT can't do hardware-supported HD acceleration in XP.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Since I started recording Dancing with the Stars in HD, the WAF has skyrocketed and I'm definitely being judged on the new build. Stability is very important, but so is non-stuttering HD content!

A fast enough CPU can probably handle HD playback fine, without the need for the 8500 HD acceleration.

I've played back HD on my laptop (dual core, 2ghz) with intel 945 graphics. No stuttering at all.

Edit - stability is most important. Put XP Pro on the box.

[HawgGuy]

At this point I'd probably vote for XP too. My experiments with Vista/Sage were mixed. I think the operating system is better, but as of now, the video drivers lack the maturity of XP video drivers. I have heard that the XP Nvidia drivers are to eventually be able to support HW acceleration. My 8500GT plays HD (even H.264 HD) just fine in XP.

[lobosrul]

I'd definantly go with XP.

For a client I'd get either a moderatly fast AMD Dual Core or a rather low end Intel Dual Core.

Use purevideo for mpeg-2 acceleration, but dont mess with mpeg-4 AVC acceleration. Use either ffdshow, or CoreAVC for that.

I was using h.264 acceleration in XP with the new beta drivers + PowerDVD. But I've now twice had a blue screen (of death) while watching h.264 content on my client, each it could only be fixed by formatting and re-installing windows Hopefully its just a problem with the beta drivers and once Nvidia officialy supports h.264 accel in XP everything will be fine.

[bznotins]

Ah, XP it is, then. Saves the cash on the Vista license too!

[ToxMox]

My Vista client experience with my 8600GT has been rather pleasant.

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by ToxMox

My Vista client experience with my 8600GT has been rather pleasant.

Are you using purevideo HD with your 8600gt? If so, how did you get Sage to use it?

Thanks,
Mike

[ToxMox]

I assume it is using Purevideo HD. I followed the advice in this thread:
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23853