SageTV Service Mode only - Video Card matters?

[AtomicPenguin]

I'm setting up SageTV on a system that will be used for nothing else - just running SageTV in service mode. I plan on running it in Service Mode only. I will not run the GUI interface on that machine. I will connect to and stream content from this machine using a MediaMVP.

So in a situation like this, does the SageTV server's video card really matter as much? Does it improve things if the video card was a high-end card vs. a 32 or 64 MB card? It seems to me that it wouldn't but I've been wrong in the past.

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by AtomicPenguin

I'm setting up SageTV on a system that will be used for nothing else - just running SageTV in service mode. I plan on running it in Service Mode only. I will not run the GUI interface on that machine. I will connect to and stream content from this machine using a MediaMVP.

So in a situation like this, does the SageTV server's video card really matter as much? Does it improve things if the video card was a high-end card vs. a 32 or 64 MB card? It seems to me that it wouldn't but I've been wrong in the past.

No it doesn't. My old server used a Rage-128 based motherboard video card as it's video. All you really need is the ability to bring up the GUI for any maintenance (setup menu) you want to do directly on the server and that is usually possible from a client so even then it usually can be done from a client. I usually just setup SageTV from the server up to the point of selecting the video sources. After that I move to my clients for the rest. I always setup in GUI only mode before changing to service mode. It probably isn't true with the current versions but in earlier versions (2.1 for instance) you could have problems with setting up IR-blasters when service mode was running and you had to program in the IR codes for the STB.

[CollinR]

It only matters in that some BIOS won't boot if you don't have one installed. Just use onboard video.

[AtomicPenguin]

Originally Posted by CollinR

It only matters in that some BIOS won't boot if you don't have one installed. Just use onboard video.

The SageTV server will have a video card on it just nothing to write home about. Thanks for the replies. They've answered my question.