Sagetv on ION or just Atom based

[alon24]

Has anyone built a solid sage client (xp, win7 or linux - preferably xp or win7) on and ion platform or just an atom based one.

I am looking to upgrade my client so am looking for something that is small and economic, and can have a cd, but still be an htpc and stable and run 1080p h264 movies.

Any ideas?

[wrems]

IDK, if anyone is using one of these but it seems to have a bit of promise…. I hope…. You’d just have to outfit it with a USB DVD drive.

I’d like to know if you get one or if anyone’s experimented with one of these units or a similar one…

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42736

[teststrips]

I got tired of trying to find the perfect PC for using as a HTPC... I finally decided to just get an extender + a seperate DVD player for when I have disks or music to play off of a CD. Of course you have to have some other machine/server to run the full sage software on, but I was considering upgrading from a NAS to a WHS box anyway... I'm thrilled I did. I built my WHS box myself using a shuttle KPC K45, a the cheapest dual core processor I could find, and a two gigs of ram....

[that_kid]

I'll be building an atom 330 ion extender in the upcoming weeks, i'll post back on my findings.

[Fuzzy]

the Atom330 is a great little platform, though I'm thinking it might be a bit limited for a client. I'm running an Intel D945GCLF2 in my truck, but it is only an 800x480 display. Ihave not tried playing back any HD rips on it to see how well it would do. I'm betting it would be okay for MPEG2 HD, but H.264 would probaby make it cry. It would be better suited for the server role. The Nvidia Ion platform basically takes all the power saving and size advantages of the basic Intel 945+Atom330, and adds on decent video. ION would make for a much more capable client.

[stevech]

I just tried the Sage TV Client on my Intel Atom Mini-ITX system. Intel D945G...
works just as well as on the "big" PC.

Intel Atom. Stock motherboard graphics.
Setup to drive my 1680 x 1050 LCD monitor.
One stick of RAM: 2GB.

With Sage TV Client playing a standard def Sage recording, coming across the 100BT LAN from the server, the Intel ATOM CPU is 38% busy. Using FireFox on the same screen is fine.

That $65 motherboard w/CPU is amazing. Dual core.
I have it in a nice new mini-ITX enclosure with USB and eSATA on the front panel. 3.5 in. hard disk inside. eSATA connects to a 1TB external drive.

[Fuzzy]

The shortcoming here would not be in MPEG-2, which the Atom should have no problem decoding. I'd be more concerned with H.264 or VC-1 content, as it takes a LOT more processing power.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

The shortcoming here would not be in MPEG-2, which the Atom should have no problem decoding. I'd be more concerned with H.264 or VC-1 content, as it takes a LOT more processing power.

Correct. The Intel GMA950 graphics chipset does NOT have any h.264 hardware decoding so it would be completely on the processor to decode h.264 which the Atom processor is not capable of. However, the Ion platform with the additional Nvidia 9300M (or is it 9400M?) does have hardware decoding of h.264 and therefore SHOULD be able to handle full HD h.264 videos (such as blu-ray). However, I say Should as some reviewers still had difficulties especially when it comes to Blu-Ray as the decrypting of the Blu-Ray videos (+ OS and software load) requires more cpu power than the Atom has (any Blu-Ray discs without decryption seemed to play fine).

With that said, as a playback device from the HDPVR, the Ion should work as there is no decryption to be done.

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

The shortcoming here would not be in MPEG-2, which the Atom should have no problem decoding. I'd be more concerned with H.264 or VC-1 content, as it takes a LOT more processing power.

Exactly. I don't see any reason to try and use an atom/GMA950 based system as an extender. It's just not worth it.

Now, the Acer Revo, an ION based nettop might be a good fit for a client (though it doesn't use a dualcore atom). At under $300, with HDMI and HD audio output, and the ability to play back blueray, it might be a good HD200 substitute.

Encryption shouldn't be an issue if you use Anydvd HD and rip the BD rom to a NAS. The Acer should then be able to run TMT 3, etc... and give you full blueray playback, menus included, which is something the HD200 can't do. It also may be able to playback netflix silverlight based content (even HD content) well since silverlight 3 now has full GPU assist, which is again something that the HD200 can't do.

As the prices for ION based nettops come down, they could be something that would work pretty well as a client. Right now, to get dual core Atom and ION, you have to build it yourself, but in the next 3-6 months that should change. If you throw in a slim BD-ROM drive in a revo style form factor, it could be a very nice sageTV client.

[loomdog32]

ASRock ION-330-BD

That is the piece to use as a client, IF it is capable

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by loomdog32

ASRock ION-330-BD

That is the piece to use as a client, IF it is capable

That's a nice unit, but for $400, it's a little expensive for what you get. And the BD model is $250 more.

[loomdog32]

The BD drive would be the only reason Id think about it

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by loomdog32

The BD drive would be the only reason Id think about it

And the Atom can't do Blu-Ray discs directly due to decryption issues. Do a search and you will soon agree!

[Fuzzy]

Best small form factor board I can find for a client use would be a Zotac IONITX-A Series board. $200 gets you a passively cooled mini-itx board, with Atom330 and ION graphics, 3 x SATA-2 + 1 eSATA, HDMI/DVI/VGA, Gig-E, and even built-in 802.11n. Power'd from an external power brick, it can make for a VERY small form factor client.

[stevech]

If I'm spending $200 on an overclockable mobo, it a'int gonna be mini-ITX!

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by stevech

If I'm spending $200 on an overclockable mobo, it a'int gonna be mini-ITX!

Uhh.. why NOT go Mini-ITX for a client? This board is passively cooled, so it's quiet, has everything a client will need... guess i don't get what you are saying here...

[wado1971]

It's true that for $200 you can purchase much more but the small form factor & power requirements are the key points.

Fuzzy - did you pull the trigger on the Zotac ionitx-a?? I've had my eye on it for awhile... just waiting/hoping for confirmation that a driver update will allow it to handle flash video better. Here's a great little case for $40 to go along with it. http://www.mini-box.com/M350-univers...-itx-enclosure

[Fuzzy]

I did no, I'm not actually in the market for it right now, running my viewing on the same machine as the server for now. I was shopping mini-itx boards for my carpc a while back, and that's when I found them. Ended up going cheaper in the car, as I didn't need that much horsepower to drive a 800x480 display.

[mangriotis]

Does anyone have this type of setup working well as a client? I was recently chartered to get internet (in addition to flawless Sage) on the main TV, so I thought this client would be a good fit.

I have a Zotac-F-E mobo (Atom 330/Ion), 2GB RAM, one 2.5"HDD, in an Antec ISK 300-65 case. I have Windows 7 x64, and Sage 7 running...

I cannot get smooth playback of anything. Not even sure where to start anymore with codecs or settings. Any advice? I did some searching, but most threads die with "... just use HD200", "Sage HD Theater...", etc.

I would normally agree with that sentiment, but want the ability to surf, etc.

Any tips?

[paulbeers]

The problem with the Ion series is how close to the edge of acceptable playback you are. Even a system bottleneck can cause it to grind to a halt. With that said, what are you trying to playback? HD MPEG2? H.264? DIVX? Knowing what you are having problems with, might allow those of us to help you out and recommend the right decoders for your system.