HD Hardware Requirements?

[dertb]

I guess I have a multi part question. I am getting my HD from a cable box through a firewire cable. It seems to be recording fine on my (server)p4 2.8 machine with 2 gigs of ram. When I try to play the recorded files back on my laptop p4 2.2 2 gigs of ram, it takes about 30 seconds for the show to start. Same thing happens on my server. However when I play it back on a new machine celeron 1.5 with 512 ram., it plays imediatley however it is choppy in full screen thinking video issues...

Heres the question. If I upgrade the server to something faster will i be able to run the client on the server with no startup time lag? Will upgrading the server improve the lag on the laptop? what would you suggest for a server configuration that will run the client at the same time?

thanks

[lovingHDTV]

The server is not the problem, and upgrading it to reduce the playback on the client (in your case the laptop) will not help. If you upgrade the server, you could playback HD, on the server.

Your client is not powerful enough for HD display. My client can playback HD content stutter free and is one of the smallest confugurations I've seen.

I use a Nvidia 6200 with an AMD 2400+ with 512MB of RAM. I don't think you can use anything less than a 2Ghz processor and a 6200 level graphics card.

hope this helps,

[krutaw]

Originally Posted by dertb

I guess I have a multi part question. I am getting my HD from a cable box through a firewire cable. It seems to be recording fine on my (server)p4 2.8 machine with 2 gigs of ram. When I try to play the recorded files back on my laptop p4 2.2 2 gigs of ram, it takes about 30 seconds for the show to start. Same thing happens on my server. However when I play it back on a new machine celeron 1.5 with 512 ram., it plays imediatley however it is choppy in full screen thinking video issues...

Heres the question. If I upgrade the server to something faster will i be able to run the client on the server with no startup time lag? Will upgrading the server improve the lag on the laptop? what would you suggest for a server configuration that will run the client at the same time?

thanks

Hey man,

Have you checked your network utilization? I mean, these are *HUGE* files to be streaming across the 100bit connection. Just a thought and I thought I remembered the new house only having 100bit.

Anywho, I doubt it's the proc on the server as well. I'm less enthusiastic to tell you to upgrade the client though. I mean, could .6 ghz really make that big of a difference in not kicking in playback immediately?

Just a guess here...

Later Dertb...

[heffe2001]

Originally Posted by lovingHDTV

The server is not the problem, and upgrading it to reduce the playback on the client (in your case the laptop) will not help. If you upgrade the server, you could playback HD, on the server.

Your client is not powerful enough for HD display. My client can playback HD content stutter free and is one of the smallest confugurations I've seen.

I use a Nvidia 6200 with an AMD 2400+ with 512MB of RAM. I don't think you can use anything less than a 2Ghz processor and a 6200 level graphics card.

hope this helps,

I've got a P4 1.6 with 768m memory, and a 5900XT video card that plays back HD stutter-free, but at 800x600 res to a SD TV. Haven't tried it on anything better than that tho (I figure I'm pushing that PC as is, but at least I can use it in my 'puter room running a small 20" TV ).

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by krutaw

Have you checked your network utilization? I mean, these are *HUGE* files to be streaming across the 100bit connection. Just a thought and I thought I remembered the new house only having 100bit.

Not so much, HD is "only" about 20Mbps at most, often times it's closer to 10-15Mbps.

dertb,

You don't say how your PCs are connected. Wireless will not work for HD. As for your specs, the others are right, the server isn't the problem it's the clients. Your 1.5GHz PC is on the bottom end of what will work, and even then it will only work if you've got a good video card with hardware accelleration enabled (DXVA). The laptop sounds like you're trying to use wireless.

Also check the decoders you're using on each, and I'd try setting them all to whatever you've got on your 1.5 that's working best.

[paulbeers]

Your laptop probably uses some type of intergrated graphics also, which is not a good choice for HDTV. You really need something with the power of say a geforce 6600 or better (although some get away with a 6200). Also, as previously stated that wireless will be virtually useless. Even if you have a 54 mbit wireless network, half of the bandwidth is out the door just to keep that connection, and even the slightest hicup from there and you are seeing stuttering. The server is definately not the problem. I use an old celeron 766 as my server with only 384 mb of pc133 ram and no problems loading hdtv on my clients. Why is that you ask? Because all it is doing is dumping the digital signal onto the hard drive. Upgrading the server will not make your clients any faster.