>> I wouldn't be so sure about the majority of VDRs using FF cards. I >> haven't seen any ad for an FF card, but I have seen many ads for cheap >> USB DVB-T tuners. The trend is likely to change, given that decoding >> MPEG-2 is no challenge to current PC hardware. > > Also generic video cards are increasingly coming with video decoding > features, and HDTVs can be connected straight to a PC without the need > for a horrible scaler or special screen mode. Although not all the > decoding features are available to Linux, dedicated decoder/TV-out cards > are looking quite obsolete, and DVB card manufacturers are bound to > respond to that. > Not to get too off-topic, but I disagree. In north america, from surveying posts on several bulletin boards, vdr usage seems to be 90%+ with FF cards (typically the Nexus-S). There's actually the perception with many in NA that vdr doesn't work with budget cards! And while more PCs are adding the built-in functions a FF card provides (Digital audio out, Coax or S-video out, adequate processing power for decoding) everything seems to be moving to mpeg-4. I know from working regularly with Xvid / mpeg4 files that they require a lot more processing power, and many pcs are older machines dedicated to running vdr, not top of the line full fledged 4 ghz systems. I've never regretted owning my FF card, and would look for a FF mpeg4 card if I was in the market. Plus, they always seem the simplest to configure and use with most software, not to mention not requiring a computer monitor to run vdr on FF :)
