XBMCbuntu + 1080P Blu-Ray Rips... minimum CPU required?

Yes, Fusion CPUs (APU's) from the E350 and I assume through the A4-A6-A8 should be able to play 1080p hardware accelerated via the XBVA api-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Video_Bitstream_Acceleration

which is one method of acceleration under VAAPI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Acceleration_API

Howto Install XBMC PVR Xvba for AMD Radeon/Fusion and Nvidia GPUs
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=116996

HOW-TO use VAAPI HW Acceleration on AMD Zacate (Fusion) platform
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=99154

More discussion with successful examples
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=137233

For a Linux media HTPC, you should not use anything but quad core ~3Ghz to cover any video decoding not GPU accelerated, such as Flash HD or some video processing like deinterlacing or codecs not GPU accelerated (yet).

Use an AMD A6 or A8 or a non Fusion quad CPU with an Nvidia card like a GT520, or use a Fusion APU and disable the GPU and add the Nvidia if the VAAPI/XBVA stuff doesn't work for you.

FOr the same 95W of other quad cores, you could get a 6-core CPU
http://www.microcenter.com/product/375766/FX_6100_Black_Edition_33GHz_Six-Core_Socket_AM3_Boxed_Processor

and use the fanless Nvidia GT520 if you wanted.

But if the A6/A8's GPU works well for you, it's a nice low power option (CPU+GPU power draw) and low total heat in the case
Edited by Rgb - 12/3/12 at 6:25pm

How about something like this for OpenElec 3.0 RC1
AMD A6-5400K | APU --- $60
ASRock FM2A75M-ITX | MOBO --- $90
Crucial Ballistic 8GB DDR3 | RAM --- $40
LG 12X Blu-Ray Drive | ODD --- $55
SanDisk 120GB | SSD --- $90
ThermalTake Element Q | CASE --- $65

Total Cost: $414 from Microcenter

What do you guys think. I'm pretty sure this should be more than capable for a long time to come and OpenElec has pretty low requirements as it is.
I could also upgrade the CPU to the quad core model A10-5800K for $120 and the ram can go to 16GB for $75, which puts the total at $509.
Now that's the price coming from nothing, I already have the Optical drive, Ram, and SSD from old systems so for me I'm looking at $205 which makes it a little nicer lol.

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:19pm

You do not even want to think about going AMD video on Linux. It will be a source of endless frustration. You should stick to Nvidia.

Here's a good question, will Raspberry Pi play 1080P mkvs streamed from my nas over gigabit lan ? And of course smoothly ?

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:20pm

One thing: unless you are gaming, you will never use 16GB of memory in an HTPC. You probably won't come close to 8GB.

Since you're talking just case, cpu, motherboard cost you could try these instead

ECS H61-ITX Link $50
Intel G550 @ Microcenter $35
Case?

Case is preferential choice, you could save money going mATX

Or skip the ODD and go with a true mini-box and pico psu for $80 link

G550 can software decode anything you'd like in OpenElec and never bump 50%, and they're really cheap at microcenter

It has been hit or miss with me. Right now it is a miss.

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:22pm

I'm putting together an HTPC and have been ordering parts based off of the recommendations of a friend. I've already got the motherboard so I'm sticking with AMD. In your opinion would a AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz be powerful enough to do the software decoding? Also what exactly would be lacking with HD Audio support? I want to have at least 5.1 surround sound through my Onkyo reciever, at the current time none of our other tv's will have extra speakers.

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:28pm

Because AMD drivers are pretty bad on Linux, you will be using the CPU and software for your decoding. It's a powerful enough processor to handling it, but it comes at the expense of power and heat. On the other hand, a low end Ion2 and atom processor using Nvidia's excellent Linux drivers can handle 1080p content all day long without even breathing hard. This is the difference between hardware and software based decoding. IMO, for a HTPC, where the primary concerns are heat, power usage and fan noise, you would be much better off with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor with the T suffix (very low power) and a GT 430 (or its newer equivalent). It will decode anything thrown it and leave you plenty of processing power for transcoding, commercial detection (if recording OTA), etc.

If you insist on sticking with AMD, then you really should olny consider a windows based operating system as something suitable for your needs.

I have a 960 PhenomII also clocked at 3.8GHz and it's fast enough to do all the decoding and deinterlacing for 1080i mpeg2 and lower resolutions as long it can use all four cores. On material which causes problems with multithreaded decoding it's still fast enough to do everything except the most CPU intensive deinterlacing like YADIF on 1080i files.

However, it's not quite fast enough to handle high bit rate 1080p mp4 files (such as full bit rate Bluray rips), But, if the bit rate is on the low side it's OK.

So I think the Trinity will be fine with the possible exception of full rate BluRay rips.

Well, hang on. Are we talking about AMD HSA/Fusion here? And MythTV? If so, Myth has had VAAPI support since 0.25, and HSA/Fusion is every bit as good as VDPaU, assuming the fglrx driver. And AMD at least -tries- to work with FOSS developers whereas nVidia does not.

And it would take research but I'll bet that XBMC has VAAPI too.

Things have changed, thankfully.

VAAPI is supported in xbmc, but I thought that's for Intel

Thought AMD needs XVBA support

No VAAPI is intended to give hardware accel to all recent video cards/chips and is supposed to support Intel as well as others. But I gather that you get the best benefit from video cards that have a binary driver like AMD and nVidia. I haven't personally tested Intel. Intel had been the most cooperative with open-source developers, of these.

Whereas VDPAU is nVidia's backend for VAAPI, XVBA is AMD's backend for VAAPI.
Edited by quantumstate - 2/13/13 at 9:43pm

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:28pm

'Sort of'?

Drivers (back-ends) that implement VA-API

In November 2009, VA-API also gained a new proprietary backend named "xvba-video" which allows VA-API powered applications to take advantage of AMD Radeon's proprietary fglrx drivers for its chipsets with UVD2 support via the XvBA library (X-Video Bitstream Acceleration API designed by AMD), for closed source proprietary driver only.

From Jan, 2011: Once upon a time it was an easy answer; Nvidia.

I know, "waterhead" tried to bulldoze me into doing his research on this too. I'm sure he would appreciate it if you did his legwork for him as well.

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:27pm

Well that's kind of unprovoked mean.

Let me say it like this then: You are wrong PobjoySpecial. What I stated is precisely correct.
VAAPI, XVBA and VDPAU are not competing API specifications. The former is the frontend, and the latter two are backends. Have a brief look at the architecture.

No sh1t.

What's that got to do with me not doing your errands for you?

I'm sorry but I don't have any Spaceballs quotes for you...

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:27pm

There. Now was that so hard to do just a little searching?

No. I would like you to deliver and fetch my dry cleaning, and then take the dog to be washed.
(Definitely would not have you cooking my dinner)

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:27pm

Oh I know, but it doesn't change what I said. Go read the MythTV mail list. There endless reports of people who can't get it to work. The advice from the people who develop MythTV is to use Nvidia. That is all that I think most people need to know.

Have these been in the last two months or so? Because v13.1 is out and it's supposed to be a revolution.

Second, most people don't know that you have to do things in MythTV to make hardware accel work, in addition to the driver install, and I doubt they get that info on the listserv. Hell, maybe I'm the only one who knows...

Why should they have to? Install the Nvidia drivers and you are done, its very easy and Mythbuntu will pratically do it for you automatically. No research project, dealing with endless driver releases, reading forums, etc just to to get it to possibly work. You even admit this yourself. "And it would take research but I'll bet that XBMC has VAAPI too."

You make the claim
Except they are not. AMD has consistently given Linux the cold shoulder, and getting it to work on Linux can be painful, difficult, and outright impossible to do. In contrast Nvidia just works, and works well, and you don't have to be a computer scientist to have it do so. This is because Nvidia has been extremely good about giving Linux parity with Windows with its drivers. Being told "you just don't know how to do it right" is proof enough of this.

ANYONE spending good money on hardware deserves to know this difference and then they can judge whether they want to tackle it or not. I'm willing to bet that most people don't want to go there because all they want to do is watch TV.

LOL, OK what you don't know, (probably) won't hurt you...

... You don't need those expanding menus and other new effects...

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Edited by PobjoySpecial - 5/16/13 at 2:30pm