Mythbuntu & Next-PVR on a Core Solo (upgraded to a C2D).

Hello,

Does anyone on here have any experiences with installing and using Mythbuntu & Next-PVR on a Core Solo 1.5 Mac Mini with Intel GMA 950 GPU please?

Would really like to get a very little used Mac Mini up and running as a HTPC however am having issues with very jerky video playback under both Mythbuntu and Next-PVR.

I've upgraded the factory installed RAM from 512MB to 4GB further to having upgraded the BIOS/EFI to support more than 2GB, installed a 128GB SSD and have installed GMABooster so that the mobile GPU is running at 400MHz however as for improvements where jerky video playback is concerned I'm afraid to say that I've not really noticed a difference unfortunately. This is a shame as I'm otherwise pleased with the upgrades.

Still am hopeful that Mythbuntu and Next-PVR (failing that one of the installations only) can run very successfully on a former Core Solo 1.5 Mac Mini and would appreciate any help / suggestions on how to go about configuring accordingly.

Finally I'm running Mythbuntu and Next-PVR (not concurrently) under Parallels 7 Virtual Machines.

At a guess the GPU performance is heavily dependant on the video drivers provided through Parallels 7. How much this can be 'tweeked' is uncertain. Would give Parallels 8 a try (providing am confident that this will be a viable upgrade/expense) but am not sure whether I'm trying to get results that are unobtainable on a GMA 950 GPU. Sincerely hope that I'm wrong there though and that excellent results can be obtained.

Thank you.

PS OXS installed is v.10.6.8 and CPU is a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo. Mythbuntu version is v.12.04.1. Win installation is Win7 Ultimate. PVR tuner is a Hauppauge PVR-900 / Win-TV Stick (tried both). Uncertain what Codecs are being used o Win7 VM however can check this.

No much really matters since you're running it in a VM. Keep in mind that Parallels, Fusion, or VirtualBox do not use the host drivers but instead provide their own drivers for video, sound, optical drive, hard drive, etc. Works the same way when running Windows from a VM. Parallels 8 does have enhanced 3D drivers for better video performance. However, that Intel GMA 950 is what it is, nothing is going to enhance its performance.

chscag said:

No much really matters since you're running it in a VM. Keep in mind that Parallels, Fusion, or VirtualBox do not use the host drivers but instead provide their own drivers for video, sound, optical drive, hard drive, etc. Works the same way when running Windows from a VM. Parallels 8 does have enhanced 3D drivers for better video performance. However, that Intel GMA 950 is what it is, nothing is going to enhance its performance.

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Hi, Thank you for that. It's a shame if all of the jerky video playback issues cannot be overcome due to the GPU being a non-upgradeable GMA 950. Never used Bootcamp is this worth giving a try as opposed to using a VM at all? Assume that Bootcamp allows a machine to be booted into either OSX or another OS and allows for host drivers to be used? Video playback isn't 'jerky' under OSX therefore am hopeful that the issues experienced can be overcome (not holding out too much hope however). Thank you again.

As chscag noted, ditch the VM - that's a terrible way to do this.

As much as I love to recommend Linux based solutions, you might be better of sticking with OS X on this one. There are plenty of fine media centre solutions for OS X out there and I just wonder if trying to use something else is worth it.

There's no doubt that using the Boot Camp dual boot method of running Mythbuntu Linux will result in better performance. But how much better depends on the Linux video driver for the GMA 950. I would check with Intel first to see if they have a Linux driver for the GMA 950.

I ran Windows XP and later on Windows 7 using Boot Camp on a MacBook that had an Intel GMA X3100 GPU which is one step up from the 950. I had to go to the Intel web site and download an updated driver before it would work OK.

The GMA 950 is fully supported by Linux - that shouldn't be a problem. I imagine that most popular Linux distributions come with the appropriate drivers/modules ready to go out of the box. However, that doesn't mean that performance will be great. Linux has never really been home to quality graphics drivers (and why I think Steam is going to be an interesting experiment on Linux).

vansmith said:

As chscag noted, ditch the VM - that's a terrible way to do this.

As much as I love to recommend Linux based solutions, you might be better of sticking with OS X on this one. There are plenty of fine media centre solutions for OS X out there and I just wonder if trying to use something else is worth it.

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Hi, Thank you for your reply. Ditching the VM is a fair conclusion agreed as video playback problems cannot be overcome. Think that using a VM for other applications is great but not for use as a PVR / HTPC. Are there any media centre solutions for OS X that you'd recommend please? (should there be any that are compatible with Hauppauge DVB-T USB Sticks too that'd be great). Perhaps I'd better give my Equinux TubeStick another try too as never did use that as such.

Thank you again for your replies. Seasons greetings to you. Kind Regards.

chscag said:

There's no doubt that using the Boot Camp dual boot method of running Mythbuntu Linux will result in better performance. But how much better depends on the Linux video driver for the GMA 950. I would check with Intel first to see if they have a Linux driver for the GMA 950.

I ran Windows XP and later on Windows 7 using Boot Camp on a MacBook that had an Intel GMA X3100 GPU which is one step up from the 950. I had to go to the Intel web site and download an updated driver before it would work OK.

Click to expand...

Hello, Thank you for your reply. Much appreciated.
Seasons greetings. Kind Regards.