[mr.b]

I've got an older 65" HDTV that will only do 720p and I'm trying to decide on what hardware to get for a new HTPC. Here's my question: If you have content that is in 1080p format and you're playing/decoding that to be displayed on a 720p display, is XBMC able to scale down the material? If so, does it take less CPU in order to decode it or is it the same regardless of actual output resolution?

In the end, I'll more than likely get an e8400 or q6600 to make sure I'm capable of doing 1080p, but I've been wondering about the answer to this question.

Thanks,
--B

[d4rk]

Yes, XBMC will scale to whatever your output resolution is. It doesn't take less CPU to decode it because it is still decoding a full 1080p frame into a 1080p texture. The scaling is done by the GPU so what CPU you get will only affect what content you can play, not how much you can scale it. Scaling is virtually free on most GPUs anyway.

[jmarshall]

Yes, it downscales in the GPU (no performance hit). You still have to decode it at full resolution, so you need the same amount of CPU.

EDIT: Too slow!

Cheers,
Jonathan

[mr.b]

thanks for the quick answers guys - I appreciate all the hard work and long hours. I was trying to decide whether to cheap out and do something like a pundit p1-ah2 + x2 5000+ black edition OR do a full build with something like an asus p5e-vm hdmi with a e8400 or q6600. After I spec'd out a few systems, the difference is only about $200 or so -- I don't think it makes any sense to be cheap.

[BLKMGK]

If I were doing it again I think I'd do a Shuttle XPC. They have one with the same chipset and HDMI out and it's a decent formfactor. By the time you add a decent HTPC case the prices are neck and neck. You will not need a quad core IMO, the E8400, which I have in a desktop, is more than enough - it will clock to 4ghz.

[mr.b]

I did some digging around regarding that particular xpc -- I heard too many people complaining about it being too loud. I really want a quiet system this time around so I was going to be a little picky in what components I was picking. I do appreciate your input though.

[BLKMGK]

I may be grabbing one of the pro versions as a second machine for video transcoding - waiting on the e8400s to get back in stock. I'll be able to comment on the noise then. I've had several XPC in the past and never found the noise to be objectionable once the BIOS was setup correctly. The setup I have now is actually a little noisy but once the stereo is on etc. I do not hear it. <shrug> If it's a quiet room though keeping one of these suckers quiet is going to be rough...