[ozkhan1]

This has been bugging me for a while. I am using NPVR as back end for LIVE TV and Recordings on XBMC. The channel switching and buffering of course does not make the experience as pleasant and seamless as a true DVR. I understand SSDs are a lot faster. I am currently using one in my HTPC but the backend (which is a Windows 7 machine running NPVR) has the OS and the program installed on a 7200 rpm HDD. Both machines are on a wired network.

So the question: If I installed an SSD on the PVR machine, will it improve the situation and make a visible difference?

Thanks for your help and advice.

[ConfusedTA]

An SSD won't help with this, it's due to the way that NPVR works - it doesn't have an internal demuxer, which is why the channel changes etc are slow. It's explained by margro in this thread

If you download and install Margro's XBMC pre-build versions, available from here, onto your front-end system (assuming you're also running Windows on it), then you should see channel changes become much quicker.

I use Argus-TV as my back-end, and with Margro's XBMC build, initial tuning is still a few seconds, but subsequent channel changes are almost instantaneous.

My server is using a 500gb 7200rpm HDD for the LiveTV buffer.

[ozkhan1]

Got it. I will test it out.

So if I understand correctly putting an SSD in the server machine will not make any different at all? Because if it does, I am considering putting an SSD in it.

Thanks

[ConfusedTA]

No, it won't help, and putting Live TV stuff onto an SSD will just kill it

[black_eagle]

No. Won't make any difference to the speed XBMC switches channels.

[ozkhan1]

Thank you guys. I appreciate all your input.